Physogastrism

Physogastrism is a characteristic of the "queens" of certain species of eusocial insects such as termites, bees and ants, in which the abdomen swells in order to hold enlarged ovaries, thus increasing fecundity. This means that the queen has the ability to hold more and produce more eggs at one time. Physogastric queens produce an enormous number of eggs which can account for a significant amount of their body weight. In the termite species Macrotermes subhyalinus, eggs can make up a third of their body weight, and a 15-gram queen can produce up to 30 eggs per minute. The physogastric queens' egg production is supported by oocyte proteins supplied by the "queen body fat."^[1]

In termites

Physogastrism in termites presents itself in quite an unusual manner. Unlike most physogastric insects, the queen termite is able to increase its size without the use of cuticular molting. Rather, the queen unfolds and stretches her abdominal epicuticle in order to make room for the subsequent egg deposits. This process has been observed to be incredibly slow (sometimes over the course of several years).^[2]

In bees

Many stingless bee species have physogastric queens, such as the South American species Paratrigona subnuda and Schwarziana quadripunctata.^[3] Physogastrism can also be seen in the stingless bee species Melipona bicolor, which is facultatively polygynous, and therefore one or more physogastric queens can be found in the same colony.^[4] These queens interact with each other within the colony, and during the patrolling phase, a queen may attempt to touch the abdomen of another queen. The other queen turns her abdomen away, and what follows is the two queens circling one another, trying to touch the other’s abdomen; as such, the queens are almost always active.^[5]

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