Cuticular hydrocarbons of Polistes dominulus as a biogeographic tool: a study of populations from the Tuscan Archipelago and surrounding areas

J Chem Ecol. 2004 Nov;30(11):2139-51. doi: 10.1023/b:joec.0000048779.47821.38.

Abstract

In social insects, the types and proportions of epicuticular lipids may exhibit significant diversity as a result of factors such as age, sex, caste, rank, nest, and relatedness. It is known that these variations can be used by social insects to acquire information regarding conspecific individuals. Recent findings have shown that different populations of Polistes dominulus (Christ.) have distinctly different chemical cuticular profiles, and that wasps are able to recognize individuals of their own population. In this study, we showed that cuticular hydrocarbon patterns of Polistes dominulus are consistent with similarities among northern Tyrrhenian islands, as reported in previous biogeographic studies. Indeed, our findings indicate that cuticular hydrocarbon mixtures of P. dominulus from Capraia and Corsica are grouped together by cluster analysis, while those from Elba and Giglio cluster with cuticular profiles of the mainland wasps (Venturina).

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Geography
  • Hydrocarbons / analysis
  • Hydrocarbons / chemistry*
  • Insect Proteins / analysis
  • Insect Proteins / chemistry*
  • Italy
  • Lipids / analysis
  • Lipids / chemistry*
  • Population
  • Species Specificity
  • Wasps / chemistry
  • Wasps / metabolism*

Substances

  • Hydrocarbons
  • Insect Proteins
  • Lipids
  • cuticle proteins, insects