Cuticular hydrocarbons in workers of the slave-making ant Polyergus samurai and its slave, Formica japonica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) |
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Authors: | Zhibin LIU Anne-Geneviève BAGNÈRES Sôichi YAMANE Qingchuan WANG Jun-ichi KOJIMA |
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Institution: | Faculty of Biological Science and;Department of Mathematics, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian, China;;IRBI-UMR 6035, Facultédes Sciences et Techniques, Universitéde Tours Parc Grandmont, Tours, France;and;Biological Laboratory, Faculty of Education and;Natural History Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Ibaraki University, Mito, Japan |
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Abstract: | Comparisons of cuticular hydrocarbons between workers of the dulotic ant Polyergus samurai and its slave, Formica japonica, were carried out. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry showed that the slave‐maker and its slave shared the major cuticular hydrocarbon compounds, but possessed several minor products unique to each species. No difference in hydrocarbon composition was detected between enslaved and free‐living F. japonica workers, suggesting that association with P. samurai has no qualitative effect on hydrocarbon composition in these ants. Principal component analyses of the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles (CHP) revealed that (i) CHP was species specific in a given mixed colony; and (ii) among mixed colonies, P. samurai workers had species‐colony specific CHP, while the same feature was not always found in enslaved and free‐living F. japonica workers. Therefore, a ‘uniform colony odor’ in terms of CHP is not achieved in naturally mixed colonies of P. samurai nor those of its slaves, F. japonica. |
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Keywords: | cuticular hydrocarbon profile dulosis integration mechanism learning |
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