Allozyme variation and sociogenetic structure of Polistes satan Bequaert 1940 colonies (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

ABSTRACT

We collected 40 colonies of the wasp Polistes satan in November 1993 (Population A = 23 colonies) and October 1995 (Population B = 17 colonies) from the town of Delfinopólis in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Pupae from these nests were used to assess allozyme variation and genetic relatedness among nestmates. Of the 24 gene loci sampled six showed allozyme polymorphism (Est-2, Pgm-1, 6Pgd, Hk-1, Idh and Pep-A) and all loci except Idh were at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Populations A and B showed distinct intra-loci heterozygosities, but similar average heterozygosity over all loci. Significant inter-population differentiation (Fst = 0.051; p < 0.01) was detected, probably due to genetic drift driven by bottlenecking that occurred due to the first sampling. Mean intra-colony relatedness values between female broods (rA = 0,525 ± 0.063; rB = 0,456 ± 0.103) indicated that P. satan has a simple sociogenetic structure where one female takes on most of the reproductive tasks but, eventually, subordinates also reproduce in the colony.