title: Is the mound ofFormica polyctena foerst. in orgin a simulation of a rock.
abstract: The red wood antFormica polyctena builds a mound of dead vegetable material which is accumulated into a sort of loose thatch. Some taxonomic relatives ofFormica nest beneath rocks and the two nest types are closely related in a physical sense. Possibly this similarity is more than just coincidental. The hypothesis is suggested that the mound ofFormica polyctena has evolved as a simulation of a rock.
authors.affiliation: Zoological Laboratory, Department of Ecology, University of Leiden, Kaiserstraat 63, 2311 GP, Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: D Ch
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Brandt