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Function of the Dufour's gland in solitary and social Hymenoptera

Mitra, Aniruddha (2013) Function of the Dufour's gland in solitary and social Hymenoptera. In: JOURNAL OF HYMENOPTERA RESEARCH, 35 . pp. 33-58.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/JHR.35.4783

Abstract

The poison gland and Dufour's gland are the two glands associated with the sting apparatus in female Apocrita (Hymenoptera). While the poison gland usually functions as an integral part of the venom delivery system, the Dufour's gland has been found to differ in its function in various hymenopteran groups. Like all exocrine glands, the function of the Dufour's gland is to secrete chemicals, but the nature and function of the secretions varies in different taxa. Functions of the Dufour's gland secretions range from serving as a component of material used in nest building, larval food, and pheromones involved in communicative functions that are important for both solitary and social species. This review summarizes the different functions reported for the Dufour's gland in hymenopterans, illustrating how the Dufour's gland secretions can be adapted to give rise to various functions in response to different challenges posed by the ways of life followed by different taxa. Aspects of development, structure, chemistry and the evolution of different functions are also touched upon briefly.

Item Type: Journal Article
Publication: JOURNAL OF HYMENOPTERA RESEARCH
Publisher: PENSOFT PUBL
Additional Information: Copyright for this article belongs to the PENSOFT PUBL BULGARIA
Keywords: Dufour's gland; function; structure; chemistry; evolution; Hymenoptera
Department/Centre: Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences
Date Deposited: 10 Mar 2014 06:43
Last Modified: 10 Mar 2014 06:43
URI: http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/48523

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