AN ANALYSIS OF POLYETHISM IN THE QUEENLESS ANT DIACAMMA SP (FORMICIDAE, PONERINAE)

In the ponerine ant Diacamma sp., a queenless species from the island of Okinawa (Japan), there is a relatively marked division of labor bet ween individuals which seems related to age. This polyethism is organi zed around five poles of specialization: brood care, inter-individual pullings, inactivity, guarding, and food provisioning. This social org anization is accompanied by a differentiated spatial localization of w orkers in the nest. Pulling, a type of agonistic behavior common in th is species, seems to mediate the establishment of a social hierarchy, frequent in queenless ponerine species.