alate
Quick Summary
The term "alate" in biology refers to something that has wings or a winglike part. It can also describe a winged insect, such as an ant or termite, which has both winged and wingless forms. Insects, as a class, are characterized by a body divided into a head, thorax, and abdomen, with one pair of antennae and mouthparts on the head, three pairs of legs and usually one or two pairs of wings on the thorax, and a segmented abdomen. These winged forms are crucial for reproduction and dispersal in many insect species.123
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- reproductive behaviourInsects
The winged sexual forms, or alates, are produced at certain times during the year and swarm in mating flights to establish a new colony, which may actually be no more than a few hundred feet from the old colony. Actual copulation may occur either during flight or after landing on…
Read MoreThe winged sexual forms, or alates, are produced at certain times during the year and swarm in mating flights to establish a new colony, which may actually be no more than a few hundred feet from the old colony. Actual copulation may occur either during flight or after landing on…
Read More - termiteReproductives
…developed from winged forms (alates) that have flown from a parent colony and shed their wings. Because they spend time outside of the colony on the mating flight, they have hardened, pigmented bodies and large compound eyes. The primary reproductives have several important functions: reproduction, dispersal, and colony formation.…
Read More…developed from winged forms (alates) that have flown from a parent colony and shed their wings. Because they spend time outside of the colony on the mating flight, they have hardened, pigmented bodies and large compound eyes. The primary reproductives have several important functions: reproduction, dispersal, and colony formation.…
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