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Michael Lenz - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Froggatt (Isoptera: Mastotermitidae): homology with cockroach oothecae
    2016
    Co-Authors: Christine A Nalepa, Michael Lenz
    Abstract:

    The basal termite Mastotermes darwiniensis produces an egg mass, the nature of which is controversial. The debate centres on whether it is homologous with the oothecae of mantids and cockroaches and, if so, whether its simple structure is plesiomorphic or apomorphic within the Dictyoptera. To help resolve these issues we observed primary reproductives of M. darwiniensis during oviposition and examined the morphology of the reproductive product. Oviposition is cockroach-like in that the egg mass is assembled within the vestibulum and the eggs are issued externally in pairs. The reproductive product is an ootheca of the blattarian type. A distinct, tanned outer covering is stretched over the two parallel rows of eggs. No keel is present and no calcium oxalate crystals were apparent in the outer covering. We cannot rule out the possibility that the simple structure of the ootheca is plesiomorphic within Dictyoptera. However, based on (i) apomorphies shared by Mastotermes and Blattaria, and (ii) the life habits of Isoptera, a secondary reduction is the more plausible explanation

  • ability of field populations of coptotermes spp reticulitermes flavipes and mastotermes darwiniensis isoptera rhinotermitidae Mastotermitidae to damage plastic cable sheathings
    Journal of Economic Entomology, 2013
    Co-Authors: Michael Lenz, B M Kard, Edward D Freytag, Junhong Zhong, Boonhoi Yeoh, Kenneth S Brown, Theodore A. Evans, James W Creffield, Tsuyoshi Yoshimura, Kunio Tsunoda
    Abstract:

    ABSTRACT A comparative field study was conducted to evaluate the ability of subterranean termites to damage a set of four different plastic materials (cable sheathings) exposed below- and above-ground. Eight pest species from six countries were included, viz., Coptotermes formosanus (Shiraki) in China, Japan, and the United States; Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) in Thailand and Malaysia; Coptotermes curvignathus (Holmgren) and Coptotermes kalshoveni (Kemner) in Malaysia; Coptotermes acinaciformis (Froggatt) with two forms of the species complex and Mastotermes darwiniensis (Froggatt) in Australia; and Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) in the United States. Termite species were separated into four tiers relative to decreasing ability to damage plastics. The first tier, most damaging, included C. acinaciformis, mound-building form, and M. darwiniensis, both from tropical Australia. The second tier included C. acinaciformis, tree-nesting form, from temperate Australia and C. kalshoveni from Southeast Asia. The...

  • the fine structure of colleterial glands in two cockroaches and three termites including a detailed study of cryptocercus punctulatus blattaria cryptocercidae and mastotermes darwiniensis isoptera Mastotermitidae
    Arthropod Structure & Development, 2008
    Co-Authors: Annie Courrent, Christine A Nalepa, Michael Lenz, Alain Robert, André Quennedey, Christian Bordereau
    Abstract:

    The colleterial glands of insects are organs associated with the female genital apparatus. In cockroaches, these glands produce secretions that cover two parallel rows of eggs during oviposition, and in oviparous species, these secretions become the tanned, sculpted, rigid outer casing of the ootheca. The goal of this study was to compare the gross anatomy of the colleterial glands and the ultrastructure of their component tubules in the phylogenetically significant genera Cryptocercus (Blattaria) and Mastotermes (Isoptera). Recent studies indicate that cockroaches in the genus Cryptocercus are the sister group of termites, and Mastotermes is the only termite known to produce a cockroach-like ootheca. One additional oviparous cockroach, Therea, and two additional termites, Zootermopsis and Pseudacanthotermes, were also examined. As in other cockroaches, the colleterial glands of Cryptocercus and Therea are asymmetrical, with a well developed bipartite left gland and a smaller right gland. In the termites Mastotermes, Zootermopsis, and Pseudacanthotermes, the colleterial glands are composed of a well-developed, paired, anterior gland and a small posterior gland; histological staining and cytological evidence suggest that these are homologues of the left and the right colleterial glands of cockroaches, respectively. At the ultrastructural level, colleterial gland tubules are made of cells belonging to a modified class 1 type cell in the cockroaches, in Mastotermes, and in Zootermopsis; the latter lays its eggs singly, without a surrounding ootheca-like structure. In the advanced termite Pseudacanthotermes, the tubules are made of secretory units belonging to the class 3 cell type. This study demonstrates that the cytological characteristics of colleterial glands in basal termites are similar to those of cockroaches, whether the termite secretes an oothecal casing that covers two parallel rows of eggs, as in Mastotermes, or lays its eggs singly, as in Zootermopsis. The function of colleterial glands in non-mastotermitid termites is unknown.

