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The praying mantis genus Acromantisis characterized by its compound eyes with stripe patterns in the Japanese Mantodea. In the laboratory, we observed that the 1st instar nymphs of Acromantis satsumensisMatsumura had a single stripe on their compound eyes, and one more stripe appeared on both of their compound eyes when they became 2nd instar nymphs. Likewise, the 3rd instars had 3 stripes, the 4th instars had 4 stripes, and so on. These results suggest that the stripe patterns on the compound eyes increase one by one with each molt in A. satsumensis.

Abstract: In social insects, biogenic amines are thought to play regulatory roles in the transition between reproductive states in females. To determine the effect of dopamine on the reproductive development of workers in primitively eusocial societies, isolated workers of the paper wasp Polistes chinensis were supplied with oral dopamine. Ovarian development was accelerated in dopamine-fed workers as compared to control workers of the same age fed only sucrose solution. Oral dopamine increased brain levels of dopamine and its metabolite (N-acetyldopamine). Brain levels of tyramine or octopamine were also increased by dopamine application in one of two colonies; levels of the tyramine metabolite N-acetyltyramine were unchanged. These results indicate that dopamine plays a gonadotropic role in isolated workers in the primitively eusocial wasp, similar to the gonadotropic role previously reported for juvenile hormone. This is the first study to report effects of dopamine on ovarian development in workers of the paper wasp.