Orientation of Polyergus rufescens (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) during slave-making raids
Article Abstract:
Some ant species, including Polygerus, sometimes carry out raids on other ant colonies to capture their broods and incorporate them into the parasite colony's work force. The raiding expedition is composed of closely-packed columns, led by ants that use celestial signs for orientation, that attack the victim's nest, after which they return to base in a looser formation, following trail pheromones. A new study investigates the importance of celestial cues for the orientation of Polyergus rufescens during slave-making raids. It is shown that such ants use the ultraviolet band of the light spectrum for orientation as well as the sun's azimuth.
Publication Name: Animal Behaviour
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0003-3472
Year: 1997
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Individual and social components of wood ant response to conifer sawfly defence (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Diprionidae)
Article Abstract:
The interaction of wood ants and sawflies tending larvae was analyzed to determine individual and social components of predator response to prey defense systems. Results showed that individual ants probing sawfly larvae are more likely to abandon the larvae than multiple ants that attacked immediately. Moreover, the individual ants often recruited other ants to retrieve the prey. The results suggest that the defenses of sawflies are effectively only in the early stages of encounters and against single predators.
Publication Name: Animal Behaviour
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0003-3472
Year: 1996
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Direct homing behavior in the ant Tetramorium caespitum (Formicidae, Myrmicinae)
Article Abstract:
The influence of non-polarized light on the direct homing of grass ants, Tetramorium caespitum, was investigated under different conditions to determine if these ants use light as homing cues. Results reveal that ants can home under blue and overcast skies and non-polarized light. The homing mechanism appear to be a form of dead reckoning where the ants integrate directional and distance changes made during the outward trip into the homeward path.
Publication Name: Animal Behaviour
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0003-3472
Year: 1998
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