Three substances ejected by Apis mellifera drones from everted endophallus and during natural matings with queen bees

Trois substances éjectées par les mâles d'Apis mellifera lors de l'éversion de l'endophallus et lors des accouplements naturels avec des reines d'abeilles

Jerzy Woyke

Until now, all reports state that during eversion of the drone endophallus, two substances are ejected, viz. semen and mucus, and that the mating sign of a queen bee consists of the bulb of the endophallus filled with mucus. I examined substances ejected during eversion of drone endophalli, as well as substances present in the mating sign. In the fully everted endophallus, creamy semen was found near the chitinized plates, amorphous white mucus was located further distally and a transparent-whitish condensed substance appeared at the end of the everted endophallus. In mating signs, white mucus was found near the bursa copulatrix of the queens and a transparent-whitish condensed substance in the distal part of the sign. Microscopic examinations showed that the transparent-whitish substance consisted of fragments of epithelial membranes sloughed from mucus glands. Thus, not two substances, but three, viz. semen, mucus and epithelial membranes, are ejected during endophallus eversion and natural mating with queen bees.

Mots clés: endophallus; eversion; mating sign; drone; queen<br>---<br>endophallus; mâle; substances éjectées; accouplement; reine

Domaines: Zoologie des invertébrés; Biodiversité; Ecologie, Environnement; Science des productions animales

Jerzy Woyke. Three substances ejected by Apis mellifera drones from everted endophallus and during natural matings with queen bees. Apidologie, 2010, 41 (6), ⟨10.1051/apido/20010007⟩. ⟨hal-00892071⟩