Imaginal wing discs in larvae of the soldier caste of Pheidole bicarinata vinelandica Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

In Pheidole bicarinata vinelandica, soldier larvae have prominent mesothoracic wing discs. Imaginal wing discs are suppressed in minor worker larvae. In soldiers, wing discs appear abruptly late in larvae life and are unusually large when compared with wing discs in worker larvae of other ant genera. Once development has been initiated, wing discs of soldier larvae grow at a rate comparable to soldier leg discs. The dynamics of development of soldier wing discs differ fundamentally from those of other holometabolous insects, worker ants and Pheidole bicarinata queens. This unusual developmental pattern may provide a clue to the physiological basis and timing of soldier determination.