The predatory behavior of Pheidole megacephala.
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.
Dejean
Alain
A
CNRS-Guyane (UPS 2561 and UMR-CNRS 5174), résidence Le Relais, 16, avenue André-Aron, 97300 Cayenne, France. alain.dejean@wanadoo.fr
Moreau
Corrie S
CS
Uzac
Pierre
P
Le Breton
Julien
J
Kenne
Martin
M
D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D020049:Isoptera / Q000502:physiology*; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D012919:Social Behavior