Affiliation:
1. Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, USA
Abstract
The behavior of ants digging through sand or clay in the direction
of trapped nestmates has been described by Belt (1874) and Lafleur
(I940). Wilson (1958) showed that in Pogonomyrmex badius
(Latreille) this behavior pattern is released by a volatile substance
originating from the mandibular glands. Later, McGurk et al.
(1966) identified the responsible compound as 4-methyl-3-heptanone.
At the same time, Blum and Warter (1966) isolated 2-heptanone
from Conomyrma pyramica (Roger) and described its function as
the releaser of alarm and digging behavior. Spangler (1968) reported
that not only whole workers, but also amputated parts as well
as larvae and pupae of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis (Cresson) attract
workers of this species and release digging behavior. Forrest (1963)
studied Lasius flavus nearcticus and four species of Acanthomyops and
found that workers also dig to free ants of another species but attack
them as soon as they are released.During studies on a colony of Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius),
I noticed that returning foragers started to remove a plug of cotton
used to block the entrance of an artificial nest immediately after its
mounting, even if the position of the entrance was rotated through
180°. During most of these actions, they used their mandibles to
chew away small pieces of the obstacle. The purpose of the present
paper is to report on the finding that this behavior is released by the
carbon dioxide produced by the ants trapped inside the nest.
Subject
Insect Science,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Cited by
51 articles.
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