Colony Structure of the Weaver Ant, Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v59i1.662Keywords:
Oecophylla smaragdina, nests, caste, colony structureAbstract
The colony structure of Oecophylla smaragdina within the compound of Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang Island, Malaysia was determined. The current study involved a total of twelve nests which were taken from two different locations. Each nest was dissected and the specimens were separated according to their caste. Results show that the colony structure of O. smaragdina consisted of a dealate queen, eggs, larvae of female alates, pupae of major and minor workers, pupae of female alates, major workers, minor workers, female alates and male alates. Our present study shows that O. smaragdina had a distinct caste system and the numbers of individuals in each caste reflect their respective functions which contributed to the success of their colony.
Downloads
References
Blüthgen, N. & K. Fiedler. 2002. Interactions between weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina, homopterans, trees and lianas in an Australian rainforest canopy. J. Anim. Ecol. 71: 793–801.
Cesard, N. 2004. Harvesting and commercialization of kroto (Oecophylla smaragdina) in the Malingping area, West Java, Indonesia, pp. 61-77. In: 1-Aisa., K. Kusters & B. Belcher (eds). Forest Products, Livelihoods and Conservation. Case studies of Non-Timber Forest Product Systems. Center for International Forestry Research. Jakarta.
Chapuisat, M. & L. Keller. 2002. Division of labour influences the rate of ageing in weaver ant workers. Proc. Biol. Sci. 269: 909-913.
Greenslade, P.J.M. 1971. Phenonology of three ant species in Solomon Islands. J. Aust. Entomol. Soc. 10: 241-252.
Greenslade, P. J. M. 1972. Comparative ecology of four tropical ant species. InsectesSociaux 19: 195–212.
Hölldobler, B. & E.O. Wilson. 1978. The multiple recruitment systems of the African weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda (Latreille) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 3: 19-60.
Hölldobler, B. & E.O. Wilson. 1983. Queen control in colonies of weaver ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 76: 235-238.
Hölldobler, B. & E.O. Wilson. 1990. The Ants. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. 732 pp.
Jander, R. & U. Jander. 1979. An exact field test for the fade-out time of the odour trails of the Asian weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina. Insectes Sociaux 26: 165-169.
Krag, K., R. Lundegaard, J. Offenberg, M.G. Nielsen & D. Wiwatwittaya. 2010. Intercolony transplantation of Oecophylla smaragdina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) larvae. J. Asia Pac. Entomol. 13: 97-100.
Lee, C.Y., J. Zairi, H.H. Yap & N.L. Chong. 2003. Urban Pest Control- A Malaysian Perspective, 2nd Edition. pp. 71-74. Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Lokkers, C. 1990. Colony dynamics of the Green Tree Ant, (Oecophylla smaragdina Fab) in a seasonal tropical climate. Ph.D. thesis. James Cook University of North Queensland. 322 pp.
Offenberg, J. & D. Wiwatwitaya. 2010. Sustainable weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) farming: Harvest yields and effects on worker ant density. Asian Myrmecology 3: 55- 62.
Neill, K.M. 1994. The male mating strategy of the ant, Formica subpolita Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Swarming, mating and predation risk. Psyche 101: 93-108.
Oster, G.F. & E.O. Wilson. 1978. Caste and ecology in social insects. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 352 pp.
Paimin, F.B. & F.R. Paimin. 2001. Budi daya semut rangrang penghasil kroto [Élevage de La fourmi rangrang productrice de kroto]. Penebar Swadaya, Jakarta.
Peng R., K. Christian & K. Gibb. 1998a. Locating queen ant nests in the green ant, Oecophylla smaragdina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Insectes Sociaux 45: 477–480.
Peng R., K. Christian & K. Gibb. 1998b. How many queens are there in mature colonies of the green ant, Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius). Aust. J. Entomol. 37: 249-253.
Peeters, C. & A. Anderson. 1989. Cooperation between dealate queens during colony foundation in the green tree ant, Oecophylla smaragdina. Psyche 96: 39-44.
Saarinen, E.V. 2006. Differences in worker caste behaviour of Oecophylla smaragdina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in response to larvae of Anthene emolus (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 88: 391–395.
Schlüns, E.A., B.J. Wegener, H. Schlüns, N. Azuma, K.A. Robson & R.H. Crozier. 2009. Breeding system, colony and population structure in the weaver ant, Oecophylla smaragdina. Mol. Ecol. 18: 156–167.
Van Mele, P. & N.T.T. Cuc. 2007. Ants as friends: Improving your tree crops with Weaver ants. (2nd Edition). Africa Rice Center (WARDA), Cotonou, Benin and CABI, Egham, UK. 72 pp.
Way, M.J. 1963. Mutualism between ants and honeydew-producing Homoptera. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 8: 307–344.
Wilson, E.O. 1953. The origin and evolution of polymorphism in ants. Q. Rev. Biol. 28: 136-156.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Sociobiology is a diamond open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).