Análise sociogenética de Xylocopa frontalis (Olivier) (Apidae, Xylocopini)

Abstract

Species with primitively social behavior are important models in the research on eusociality evolution. This study aimed to analyze the genetic kinship among associated females and the offspring produced in nests of Xylocopa frontalis, in order to determine if the reproductive dominance is performed by only one female. Our results showed that the nesting females share the reproduction in all nests observed. Genetic analyzes point to offspring related to more than one female. These results is supported are in agreement with the model of reproductive skew, in which females compete for reproduction, a phenomenon already registered in other species of the genus Xylocopa. These data, coupled with other molecular and behavioral research with species that present more basal systems of social behavior, may promote a better understanding of the evolution of eusocial behavior in insects.