EFFICIENCY IN THE EXPLOITATION OF PATCHY ENVIRONMENTS BY THE PONERINEANT PALTOTHYREUS-TARSATUS - AN ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCE OF THE FLEXIBILITY OF PREY CAPTURE BEHAVIOR

Paltothyreus tarsatus workers show an adaptive predatory strategy comp atible with central place theory which predicts that single-prey loadi ng is an extension of the optimal diet choice while multiple-prey load ing behavior would correspond to the optimal use of patches. The insig ht learning involved in the quick modifications of predatory strategy enables P. tarsatus to hunt all available prey in a great diversity of sizes and species. Nevertheless, this generalist predator strongly pr eferred termites and very large prey such as giant diplopods and crick ets to other choices within its diet. In the hunting of these favorite prey, the recruitment of nestmates enhanced the efficiency of total p redation, though the release of a chemical trail appeared to depend on the hunger-satiety balance of the colony. In addition to the hunger, the miscapture of prey also triggered the release of chemical trails. The strategy for capturing grouped termites was characterized by the l oading of multiple prey at a single time, by a concentrated search in a restricted area and by an optional recruitment of nestmates. These b ehavioral characteristics of ponerine ants probably account for the fl exibility of their predatory strategy for hunting aggregated small pre y.