  • flight characteristics of mastotermes darwiniensis isoptera Mastotermitidae
    Insectes Sociaux, 2001
    Co-Authors: Christine A Nalepa, L R Miller, Michael Lenz
    Abstract:

    Flight patterns of Mastotermes darwiniensis in northern Australia were monitored using a light trap during the summer monsoons of 1975 and 1996. A major flight was detected in both years, with flights of smaller magnitude also occurring. Results indicate that flight behaviour is more closely correlated with ecology and life type than with phylogenetic position. Overall, sex ratios were slightly but significantly biased in favor of males. Head capsule widths of males and females did not differ, but the wet and dry weights of females significantly exceeded those of males. In both sexes, the hindgut comprised 2.9 % of the wet weight, and whole body dry weight was 44 % of wet weight.

  • transovarial transmission of symbiotic bacteria in mastotermes darwiniensis isoptera Mastotermitidae ultrastructural aspects and phylogenetic implications
    Annals of The Entomological Society of America, 2000
    Co-Authors: Lucia Sacchi, Christine A Nalepa, S Corona, Michael Lenz, Aldo Grigolo, Claudio Bandi, Elisa Bigliardi
    Abstract:

    Intracellular symbiotic bacteria in specialized cells (bacteriocytes) of the fat body are found in all cockroaches and in the termite Mastotermes darwiniensis Froggatt. DNA sequence analysis of the bacteria in the two taxa shows them to be phylogenetically related; thus, it has been suggested that the bacteriocyte symbiosis was established in an ancestor common to cockroaches and termites, with a loss of the symbiosis in all other known termite lineages. The offspring of both cockroaches and Mastotermes acquire the symbiosis via transovarial transmission. However, transmission of the bacteria in Mastotermes has not been examined since the pioneering works carried out by Koch in the 1930s. Here we report on transovariole transmission in primary and neotenic reproductives, and show that the ovarioles of both harbor fat body, which contains bacteriocytes. The conspicuous number of ovarian bacteriocytes in neotenic queens corresponds to the pattern previously observed in female nymphs. Bacterial transmission to offspring during the life of the colony thus occurs through continuous provisioning of symbionts to the ovariole from bacteriocytes in ovarian fat body. This pattern parallels that of cockroaches as does the entire mechanism of transovarial transmission.

Christian Bordereau - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Sex pheromones and trail-following pheromone in the basal termites Zootermopsis nevadensis (Hagen) and Z. angusticollis (Hagen) (Isoptera, Termopsidae, Termopsinae)
    Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 2010
    Co-Authors: Christian Bordereau, Michael J Lacey, Jean Claude Braekman, Jean Ghostin, Janet Shellman Sherman, Etienne Sémon, David Sillam-dussès
    Abstract:

