Open AccessWORKER POLYMORPHISM AND NEST STRUCTURE IN MYRMECIA BREVINODA FOREL (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE)
Author(s) -
Higashi S.,
Peeters C. P.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
australian journal of entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1440-6055
pISSN - 1326-6756
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-6055.1990.tb00371.x
Subject(s) - hymenoptera , nest (protein structural motif) , biology , termitidae , allometry , queen (butterfly) , ecology , zoology , biochemistry
A large nest of Myrmecia brevinoda (with a soil mound 70 cm tall) contained 2576 workers and 1 queen. Other small ants, termites and various insect larvae were also found in uninhabited parts of the mound. Although workers exhibit considerable size variation (length: 13–36 mm), relative growth (head length versus head width) among workers is not allometric. Thus workers are monomorphic although they fall into 2 obvious size classes which overlap broadly. Small workers were abundant in the lower parts of the nest while larger workers prevailed in the upper parts. Field observations confirmed the occurrence of size polyethism, i.e. larger workers were engaged in hunting, defence and extranidal building, while smaller workers excavated soil from inside the nest.