A. Dejean et al., SPATIAL COMPONENTS OF FORAGING BEHAVIOR IN AN AFRICAN PONERINE ANT, PALTOTHYREUS-TARSATUS, Journal of insect behavior, 6(3), 1993, pp. 271-285
Colonies of the African stink ant Paltothyreus tarsatus located in the
forest have nests with shorter horizontal galleries and a smaller tot
al foraging surface than colonies located in open areas. Each solitary
worker specializes on the same central or peripheral hunting zone but
she does not specialize on a particular sector during group-retrievin
g. The search for prey is characterized by a wandering walk with spati
al parameters varying in two ways. Capture of a termite releases a pat
h characterized by sinuosity and a decrease in speed of movement. In c
ontrast, a failure in the course of an attempted capture releases an i
ncrease in both sinuosity and speed of movement corresponding to a so-
called ''reserve'' behavior. Each worker shortens her retrieving trip
in comparison with her search trip and the straightness of the homing
paths depends on the size and shape of the prey. Our data show that be
havioral flexibility at the individual level in P. tarsatus is importa
nt in determining spatial foraging strategy at the colony level.