Formica Integra 2. Feeding, Trophallaxis, and Interspecific Confrontation Behavior
Abstract
In laboratory screening tests, Formica integra Nylander attended honeydew-producing insects such as the aphid, Neosymydobius albasiphus Davis, on swamp chestnut oak and a soft scale, Toumeyella parvicornis (Cockerell), on slash pine seedlings. Forest insect pest species consumed by F. integra included Neodiprion excitans Rohwer and N. lecontei (Fitch), Ips calligraphus (Germar) and I. grandicollis (Eichh.), Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), Rhyacionia frustrana (Comstock), and Tetralopha robustella Zeller. Trophallaxis between F. integra workers taken from the same or widely-separated nests in the field was demonstrated by use of a radioisotope. When 3 potentially competitive ant species were paired with F. integra in laboratory confrontation tests and their mortality was compared with that of F. integra by a calculated confrontation index, mortality was twice as much for Crematogaster atkinsoni Wheeler, one-half as much for Solenopsis invicta Buren, and only one-fifth as much for Camponotus abdominalis floridanus (Buckley).Downloads
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