Termite colonies are usually headed by primary reproductives, which establish nests during the swarming season. However, secondary reproductives may develop in some species and become supplementary or replacement breeders, extending colony lifespan. Here we investigate the developmental origin, fecundity and genetic characterization of ergatoid reproductives in the Neotropical termite Nasutitermes aquilinus (Holmgren), using morphometrical and histological techniques, five microsatellite loci and the COI mitochondrial DNA. Twelve measurements performed on 208 apterous individuals of N. aquilinus revealed 10 groups, including ergatoid females, which developed from major workers through two successive molts, and were characterized by the presence of imaginal features such as eyes and wing buds. The differentiation of these features was correlated to physogastric development in these ergatoids. Histology revealed oocytes in all maturation stages in worker‐derived reproductives of N. aquilinus, presence of nonflagellate spermatozoa inside the spermatheca, and royal fat body. Thus, ergatoid reproductives were reproductively functional. According to the genotypes of 221 individuals from 11 nests, and mitochondrial haplotypes of 43 ergatoids, 73% of the colonies were simple families, whereas 27% were extended families. Despite the occurrence of related reproductives, low inbreeding rates were detected within and among colonies. Such values could be explained given that sib mating itself cannot result in a higher inbreeding rate but depend on several factors discussed in detail. This is the first study to investigate the genetic structure of termite colonies influenced by the development of ergatoids, and further investigations are encouraged to understand the influence of these reproductives on colony lifespan.

中文翻译：

---

新热带白蚁 Nasutitermes aquilinus (Holmgren) (Blattaria: Isoptera: Termitidae) 的 Ergatoid 繁殖：发育起源、繁殖力和遗传学

白蚁群通常由初级繁殖者领导，它们在蜂拥季节建立巢穴。然而，某些物种可能会发展二次繁殖并成为补充或替代繁殖者，从而延长群体寿命。在这里，我们使用形态计量学和组织学技术、五个微卫星位点和 COI 线粒体 DNA，研究了新热带白蚁 Nasutitermes aquilinus (Holmgren) 中麦角类生殖的发育起源、繁殖力和遗传特征。对 208 个有翅的 N. aquilinus 个体进行的 12 次测量揭示了 10 组，包括雌性雌性，它们从主要工蚁经过两次连续的蜕皮发育而来，其特征是存在眼睛和翼芽等成虫特征。这些特征的分化与这些麦角菌的生理胃发育相关。组织学显示，在 N. aquilinus 工人衍生的繁殖体中，卵母细胞处于所有成熟阶段，受精囊内存在非鞭毛精子，以及皇家脂肪体。因此，麦角生殖具有生殖功能。根据来自11个巢穴的221个个体的基因型和43个麦角菌的线粒体单倍型，73%的菌落为简单家族，而27%为大家族。尽管发生了相关繁殖，但在殖民地内部和殖民地之间检测到低近交率。考虑到同胞交配本身不能导致更高的近亲繁殖率，但取决于详细讨论的几个因素，可以解释这些值。