Sexual Dimorphism in Wax Secretion Offers Ecological Adaptability During Ericerus pela (Hemiptera: Coccidae) Evolution
Sexual Dimorphism in Wax Secretion Offers Ecological Adaptability During Ericerus pela (Hemiptera: Coccidae) Evolution
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DOI：
10.1093/ee/nvz009
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发表时间：
2019-04-01
影响因子：
1.7
通讯作者：
Yang, Pu
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Qi, Qian;Lv, Pin;Yang, Pu
鳞虫（Ericerus pela Chavannes）表现出典型的两性二态性。雄性和雌性不仅在形态上不同，而且在分泌蜡的能力和生态适应性上也不同。在此，我们报告了雌鼠和雄鼠蜡腺的形态和结构特征。雌性和雄性在蜡腺和蜡分泌方面的差异反映了它们对生存环境的不同需求和不同的生态策略。雌雄同体的雄性若虫有五种蜡腺，背部的蜡腺分泌一层蜡丝，似乎是为了防止直接的光照射。另一方面，在雌性的腹部发现了五种蜡腺。嗜日光的雌性若虫几乎不分泌任何蜡，但位于腹部气孔上的蜡腺可以帮助这种昆虫呼吸。雌成虫在卵上分泌蜡丝，以保护它们免受捕食者的伤害，并防止它们彼此粘在一起。总之，雄性分泌蜂蜡似乎是为了创造一个适合其嗜日光生活方式的阴凉生态位，而雌性则可能采用增厚表皮的生态策略来适应嗜日光和越冬。
The scale insect, Ericerus pela Chavannes, shows a typical sexual dimorphism. Males and females are different not only in morphology, but also in their ability to secrete wax and ecological adaptability. Here we report the morphological and structural characteristics of wax glands on E. pela females and males. The differences in wax glands and wax secretion between females and males reflect their different needs for living habitats and different ecological strategies. Sciophilous male nymphs are with five types of wax glands, and the wax glands on the dorsum secrete a layer of wax filaments plausibly for protection against direct light irradiation. On the other hand, five types of wax glands were found on the abdomen of females. Heliophilous female nymphs hardly secrete any wax, but the wax glands located along the spiracle on the abdomen may help this insect to breathe. Female adults secrete wax filaments on eggs to protect them from predators and prevent themselves from sticking to each other. In summary, males appear to secreted wax for creating a shaded niche that fits their sciophilous life style, whereas females are likely to adopt an ecological strategy with thickened epidermis for heliophilous acclimatization and overwintering.