Insectes Sociaux

Ordway, Ellen;

doi: 10.1007/BF02222719pmid: N/A

Summary The presence of two castes, the egglayers or queens and the nonegglayers or workerlike females, is demonstrated inA. striata andA. persimilis although the castes are poorly defined. One or more queens may be present in a nest during the spring, at which time all individuals of the colony may perform all nesting activities including the collecting of pollen for the cells. After the first brood has emerged in June, there is only one egglayer per colony, and this individual, although continuing to guard and build cells, does not collect pollen. The other females of the colony, although frequently mated, rarely lay eggs but do carry on all other nesting activities. The queens and nonegglaying females differ in size averaged over the season, but there are no gross morphological differences between the two castes.

Fudalewicz-Niemczyk, Wladyslava;Richard, Gaston;

doi: 10.1007/BF02222720pmid: N/A

Résumé Les auteurs ont étudié l'organogenèse des nerfs et des trachées alaires du TermiteReticulitermes lucifugus santonensis Feyt. Ils ont reconnu des organes sensoriels à processus externe appartenant à la catégorie dessensilla trichoïdea deSnodgrass, et des organes sensoriels internes (organes chordotonaux). Les premiers se rencontrent chez tous les stades de développement, alors que seules les nymphes possèdent un organe chordotonal dans leurs ébauches alaires (correspondant à l'organe tégulaire des autres Insectes). On décrit les parcours des nerfs alaires chez les larves, les ouvriers, les nymphes, les soldats, les sexués néoténiques, en soulignant les différences séparant nettement les ouvriers des nymphes. Toutefois, ces différences ne portent jamais sur le nombre des nerfs, qui est stable (nerf costal, sous-costal, radial). Tous les stades et toutes les castes (sauf les soldats) présentent trois trachées alaires (radiale, médianale et cubitale). On suppose que c'est la trachée médianale qui régresse chez les soldats.

Weaver, Nevin;

doi: 10.1007/BF02222721pmid: N/A

Summary The time required for each of 50 honeybees to forage from a hairy vetch blossom, and the time required for each bee that tripped blossoms to trip a different blossom was measured three times each in two fields. There were highly significant differences in the speed with which bees tripped and foraged from blossoms in the two fields. It appeared that the blossoms in one field were easier to trip than the blossoms in the other. The bees spent less time foraging from the blossoms in the field in which tripping was most rapid, probably because there was less nectar in the blossoms in that field than in the other field. The bees that did not trip blossoms foraged from blossoms more rapidly than the bees that did trip the blossoms. After all known sources of variation had been removed there was a highly significant correlation between the times required for bees to trip and to forage from blossoms; this is interpreted as indicating differences in the efficiency of individual bees. In one of the fields many of the bees foraged through punctures in the blossoms made by carpenter bees. An attempt was made to measure the relationship of the amount of sugar collected by bees per unit time to the attractiveness of competing plants.

Buschinger, Alfred;

doi: 10.1007/BF02222722pmid: N/A

Zusammenfassung Leptothorax (Mychothorax) kutteri n. sp. wird beschrieben. Die neue Art lebt sozialparasitisch in polygynen Nestern vonLeptothorax (Mychothorax) acervorumFabr. neben begatteten ♀♀ dieser Art.L. kutteri ist arbeiterlos. In den gemischten Nestern werden Geschlechtstiere beider Arten aufgezogen. Die neue Art weist im äusseren Körperbau keine Spezialisierung gegenüber,L. acervorum auf. Die vermutliche Entstehung eines solchen Sozialparasiten in polygynen Ameisenarten wird diskutiert.

Howse, P. E.;

doi: 10.1007/BF02222723pmid: N/A

Summary Two oscillatory movements of the termiteZ. angusticollis have been investigated. It was found that the Longitudinal Oscillatory Movement occurred after the termites had been disturbed and that it appeared to be a response to a relatively low-intensity stimulus to antennal sensilla. The Complex Oscillatory Movement took place after a relatively large disturbance. It is associated with the laying down of an odour trail, and occurs only on contact with an individual of the same species. It has been shown to be a means of exciting other termites which will then normally follow the odour trail, but it is not a specific stimulus to follow such a trail.

Brian, M. V.;

doi: 10.1007/BF02222724pmid: N/A

Summary 1 Growth in the early third instar before hibernation, of groups of larvae ofMyrmica rubra L. is described. The area of the leg bud projection is related to the total body weight. 2 At 20°C larvae may show leg growth and development that leads to metamorphosis into workers or they may show slow body growth without this (diapause growth). There are two zones from which metamorphsis may start. 3 At 25° C more larvae metamorphose and they diverge from the diapause path at both zones. 4 If queens are present more larvae also metamorphose but they diverge from the second zone, previously called thye «switch». 5 The bigger caste size difference inTetramorium arises from a greater ability to dissociate body growth from growth of the adult rudiments during this sequence in the early third instar. 6 Males show some features of growth and development that are intermediate between queens and workers.

Cassier, Par Pierre;

doi: 10.1007/BF02222725pmid: N/A

Ishay, J.;Schwarz, J.;

doi: 10.1007/BF02222726pmid: N/A