    In the context of an evolutionary study of the chemical communication in termites, sex pheromones and trail-following pheromones were investigated in two Termopsidae, Zootermopsis nevadensis and Z. angusticollis. In these species, in which the presence of sex-specific pheromones has been demonstrated previously, the chemical structure of the female sex pheromone has now been identified as (5E)-2,6,10-trimethylundeca-5,9-dienal and the male sex pheromone as (+)- or (-)-syn-4,6-dimethyldodecanal. The amount of sex pheromone was estimated at 5-10 ng per individual in females and 2-5 ng in males. Because these two sympatric species do not differ in their pheromonal chemical composition, reproductive isolation is probably mediated chiefly by differences in dispersal flight chronology. The trail-following pheromone was shown to be composed of the same compound as the male sex pheromone, that is syn-4,6-dimethyldodecanal. The compound syn-4,6-dimethyldodecanal was 10 times more active than the racemic (+/-)-syn + (+/-)-anti-4,6-dimethyldodecanal in eliciting trail-following. The amount of syn-4,6- dimethyldodecanal was estimated at 0.1-0.5 ng per pseudergate. Regarding the phylogenetic aspects, the nature of the female sex pheromone of Zootermopsis is structurally akin to the trail-following pheromone of Mastotermes darwiniensis of Mastotermitidae and Porotermes adamsoni and Stolotermes victoriensis of Termopsidae. Interestingly, the nature of the trail-following pheromone of the Termopsinae Zootermopsis is clearly different from that of the Porotermitinae P. adamsoni and the Stolotermitinae S. victoriensis, which mirrors recent molecular data on the paraphyly of Termopsidae.

  • The phylogeny of termites (Dictyoptera: Isoptera) based on mitochondrial and nuclear markers: Implications for the evolution of the worker and pseudergate castes, and foraging behaviors
    Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2008
    Co-Authors: Frederic Legendre, Eliana M Cancello, Christian Bordereau, Michael F. Whiting, Theodore A. Evans, Philippe Grandcolas
    Abstract:

    A phylogenetic hypothesis of termite relationships was inferred from DNA sequence data. Seven gene fragments (12S rDNA, 16S rDNA, 18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, cytochrome oxidase I, cytochrome oxidase II and cytochrome b) were sequenced for 40 termite exemplars, representing all termite families and 14 outgroups. Termites were found to be monophyletic with Mastotermes darwiniensis (Mastotermitidae) as sister group to the remainder of the termites. In this remainder, the family Kalotermitidae was sister group to other families. The families Kalotermitidae, Hodotermitidae and Termitidae were retrieved as monophyletic whereas the Termopsidae and Rhinotermitidae appeared paraphyletic. All of these results were very stable and supported with high bootstrap and Bremer values. The evolution of worker caste and foraging behavior were discussed according to the phylogenetic hypothesis. Our analyses suggested that both true workers and pseudergates ("false workers") were the result of at least two different origins. Our data support a traditional hypothesis of foraging behavior, in which the evolutionary transition from a one-piece type to a separate life type occurred through an intermediate behavioral form.

  • The fine structural organization of sternal glands of pseudergates and workers in termites (Isoptera): a comparative survey.
    Arthropod Structure & Development, 2008
    Co-Authors: André Quennedey, David Sillam-dussès, Christian Bordereau
    Abstract:

    Thirty-nine species belonging to different families of termites are studied to give a comprehensive view of the evolution of the sternal glands. Several modifications occurring at cuticular and cytological levels are described in neuter castes. The outer epicuticle is always pierced by epicuticular pores. In advanced termites the epicuticular filaments greatly increase in number and length creating a thick layer. The pore canals gradually enlarge while the cuticle changes into a lattice structure lining an extracellular space in which the secretion is stored. Two classes of cells are present in basal termites (Mastotermitidae, Hodotermitidae, Termopsidae and Kalotermitidae) but their glandular structures greatly differ between families. A more complex organization with three classes of cells is found in the Serritermitidae and Rhinotermitidae. A regressive evolution occurs in the Termitidae where only two classes of cells are present. A dual nervous control (campaniform sensilla and neurosecretory fibers) is found in lower termites, except for the Hodotermitidae which have mechanosensory bristles. In the other families, neurosecretory fibers are lacking. A comparison with phylogenetic data is given. A more versatile role of sternal glands in neuter castes is hypothesized.

