Title: | The predatory behavior of Pheidole megacephala |
Author(s): | Dejean A; Moreau CS; Uzac P; Le Breton J; Kenne M; |
Address: | "CNRS-Guyane (UPS 2561 and UMR-CNRS 5174), residence Le Relais, 16, avenue Andre-Aron, 97300 Cayenne, France. alain.dejean@wanadoo.fr" |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.crvi.2007.06.005 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1631-0691 (Print) 1631-0691 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "We studied the foraging and predatory behaviors of the invasive African myrmicine ant, Pheidole megacephala (F.) in its native range. Workers can singly capture a wide range of insects, including relatively large prey items. For still larger prey, they recruit at short range those nestmates situated within reach of an alarm pheromone and together spread-eagle the insect. These behaviors are complimented by a long-range recruitment (of nestmates remaining in the nest) based on prey size. P. megacephala scouts also use long-range recruitment when they detect the landmarks of termites and competing ant species, thus permitting them to avoid confronting these termites and ants solitarily" |
Keywords: | Animals Ants/*physiology Feeding Behavior Female Isoptera/*physiology *Predatory Behavior Social Behavior; |
Notes: | "MedlineDejean, Alain Moreau, Corrie S Uzac, Pierre Le Breton, Julien Kenne, Martin eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't France 2007/08/28 C R Biol. 2007 Sep; 330(9):701-9. doi: 10.1016/j.crvi.2007.06.005. Epub 2007 Aug 10" |