---
_id: '3924'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: 'Males of the ant Cardiocondyla show a dispersal dimorphism of a winged and
    wingless morph. The loss of flight has lead to morphological reductions in the
    wingless (ergatoid) males and also affected body size, eye size and pigmentation.
    As ergatoid males mate exclusively inside the maternal nest, they underlie increased
    male-male competition and therefore have also evolved additional changes in behaviour
    and physiology: in contrast to winged males, ergatoid males are highly aggressive
    towards each other and their spermatogenesis is prolonged compared to all other
    hymenopteran males. In addition to these two male morphs, we found males with
    an intermediate appearance. These "intermorphic" males provide a transitional
    stage between normal males in most investigated morphological and physiological
    parameters. As they are produced extremely rarely and only in colonies that switch
    between pure ergatoid to mixed male production, we argue that they likely represent
    a developmental mistake. Parallels between the determination of male morphs and
    female castes (queen-worker dimorphism and worker polymorphism) might help to
    understand how the large potential of phenotypic plasticity in both sexes of social
    insects is realised during development.'
acknowledgement: We would like to thank S. Karpeles for histological analysis of the
  winged males and S. Buchhauser for help with the photographs. This study was funded
  by the DFG (grant He1623/12–1).
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Sylvia
  full_name: Cremer, Sylvia
  id: 2F64EC8C-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Cremer
  orcid: 0000-0002-2193-3868
- first_name: Birgit
  full_name: Lautenschläger, Birgit
  last_name: Lautenschläger
- first_name: Jürgen
  full_name: Heinze, Jürgen
  last_name: Heinze
citation:
  ama: Cremer S, Lautenschläger B, Heinze J. A transitional stage between the ergatoid
    and winged male morph in the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior. <i>Insectes Sociaux</i>.
    2002;49(3):221-228. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-002-8305-z">10.1007/s00040-002-8305-z</a>
  apa: Cremer, S., Lautenschläger, B., &#38; Heinze, J. (2002). A transitional stage
    between the ergatoid and winged male morph in the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior.
    <i>Insectes Sociaux</i>. Springer. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-002-8305-z">https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-002-8305-z</a>
  chicago: Cremer, Sylvia, Birgit Lautenschläger, and Jürgen Heinze. “A Transitional
    Stage between the Ergatoid and Winged Male Morph in the Ant Cardiocondyla Obscurior.”
    <i>Insectes Sociaux</i>. Springer, 2002. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-002-8305-z">https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-002-8305-z</a>.
  ieee: S. Cremer, B. Lautenschläger, and J. Heinze, “A transitional stage between
    the ergatoid and winged male morph in the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior,” <i>Insectes
    Sociaux</i>, vol. 49, no. 3. Springer, pp. 221–228, 2002.
  ista: Cremer S, Lautenschläger B, Heinze J. 2002. A transitional stage between the
    ergatoid and winged male morph in the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior. Insectes Sociaux.
    49(3), 221–228.
  mla: Cremer, Sylvia, et al. “A Transitional Stage between the Ergatoid and Winged
    Male Morph in the Ant Cardiocondyla Obscurior.” <i>Insectes Sociaux</i>, vol.
    49, no. 3, Springer, 2002, pp. 221–28, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-002-8305-z">10.1007/s00040-002-8305-z</a>.
  short: S. Cremer, B. Lautenschläger, J. Heinze, Insectes Sociaux 49 (2002) 221–228.
date_created: 2018-12-11T12:05:55Z
date_published: 2002-04-05T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-06-13T11:44:08Z
day: '05'
doi: 10.1007/s00040-002-8305-z
extern: '1'
intvolume: '        49'
issue: '3'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '04'
oa_version: None
page: 221 - 228
publication: Insectes Sociaux
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 0020-1812
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer
publist_id: '2229'
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: A transitional stage between the ergatoid and winged male morph in the ant
  Cardiocondyla obscurior
type: journal_article
user_id: ea97e931-d5af-11eb-85d4-e6957dddbf17
volume: 49
year: '2002'
...