White-gutted soldiers: simplification of the digestive tube for a non-particulate diet in higher Old World termites (Isoptera: Termitidae).

Previous observations have noted that in some species of higher termites the soldier caste lacks pigmented particles in its gut and, instead, is fed worker saliva that imparts a whitish coloration to the abdomen. In order to investigate the occurrence of this trait more thoroughly, we surveyed a broad diversity of termite specimens and taxonomic descriptions from the Old World subfamilies Apicotermitinae, Cubitermitinae, Foraminitermitinae, Macrotermitinae, and Termitinae. We identified 38 genera that have this "white-gutted" soldier (WGS) trait. No termite soldiers from the New World were found to possess a WGS caste. Externally, the WGS is characterized by a uniformly pale abdomen, hyaline gut, and proportionally smaller body-to-head volume ratio compared with their "dark-gutted" soldier (DGS) counterparts found in most termitid genera. The WGS is a fully formed soldier that, unlike soldiers in other higher termite taxa, has a small, narrow, and decompartmentalized digestive tube that lacks particulate food contents. The presumed saliva-nourished WGS have various forms of simplified gut morphologies that have evolved at least six times within the higher termites.

Explosive backpacks in old termite workers.

By nature, defensive behavior is risky. In social insects, such behavior is more likely to occur in individuals whose potential for other tasks is diminished. We show that workers of the termite Neocapritermes taracua develop an exceptional two-component suicidal apparatus consisting of copper-containing protein crystals, stored in external pouches, and internal salivary glands. During aggressive encounters, their bodies rupture, and the crystals react with the salivary gland secretion to produce a toxic droplet. Both the amount of defensive substances and the readiness to explode increase with workers' age, as their food-collecting ability declines.

Respiratory concerts revealed by scanning microrespirography in a termite Prorhinotermes simplex (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae).

Respiratory metabolism of different developmental stages (larvae, pseudergates, nymphs, soldiers, neotenic reproductives; 0.6-4.5 mg body mass) of Prorhinotermes simplex was individually monitored by scanning respirographic method sensitive to subnanoliter amounts of O(2) consumption or CO(2) output per minute. Specimens exposed to dry air after removal from the colony performed enormously large, discontinuous bursts of CO(2) lasting usually 2 min. The volume of CO(2) produced during the burst often surpassed the volume of the whole body and it was 10- to 20-fold in excess of the air-filled endogenous tracheal volume. The initial velocity of CO(2) production during the burst was more than 90-fold faster in comparison to O(2) consumption. In the presence of enough moisture within the respiratory vessel, the termites breathed continuously without any larger outburst of CO(2). This fact fully corroborates validity of the so-called water retention theory in discontinuous CO(2) release. The highest rates of O(2) consumption were found in the second instar larvae (0.9 mg, 1000-2000 microl O(2)/g/h), the soldier caste was intermediate (700 microl O(2)/g/h) while pseudergates and neotenic reproductives consumed between 300 and 600 microl O(2)/g/h, at 25 degrees C. All developmental stages feeding on a cellulose diet had CO(2)/O(2) values (RQ) over 1 (1.2-1.4, i.e. carbohydrate metabolism), pigmented soldiers fed by the workers had RQ around 0.75 (predominating lipid or protein metabolism). The unusually large, sudden eruptions of CO(2) in specimens exposed to dry air allow us to make the following conclusions: (1) the bursts were due to special chemical processes, such as by enzymatic hydration of carbonic acid by carbonic anhydrase and; (2) the bulk of chemically evolved gaseous CO(2) escaped from the body by a mass flow supported by active ventilation, not by a passive diffusion. These results demonstrated that the periodic emissions of CO(2) and the associated homeostatic regulation of the respiratory acidaemia were under perfect physiological control. The termites could thus actively select the type of CO(2) release best suited to the extant environmental or internal physiological conditions, i.e. from a completely continuous respiration to occasionally cyclic or completely discontinuous CO(2) release.

Ultrastructural ontogeny of the labial gland apparatus in termite Prorhinotermes simplex (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae).

The labial glands in Prorhinotermes simplex consist of secretory cells organized into acini, water sacs and the ducts connecting the gland parts to the basis of the labium. Acini are composed of central and parietal cells. Central cells type I contain predominantly lucent vacuoles and are involved probably in hydroquinone production. They are lacking in soldiers. Type II central cells produce vacuoles of proteinaceous content which are of the same electron density (type IIa) or present in more shades (type IIb). Type IIa cells are present in all older individuals, whereas type IIb are lacking in soldiers and neotenics. Type III cells represent a specific stage of type I cells development, but they are definite functional secretory cells in soldiers. Acini of first instar larvae contain undifferentiated cells which differentiate into type I cells during the second instar. Specific larval central cells start to change into type II cells during first instar. The central cells of presoldiers show a transition from the pseudergate into the soldier situation. The parietal cells keep a uniform structure throughout the whole ontogeny. Only one type of cells form the water sacs in all castes. The cells are very flat with scarce organelles. The water sac cells produce lipid-like secretion, small lucent vacuoles and bunches of angulated vacuoles. The water sac probably functions as water storage organ only. Ontogenetical changes in water sac development are small. The acinar ducts originate inside the acinus where they are formed by flat cells with rare organelles. At the acinus border, cells equipped with mitochondria, microvilli and basal invaginations appear. The water sac ducts are formed by flat cells with rare organelles. Acinar ducts outside the acinus and water sac ducts are equipped with taenidiuam.