Nestmate discrimination and cuticular profiles of a temporary parasitic ant Lasius sp and its host L-fuliginosus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Workers of the temporary parasitic ant Lasius sp. were perfectly compatible with their hosts Lasius fuliginosus. Aggression was never seen between all ospecific nestmates ill either field or laboratory. In the laboratory, trop hallaxis and allogrooming between allospecific nestmates were statistically more frequent than that between conspecifics. These ants were highly aggre ssive toward individuals of either species from another mixed colony locate d 1 km away, indicating that they discriminated nestmates and nonnestmates regardless of the species to which they belonged. No aggressive actions, ho wever, were observed between two neighboring mixed nests located 5m apart. We have not considered, however, the relationship of the two neighboring ne sts: the two nests may have been two subunits of the same family or sister colonies, or may have been different colonies but discriminated from distan t aliens. Gas chromatography analysis on the total cuticular extracts showe d that Lasius sp. and L. fuliginosus possess distinct cuticular profiles, e ven though they were collected from the same mixed colony.