| Title |
Mandibular Shape Variation in the Three Species Of Odontomachus Latreille 1804 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) |
|
Authors |
Muhmin Michael E Manting, Mark Anthony J Torres, Cesar G Demayo |
|
Publication date |
2015 |
|
Journal |
Advances in Environmental Biology |
| Volume |
9 |
| Issue |
19 |
| Pages |
104-113 |
| Publisher |
American-Eurasian Network for Scientific Information (AENSI Publisher) |
| Abstract |
This study was conducted to determine shape differences in the mandible among the workers of the eusocial ant Odontomachus. The mandible is used by the ant to kill or maim preys to be brought to the nest or simply lock and snap its jaws if one bite is not enough, or to cut off bits of larger food. The mandibles also permit slow and fine movements for other tasks such as nest building and care of larvae. Because of the so many functions of the mandible, changes in its morphology may differ within and between species thus this study was conducted. Morphological wear could occur in the mandibles which can be quantitatively measured using imaging, shape geometry and multivariate statistical tools. In this study a comparison was made between workers of the three species. A total of 30 worker ants per species were examined where the outlines of the left and right mandibles were digitized and the coordinates were subjected to Elliptic Fourier analysis (EFA). The resultant shape variables were then analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the shape variations described for the three species. Results showed no continuous allometric size variation, but significant shape differences were found between the mandibles of the three Odontomachus species which can be correlated to their morphological functions and constraints. |
| Index terms / Keywords |
EFA, Mandible, PCA, task partitioning |
| URL |
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Mindanao State
University - Iligan Institute of Technology