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Research Briefs are summaries of recent insect- or arthropod-related literature
of interest to entomologists
Edited by Gregory A. Dahlem
How does a commoner become the Queen?
Kamakura, M. 2011. Royalactin induces queen differentiation in
honeybees. Nature 473: 478-483.
Honeybee larvae that are fed a special diet of royal jelly grow up to
„‡…‘‡ƒ’‘–‡–‹ƒŽ“—‡‡Ǥ‘™™‡ϐ‹ƒŽŽ›‘™–Š‡…”‹–‹…ƒŽ‹‰”‡†‹‡–
in royal jelly that causes the transformation. Kamakura was able to
identify and isolate a 57-kDa protein, designated “royalactin,” which
induces the caste determination of a queen bee. His elegant experiments clearly show the importance of this single protein for honeybee
queen development and he also shows that it can have similar effects
‘ƒ–‘–ƒŽŽ›†‹ˆˆ‡”‡–‘”‰ƒ‹•ǡƒˆ”—‹–ϐŽ›ȋDrosophila melanogaster)!
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fecundity, extended lifespan and shortened developmental time as
compared to those fed nutritionally similar diets. So if royalactin
…ƒŠƒ˜‡•—…Šƒ”‹•–‘…”ƒ–‹…‡ˆˆ‡…–•‘ƒ…‘‘ϐŽ›ǡƒ›„‡•‘‡‘‡
should check what Kate Middleton has been spreading on her scones!
Love that’s a little loud
Sueur, J., D. Mackie and J. F. C. Windmill. 2011. So small, so loud:
extremely high sound pressure level from a pygmy aquatic insect
(Corixidae, Micronectinae). PLoS ONE 6(6): e21089. doi: 10.1371/
journal.pone.0021089.
When I think of loud insect songs, I tend to think of things like katydids, crickets, and cicadas. I do not immediately think about mating
calls of freshwater aquatic insects. Apparently I am not alone, and
freshwater habitats have been neglected by acoustic biologists. That
may change with Sueur et al.’s report on a tiny water boatman that
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They provide comparisons of the sound produced by this insect to
a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial animals, from whales and
birds to snapping shrimp. Only the males emit a call. The species
they studied were collected in France and are only 2.3 mm long,
but their songs can be heard by humans that are meters away on
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shore, through the water/air interface. How can such a small insect make such a loud noise? The sound is produced by rubbing a
genital appendage against the abdomen, but the exact mechanism
that produces such intense sound production from this stridulation
needs more study.
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Prud’homme, B., C. Minervino, M. Hocine, J. D. Cande, A. Aouane,
H. D. Dufour, V. A. Kassner and N. Gompel. 2011. Body plan
innovation in treehoppers through the evolution of an extra
wing-like appendage. Nature 473: 83-86.
Probably the most distinctive and obvious feature of treehoppers
is the fantastic form of their pronotum. These “helmets” give many
treehoppers the appearance of thorns, seeds, or even aggressive ants.
Prud’homme et al. provide an intriguing hypothesis, supported by
a variety of evidence, that the helmet of treehoppers is actually a
prothoracic appendage which is homologous to wings. Histological
analysis reveals the presence of a jointed articulation at the base
of the helmet. Developmental studies reveal that the helmet has
„‹Žƒ–‡”ƒŽ‘”‹‰‹•ǡƒ•†‡–‡”‹‡†ˆ”‘•‡”‹ƒŽ•‡…–‹‘•‘ˆϐ‹”•–Ǧ‹•–ƒ”
nymphs. Gene expression indicates a strong similarity between
the molecular signatures of wing and helmet development. Most
changes in the body forms of complex animals involve reduction or
loss of body appendages. Here is a case for the evolution of new body
ƒ’’‡†ƒ‰‡•ƒ†–Š‡‹”†‹˜‡”•‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘‹–‘ƒ™‹†‡”ƒ‰‡‘ˆˆ‘”•‹
these fascinating insects.
Who’s your daddy?
Rabeling, C., O. Gonzales, T. R. Schultz, M. Bacci, Jr., M. V. B. Garcia,
M. Verhaagh, H. D. Ishak, and U. G. Mueller. 2011. Cryptic sexual
populations account for genetic diversity and ecological success
in a widely distributed, asexual fungus-growing ant. PNAS 108:
12366-12371.
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No one has ever collected or seen a male of the fungus-growing
ant species Mycocepurus smithii. This species was thought to be
an obligate parthenogenic species known from widely separated
‰‡‘‰”ƒ’Š‹…ƒŽŽ‘…ƒ–‹‘•‹‘—–Š‡”‹…ƒǤƒ•–‘”›ϐ‹–ˆ‘”–Š‡ƒ—”›
Povich show, paternity tests on queens and their workers show
that some cheating has been going on. Rabeling et al. were not able
–‘…ƒ–…Šƒ“—‡‡Dz‹–Š‡ƒ…–ǡdz•‘–‘•’‡ƒǡ„—––Š‡›†‹†ϐ‹†•’‡”‹
several queens’ spermathecae. A phylogenetic analysis of the genus
based on mt-DNA indicates that both sexual and asexual populations
represent one species, and it appears that parthenogenesis has arisen
multiple times. While it may not directly affect the evolutionary understanding of this sexually ambiguous species, I still want to know
what a male looks like.
If you have a color photograph of an insect, insect part, or
entomological apparatus that you would like to submit for
the “What is it?” feature, please e-mail a 300-dpi TIFF and a
description of the image to the editor at [email protected].
This photograph was submitted by Donald R. Owen, California
Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection, 6105 Airport Rd, Redding, CA 96002, †‘Ǥ‘™‡̷ϐ‹”‡Ǥ…ƒǤ‰‘˜Ǥ
This is a photograph of an adult female ponderosa pine twig
scale (length 4mm), Matsucoccus bisetosus, taken from ponderosa pine branches that were collected in Malin, Oregon.
What is it? answer.
American EntomologistȈVolume 57, Number 3
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