The chemical composition of the mandibular gland secretion of Melipona bicolor Lepeletier, 1836 (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini): a comparative study among castes and sexes

Submitted by Vitor Silverio Rodrigues (vitorsrodrigues@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2014-05-27T11:21:08Z No. of bitstreams: 0Bitstream added on 2014-05-27T14:29:04Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 2-s2.0-1542655544.pdf: 110911 bytes, checksum: b9896dadc3a674cf57d6b1867bf7ab0e (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-27T11:21:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2004-09-01 The mandibular gland secretions of newly emerged, nurse and forager workers, virgin and physogastric queens and males of Melipona bicolor were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The secretion is composed of a blend of hydrocarbons, alcohols, esters, and acids. The secretion is caste-sex specific and also differs with the tasks performed by the workers and the physiological reproductive condition of the queens. Departamento de Biologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista, Av. 24A, 1515, 13506-900 Rio Claro - SP School of Chemistry and Physics Lennard-Jones Laboratories Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG Departamento de Biologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista, Av. 24A, 1515, 13506-900 Rio Claro - SP