  • the fine structure of colleterial glands in two cockroaches and three termites including a detailed study of cryptocercus punctulatus blattaria cryptocercidae and mastotermes darwiniensis isoptera Mastotermitidae
    Arthropod Structure & Development, 2008
    Co-Authors: Annie Courrent, Christine A Nalepa, Michael Lenz, Alain Robert, André Quennedey, Christian Bordereau
    Abstract:

    The colleterial glands of insects are organs associated with the female genital apparatus. In cockroaches, these glands produce secretions that cover two parallel rows of eggs during oviposition, and in oviparous species, these secretions become the tanned, sculpted, rigid outer casing of the ootheca. The goal of this study was to compare the gross anatomy of the colleterial glands and the ultrastructure of their component tubules in the phylogenetically significant genera Cryptocercus (Blattaria) and Mastotermes (Isoptera). Recent studies indicate that cockroaches in the genus Cryptocercus are the sister group of termites, and Mastotermes is the only termite known to produce a cockroach-like ootheca. One additional oviparous cockroach, Therea, and two additional termites, Zootermopsis and Pseudacanthotermes, were also examined. As in other cockroaches, the colleterial glands of Cryptocercus and Therea are asymmetrical, with a well developed bipartite left gland and a smaller right gland. In the termites Mastotermes, Zootermopsis, and Pseudacanthotermes, the colleterial glands are composed of a well-developed, paired, anterior gland and a small posterior gland; histological staining and cytological evidence suggest that these are homologues of the left and the right colleterial glands of cockroaches, respectively. At the ultrastructural level, colleterial gland tubules are made of cells belonging to a modified class 1 type cell in the cockroaches, in Mastotermes, and in Zootermopsis; the latter lays its eggs singly, without a surrounding ootheca-like structure. In the advanced termite Pseudacanthotermes, the tubules are made of secretory units belonging to the class 3 cell type. This study demonstrates that the cytological characteristics of colleterial glands in basal termites are similar to those of cockroaches, whether the termite secretes an oothecal casing that covers two parallel rows of eggs, as in Mastotermes, or lays its eggs singly, as in Zootermopsis. The function of colleterial glands in non-mastotermitid termites is unknown.

David Sillam-dussès - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Sex pheromones and trail-following pheromone in the basal termites Zootermopsis nevadensis (Hagen) and Z. angusticollis (Hagen) (Isoptera, Termopsidae, Termopsinae)
    Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 2010
    Co-Authors: Christian Bordereau, Michael J Lacey, Jean Claude Braekman, Jean Ghostin, Janet Shellman Sherman, Etienne Sémon, David Sillam-dussès
    Abstract:

    In the context of an evolutionary study of the chemical communication in termites, sex pheromones and trail-following pheromones were investigated in two Termopsidae, Zootermopsis nevadensis and Z. angusticollis. In these species, in which the presence of sex-specific pheromones has been demonstrated previously, the chemical structure of the female sex pheromone has now been identified as (5E)-2,6,10-trimethylundeca-5,9-dienal and the male sex pheromone as (+)- or (-)-syn-4,6-dimethyldodecanal. The amount of sex pheromone was estimated at 5-10 ng per individual in females and 2-5 ng in males. Because these two sympatric species do not differ in their pheromonal chemical composition, reproductive isolation is probably mediated chiefly by differences in dispersal flight chronology. The trail-following pheromone was shown to be composed of the same compound as the male sex pheromone, that is syn-4,6-dimethyldodecanal. The compound syn-4,6-dimethyldodecanal was 10 times more active than the racemic (+/-)-syn + (+/-)-anti-4,6-dimethyldodecanal in eliciting trail-following. The amount of syn-4,6- dimethyldodecanal was estimated at 0.1-0.5 ng per pseudergate. Regarding the phylogenetic aspects, the nature of the female sex pheromone of Zootermopsis is structurally akin to the trail-following pheromone of Mastotermes darwiniensis of Mastotermitidae and Porotermes adamsoni and Stolotermes victoriensis of Termopsidae. Interestingly, the nature of the trail-following pheromone of the Termopsinae Zootermopsis is clearly different from that of the Porotermitinae P. adamsoni and the Stolotermitinae S. victoriensis, which mirrors recent molecular data on the paraphyly of Termopsidae.

