MORPHOLOGICAL CASTE DIFFERENCES IN THE NEOTROPICAL SWARM-FOUNDING POLISTINAE WASPS - AGELAIA-M-MULTIPICTA AND A-P-PALLIPES (HYMENOPTERA VESPIDAE)

Distinct size dimorphism was found between queens (inseminated egg-lay ers) and workers (uninseminated non egg-layers) sampled from mature co lonies of Agelaia pallipes and A. multipicta. In both species, among 2 2 measured body parts queens were larger than workers in 17 characters . The Mahalanobis' distance (D-2) between castes was 122.74 in A. pall ipes and 110.99 in A. multipicta, giving clear-cut evidence of caste s eparation, a conclusion which is strengthened by the absence of interm ediate females. Comparisons with A. vicina and A. flavipennis demonstr ated that morphological castes attributes are less developed in A. pal lipes and A. multipicta.