Studies on the antennal lobes of the stingless bee Tetragonula iridipennis (Smith)

Tetragonula iridipennis (stingless bees) are common foragers and pollinators on a wide range of plants. Though the ecosystem services of these insects are acknowledged, their sensory perception-especially olfactory and visual perceptions are less understood. This study explores the primary olfactory centre of the brain with an aim to understand the primary organization of the antennal lobe of T. iridipennis and also to get an overview of the glomerular arrangement through hematoxylin and eosin staining method. This can provide insights about olfactory sensory perception, as 70 glomeruli were found in total from both left and right antennal lobes. The glomeruli were distributed along the periphery of the antennal lobe. Total number of glomeruli indirectly reveals that T. iridipennis has relatively less olfactory receptors.