Journal
JOURNAL OF INSECT BEHAVIOR
Volume 14, Issue 2, Pages 271-282Publisher
SPRINGER/PLENUM PUBLISHERS
DOI: 10.1023/A:1007845929801
Keywords
arboreal ants; Crematogaster; predatory behavior; Cameroon
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Crematogaster sp. is a dominant arboreal ant species that captures and retrieves very large prey. Hunting workers forage collectively thanks to short-range recruitment. They detect prey by contact, then rapidly attack seizing small prey by the body and large prey by a leg. In this study, almost all the active prey were spread-eagled by several workers, even when small enough to permit a single worker to easily master them. While certain workers spread-eagled the prey, others deposited venom on the prey body using their spatulated sting (topical action of the venom). The well-developed arolia on the pretarsus of workers' legs have crucial importance for the success of prey capture (spread-eagling) and transport in an arboreal habitat. These results are compared with those known for other arboreal-dwelling generalist predator ant species.
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