LI Zhao-ying1，2, XI Geng-si1
(1 College of Life Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi′an 710062, Shaanxi, China; 2 Biology Department, Shaanxi Education College Xi′an 710061, Shaanxi, China)
Abstract:
The mushroom bodies are paired neuropile in the insect brain that act as multimodal sensory integration centers and are involved in learning and memory. Our studies by using the Hematoxylin and eosin staining technique indicated that the mushroom bodies and olfactory lobe of queen bee were small compared to that of worker bee, suggesting that the function of the queen bee brain in looking for food, learning, memory and other behavior is inferior to worker bee. This is the first comprehensive study of the queen bee brain structure of Apis cerana cerana.
KeyWords:
Apis cerana cerana; queen bee; brain structure; mushroom body
