The present paper deals with the differences verified in the flight muscle development of S. postica Latreille, 1807, a Brazilian stingless bee. As an advanced eusocial species, the workers of this bee have complex behavioral adaptations that turn them able to performe all tasks necessary to colony maintenance, among them the foragement. This last work requires a well functioning flight musculature. Measurements of the fiber diameters in histological slides and ultrastructural studies, showed differences in the fiber size and morphology related to the worker age and function in the colony. The ultrastructural features, also showed modifications in the fibers mitochondria, miofilaments, nuclei and amount of glycogen stored, as the worker ages or change functions.
Anatomy; histology; labor division; morphometry; muscle fiber; ultrastructure
