Slow Discontinuous Ventilation in the Namib Dune-sea AntCamponotus Detritus(Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Data on discontinuous ventilation phenomena in Camponotus detritus (Emery), an ant from the hyper-arid Namib Desert, are described and compared to equivalent data from two mesic insects, including Camponotus vicinus (Mayr). Although rate of CO2 production (Vco2 and body size were equivalent in C. detritus and C. vicinus, the ventilation rate of C. detritus was fourfold lower, significantly reducing predicted respiratory water loss rates. Ventilation rate was presumably modulated by Vco2, and low ventilation frequency was maintained in part by significant gas exchange during the fluttering-spiracle phase of the ventilation cycle, which is generally characterized by low rates of respiratory water loss.