Skip to main content
Entomology 2023 Main banner
Bayer
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Presentation Icons
In-Person
In-Person
On-Demand
On-Demand
Student Competition
Student Competition
Poster
Poster
Ticketed Event
Ticketed Event
Back
ViewAttendees 2

10-Minute Paper

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

SysEB: Education and Outreach, Behavior, and Pollinators

The mandibular gland of Nasonia (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae): A link between chemical ecology, evo-devo and descriptive taxonomy

Tuesday, November 7, 2023
4:30 PM – 4:42 PM ET
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Azalea 2
In-Person

    Presenting Author(s)

  • IM

    István Mikó

    Collections Manager
    University of New Hampshire
    Strafford, New Hampshire

    • Co-Author(s)

  • HH

    Holly Hoag

    University of New Hampshire
    Durham, New Hampshire

  • MR

    Monique Raymond

    University of New Hampshire
    Newmarket, New Hampshire

  • JU

    Jonah Ulmer

    State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart
    Washington, District of Columbia

  • Thomas van de Kamp

    Scientist
    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
    Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Baden-Wurttemberg, GER

  • JW

    Jack Werren

    Professor
    University of Rochester
    Rochester, New York

  • Adrian Richter (he/him/his)

    JSPS International Postdoctoral Fellow
    Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
    Onna, Okinawa, Japan

  • GG

    Grace Gaucher

    University of New Hampshire
    Durham, New Hampshire

  • SS

    Szabina Schweger

    research associate
    Budapest, Pest, Hungary

  • ZP

    Zsolt Penzes

    University of Szeged
    Budapest, Csongrad, Hungary

Nasonia serves as an emerging model system for investigating the evolution of complex species-specific behavioral and morphological phenotypes. For instance, the courtship behavior, influenced by an aphrodisiac pheromone, contributes to our understanding of prezygotic isolation and interspecific variations in head shape provide valuable insights into the genetic factors underlying shape and developmental disparities. However, our current knowledge of the underlying morphological systems is limited, with the pheromone source and functional significance of head shape remaining unknown. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the mandibular gland, the putative source of the aphrodisiac pheromone, in four Nasonia species using advanced imaging techniques. Our findings revealed that the gland is composed of enlarged epidermal cells that are detached from the cuticle forming a reservoir. The reservoir volume correlated with both interspecific courtship and head shape differences. Our results may serve as a link between chemical ecology, evo-devo, and descriptive taxonomy.