ASIAN
MYRMECOLOGY

Asian Myrmecology, Volume 2, pages 103-107, published December 2008
DOI: 10.20362/am.002011

Colony composition and behaviour of a queen and workers in the Oriental ectatommine ant Gnamptogenys cribrata (Emery) 1900 in West Java, Indonesia

FUMINORI ITO^1* & BRUNO GOBIN²

Abstract:

We describe colony composition and reproductive and behavioural characteristics of Gnamptogenys cribrata. Colonies are monogynous, composed of one dealate queen and an average of 27 workers. This species shows the unusually low number of two ovarioles (1 – 1) in both queens and workers. The queen shows larval hemolymph feeding. Workers laid two distinctive types of egg depending on social environment: in the presence of a queen workers laid small trophic eggs which were not eaten by the queen. In the queenless condition, workers laid eggs that looked similar to a queen’s egg, but did not develop into a larva.

Keywords:

ants, Gnamptogenys, larval haemolymph feeding, ovary

Get PDF (35K):

¹Laboratory of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, Ikenobe, Miki 761-0795, Japan

²PCS, Research Centre for Ornamental Plants, Schaessestraat 18, 9070 Destelbergen, Belgium

*Corresponding author: ito@ag.kagawa-u.ac.jp