Le comportement prédateur de Pachycondyla soror
1991
Dejean, Alain
SUMMARY: The predatory behaviour of Pachycondyla soror (Formicidae, Ponerinae) Pachycondyla soror belongs to the Ponerinae, a subfamily of ants considered as primitive. The foraging workers are generalist predators capable of preying on large arthropods using two methods to recruit nestmates. In the hunting area they are capable of recruiting nestmates situated in the surrounding area. The first worker that discovers the prey, either rubs its gaster on the soil around the prey or stings the prey, then returns to the nest to recruit nestmates by simply inciting them to leave the nest. There is group activity during the mastery of the prey and its transport to the nest. During termite captures, these ants are able to distinguish soldiers from workers. Faced with soldiers they present a posture of ‘prudence', they throw their antennae back and lift their hind legs, thus avoiding contact of these appendages with the mandibles of the prey. After the capture of the first termite, the workers of P. soror do not immediately return to the nest. They first explore the surrounding zone with particularly sinuous path (area concentrated search). As termites are found generally in groups, this behaviour favours encounter with other individuals. On certain occasions, P. soror workers transport two termites at a time or they recruit nestmates (as mentioned previously). These two observations foreshadow the predatory behaviour of Paltothyreus tarsatus and Megaponera foetens, two other Ponerinae specialized in Termite predation.
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