Cuticular hydrocarbons in workers of the slave-making ant Polyergus samurai and its slave, Formica japonica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

  1. Zhibin LIU1,5,
  2. Anne-Geneviève BAGNÈRES3,
  3. Sôichi YAMANE4,
  4. Qingchuan WANG2,
  5. Jun-ichi KOJIMA5

Article first published online: 26 SEP 2003

DOI: 10.1046/j.1343-8786.2003.00014.x

Issue

Entomological Science

Entomological Science

Volume 6, Issue 3, pages 125–133, September 2003

Additional Information

How to Cite

LIU, Z., BAGNÈRES, A.-G., YAMANE, S., WANG, Q. and KOJIMA, J.-i. (2003), Cuticular hydrocarbons in workers of the slave-making ant Polyergus samurai and its slave, Formica japonica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Entomological Science, 6: 125–133. doi: 10.1046/j.1343-8786.2003.00014.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Faculty of Biological Science and

  2. 2

    Department of Mathematics, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian, China;

  3. 3

    IRBI-UMR 6035, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université de Tours Parc Grandmont, Tours, France; and

  4. 4

    Biological Laboratory, Faculty of Education and

  5. 5

    Natural History Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Ibaraki University, Mito, Japan

*Dr Jun-ichi Kojima, Natural History Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Ibaraki University, Mito, 310-8512 Japan. Email: jkrte@mx.ibaraki.ac.jp

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 26 SEP 2003
  2. Article first published online: 26 SEP 2003
  3. Received 22 November 2002; accepted 25 March 2003.

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Keywords:

  • cuticular hydrocarbon profile;
  • dulosis;
  • integration mechanism;
  • learning

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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