Foram estudadas a ocorrência e a morfologia de glândulas tegumentares presentes no abdome de fêmeas de Melissoptila richardiae. Os resultados mostram que nesta espécie, células glandulares da classe III são encontradas de duas formas: isoladas nos tergitos e esternitos III e IV e formando um aglomerado de unidades glandulares bilateralmente, entre os segmentos III e IV, os quais liberam seu produto de secreção em um reservatório originado a partir da membrana intersegmental. Os resultados sugerem que o produto secretado é lipídico e, provavelmente volátil.

The occurrence and morphology of abdominal tegumentary glands were studied in Melissoptila richardiae. The results showed the existence of class III glandular cells that may appear as isolated units in tergites and sternites III and IV or forming clustered cells in both side of the tergites III and IV. In this late case the secretion is released in reservoirs derived from the tergite intersegmental membranes. The results suggest that this last gland products are lipidic and probably volatile.

Workers of Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides (Lepeletier, 1836) develop their ovaries and lay eggs, therefore the production of vitellogenin is expected. In electrophoretic profiles only fat body extracts from nurse workers and ovary extracts from newly-emerged workers show protein with molecular mass similar to vitellogenin. However, an increase in the protein content was detected in forager fat body. This increase was attributed to storage of vitellogenin or other proteins in the previous phase and not discharged into the hemolymph or to an effect of the increased titre of juvenile hormone in this phase of worker life over the fat body functioning.