| Title: | Males of a solitary wasp possess a postpharyngeal gland |
| Author(s): | Herzner G; Goettler W; Kroiss J; Purea A; Webb AG; Jakob PM; Rossler W; Strohm E; |
| Address: | "Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Wurzburg, Biozentrum, Am Hubland, D-97074 Wurzburg, Germany. gudrun.herzner@biologie.uni-regensburg.de" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.asd.2006.08.006 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1873-5495 (Electronic) 1467-8039 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "The postpharyngeal gland has long been thought to occur only in ants. Here we characterize, by use of light and electron microscopy as well as 3D reconstruction based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging data, a large cephalic gland reservoir of males of a solitary digger wasp, the European beewolf, Philanthus triangulum. Several lines of evidence suggest that this reservoir is a postpharyngeal gland. The gland reservoir originates from the posterior part of the pharynx and consists of two pairs of unbranched tubular structures that occupy a large portion of the head capsule. Its wall is composed of a unicellular epithelium that is lined by a cuticle. The gland contains a blend of hydrocarbons and compounds with functional groups, and we show that the hydrocarbon fraction of the pheromone is congruent with the hydrocarbons on the cuticle. We discuss the implications of our findings for the evolution of the postpharyngeal gland in ants" |
| Keywords: | Animals Biological Evolution Male Social Behavior Wasps/*anatomy & histology/genetics; |
| Notes: | "MedlineHerzner, Gudrun Goettler, Wolfgang Kroiss, Johannes Purea, Armin Webb, Andrew G Jakob, Peter M Rossler, Wolfgang Strohm, Erhard eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2007/12/20 Arthropod Struct Dev. 2007 Jun; 36(2):123-33. doi: 10.1016/j.asd.2006.08.006. Epub 2007 Jan 23" |
