The locomotory behaviour of 12 ant species belonging to four different
genera (Formicinae: Cataglyphis, Formica, Lasius; Myrmicinae: Myrmica
) was studied by filming individuals during walking on smoked-glass pl
ates. Subsequent multivariate analyses of walking kinematics and footf
all positions showed marked species-specific as well as size-dependent
differences in the locomotory behaviour. The geometric properties of
the footfall patterns resulting from the alternating tripod gait scale
to leg dimensions in a geometric manner. At high speed, footprint dis
tances between succeeding tripods exceed maximum leg extension, indica
ting that ants are 'trotting' from one tripod to the next one with int
ermittent aerial phases. In at least one species (Cataglyphis bombycin
a), there is evidence for quadrupedal locomotion at the highest speed.
The functional relationship between stride length (s, the distance be
tween successive footprints of the same foot) and speed (v) was best d
escribed by a curvilinear model, s=av(b). Exponent b ranges from 0.3 t
o 0.6 and reveals differences between species. Within species, exponen
t b is constant, whereas factor a scales to leg length. Females and ma
les show metachronal interleg coordination patterns rather than the al
ternating tripod coordination pattern seen in workers of the same spec
ies.