Seasonal extension of the soldier instar as a route to increased defence investment in the social aphid Pemphigus spyrothecae

Abstract

1. The possibility that the duration of the soldier instar could be extended over the course of the galling season was examined in Pemphigus spyrothecae Passerini (Hemiptera: Aphididae). In this species, the individuals of one morph of the dimorphic first instar are non-sterile specialised defenders known as soldiers. 2. In the face of a declining birth rate, the proportion of first-instar soldiers to first-instar non-soldiers was found to increase. This provides strong evidence of extension of the soldier instar over time. 3. Instar extension provides a mechanism for post-natal investment in soldiers and allows individuals with insufficient time to mature to remain in the defensive stage so that they may continue to make an indirect contribution to their clone's reproductive success.