  • The fine structural organization of sternal glands of pseudergates and workers in termites (Isoptera): a comparative survey.
    Arthropod Structure & Development, 2008
    Co-Authors: André Quennedey, David Sillam-dussès, Christian Bordereau
    Abstract:

    Thirty-nine species belonging to different families of termites are studied to give a comprehensive view of the evolution of the sternal glands. Several modifications occurring at cuticular and cytological levels are described in neuter castes. The outer epicuticle is always pierced by epicuticular pores. In advanced termites the epicuticular filaments greatly increase in number and length creating a thick layer. The pore canals gradually enlarge while the cuticle changes into a lattice structure lining an extracellular space in which the secretion is stored. Two classes of cells are present in basal termites (Mastotermitidae, Hodotermitidae, Termopsidae and Kalotermitidae) but their glandular structures greatly differ between families. A more complex organization with three classes of cells is found in the Serritermitidae and Rhinotermitidae. A regressive evolution occurs in the Termitidae where only two classes of cells are present. A dual nervous control (campaniform sensilla and neurosecretory fibers) is found in lower termites, except for the Hodotermitidae which have mechanosensory bristles. In the other families, neurosecretory fibers are lacking. A comparison with phylogenetic data is given. A more versatile role of sternal glands in neuter castes is hypothesized.

Kumar Krishna - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

J K Grace - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • native boron levels and the effect of boron treatment on coptotermes formosanus shiraki isoptera rhinotermitidae coptotermes acinaciformis froggatt isoptera rhinotermitidae and mastotermes darwiniensis froggatt isoptera Mastotermitidae
    Journal of Entomological Science, 2008
    Co-Authors: M C Gentz, J K Grace
    Abstract:

    Although boron is a ubiquitous element found in rocks, soil and water, little has been determined about its physiological role in plants and animals. Comparing the effect of sublethal boron exposure on 3 species yields a broader view of the toxicity of boron compounds in termites. Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) were collected from colonies maintained in at the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus in Honolulu, HI (United States); C. acinaciformis (Froggart) from Darwin, North Territory (Australia); and Mastotermes darwiniensis Froggart (Isoptera: Mastotermitidae) from Darwin, North Territory (Australia). Termites were exposed to untreated composite board or board containing zinc borate and anhydrous boric acid (ZB/BO in a 60/40 ratio, 0.75% BAE) in a no-choice test for 5 d, either in Honolulu (C. formosanus) or Australia (C. acinaciformis and M. darwiniensis); survival rates, wet weight, and boron content of the termites were determined. Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) was used to determine boron content in field-caught and experimental termites. There was a significant (P < 0.01) decrease in survival of the boron-treated Coptotermes in comparison with the untreated termites, although no mortality was observed in M. darwiniensis. All 3 species showed a significant (P < 0.01) increase in boron content in boron-treated individuals, and there were no significant differences observed between the field-caught and untreated termites.

  • native boron levels and the effect of boron treatment on coptotermes formosanus shiraki isoptera rhinotermitidae coptotermes acinaciformis froggatt isoptera rhinotermitidae and mastotermes darwiniensis froggatt isoptera Mastotermitidae
    Journal of Entomological Science, 2008
    Co-Authors: M C Gentz, J K Grace
    Abstract:

    Although boron is a ubiquitous element found in rocks, soil and water, little has been determined about its physiological role in plants and animals. Comparing the effect of sublethal boron exposure on 3 species yields a broader view of the toxicity of boron compounds in termites. Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) were collected from colonies maintained in at the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus in Honolulu, HI (United States); C. acinaciformis (Froggart) from Darwin, North Territory (Australia); and Mastotermes darwiniensis Froggart (Isoptera: Mastotermitidae) from Darwin, North Territory (Australia). Termites were exposed to untreated composite board or board containing zinc borate and anhydrous boric acid (ZB/BO in a 60/40 ratio, 0.75% BAE) in a no-choice test for 5 d, either in Honolulu (C. formosanus) or Australia (C. acinaciformis and M. darwiniensis); survival rates, wet weight, and boron content of the termites were determined. Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) was used to determine boron content in field-caught and experimental termites. There was a significant (P < 0.01) decrease in survival of the boron-treated Coptotermes in comparison with the untreated termites, although no mortality was observed in M. darwiniensis. All 3 species showed a significant (P < 0.01) increase in boron content in boron-treated individuals, and there were no significant differences observed between the field-caught and untreated termites.