Expansion of presoldier cuticle contributes to head elongation during soldier differentiation in termites

• Sugime, Yasuhiro

• Ogawa, Kota

• Watanabe, Dai

• Shimoji, Hiroyuki

• Koshikawa, Shigeyuki

• Miura, Toru

抄録

In termites, the soldier caste possesses morphological features suitable for colony defence, despite some exceptions. Soldiers are differentiated via two moultings through a presoldier stage with dramatic morphogenesis. While a number of morphological modifications are known to occur during the presoldier moult, growth and morphogenesis seem to continue even after the moult. The present study, using the damp-wood termite Hodotermopsis sjostedti, carried out morphological and histological investigations on the developmental processes during the presoldier stage that is artificially induced by the application of a juvenile hormone analogue. Measurements of five body parameters indicated that head length significantly increased during the 14-day period after the presoldier moult, while it did not increase subsequently to the stationary moult (pseudergate moult as control). Histological observations also showed that the cuticular development played a role in the presoldier head elongation, suggesting that the soft and flexible presoldier cuticle contributed to the soldier morphogenesis in termites.

収録刊行物

• Science of nature

  Science of nature 102 (11-12), 71-, 2015-12

  Springer

キーワード

• Termite
• Soldier differentiation
• Presoldier
• Cuticle
• Intermoult

詳細情報

• CRID: 1050564288972812800
• NII論文ID: 120005895269
• ISSN: 14321904
• ISSN: 00281042
• HANDLE: 2115/63826
• 本文言語コード: en
• 資料種別: journal article
• データソース種別:
  • IRDB
  • CiNii Articles