Adoption of a surrogate artificial queen in a colony of Atta cephalotes (L.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Colombia

Authors

  • Guillermo Sotelo International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
  • Diana Sofía Ortiz Giraldo Universidad del Valle
  • Jonathan Rodríguez Universidad del Valle
  • James Montoya Lerma Universidad del Valle

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v62i4.754

Keywords:

Leaf-cutter ants

Abstract

In nature, Atta cephalotes (L.) is a monogynous species. Each colony has a single, permanent queen fed and protected by thousands of sterile workers. At death the queen colony practically disappears. Recently a colony established eight years in the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Colombia, loses the queen being orphaned by three months. Starting from the idea of whether this colony could take a surrogate queen, we collect a field young nest of A. cephalotes, which donated its queen to the orphan colony. Overall, there was a slight aggression among workers without attacking the surrogate queen, which was adopted by the orphan colony. Five months later, surrogate queen were still alive and there was presence of larvae and pupae. The results show that artificial colony of A. cephalotes, after a period of orphanhood, accept surrogate queen and remain stable and active.

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Author Biographies

Guillermo Sotelo, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)

Biologist, B.S., Emphasis in entomology. Forage laboratory.

Diana Sofía Ortiz Giraldo, Universidad del Valle

Biologist, B.S., Young researcher. Department of Biology.

Jonathan Rodríguez, Universidad del Valle

Biologist, M.S., Department of Biology.

James Montoya Lerma, Universidad del Valle

Biologist, Ph.D., Department of Biology.

References

De Souza, D., Della Lucia, T.M.C., Errard, C., D’Ettorre, P. & Mercier, J.L. (2003). Reconhecimento da Prole por Operárias Companheiras e não Companheiras de Ninho em Acromyrmex laticeps nigrosetosus Forel, 1908 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Ciênc. rural., 33(1): 91-95. Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0103-84782003000100014

Holldöbler, B. & Wilson, E. O. (2011). The Leafcutter Ants. First Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 160 p

Mintzer, A.C. (1990). Colony Foundation in Leafcutting Ants: The Perils of Polygyny in Atta laevigata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Psyche, 98(1): 1-5. Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/1991/71624

Moser J.C. & Lewis, J.R. (1981). Multiple Nest Queens of Atta texana (Buckley 1860), Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Leafcutting Ant. Turrialba, 31: 256-257.

Whitehouse, M.E.A. & Jaffe, K. (1995). Nestmate Recognition in the Leaf-cutting Ant Atta laevigata. Insect. Soc., 42: 157–166. DOI: 10.1007/BF01242452

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Published

2015-12-31

How to Cite

Sotelo, G., Ortiz Giraldo, D. S., Rodríguez, J., & Montoya Lerma, J. (2015). Adoption of a surrogate artificial queen in a colony of Atta cephalotes (L.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Colombia. Sociobiology, 62(4), 613–614. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v62i4.754

Issue

Vol. 62 No. 4 (2015)

Section

Short Note

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