Sperm utilisation by Melipona quadrifasciata Lepeletier (Hymenoptera, Apidae) queens subjected to multiple mating

Abstract

In most Hymenoptera species the queen mates once but in a small number of species, multiple matings can occur normally. So, in this study, physogastric M. quadrifasciata queens were mated with a second male to investigate how these queens, naturally inseminated and laying eggs, use spermatozoa stored in their spermatheca, when they are mated with a second male. Results demonstrate that spermatozoa of different males mix in the spermatheca of M. quadrifasciata queens and that there is a gradual increase in the utilisation of spermatozoa of the second male, which could be explained by a competition among spermatozoa of different drones over the way in which spermatozoa are stored in the spermatheca.