Capture and retrieval of very large prey by workers of the African weaver ant,<i>Oecophylla longinoda</i>(Latreille 1802)

Wojtusiak, Janusz; Godzińska, Ewa Joanna; Déjean, Alain

doi:10.1080/03946975.1995.10539287

Cited by 71 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Roughly constant ridge spacing on the tapering hair was achieved by different lengths of the individual ridges (figure 2b,d). We counted 218 trichomes on four pieces of inner wall surface with a total area of 7.02 mm 2 , corresponding to an average trichome density of 31.05 mm 22 (table 1).…”

Section: Results (A) Micromorphology and Trichome Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

‘Insect aquaplaning’ on a superhydrophilic hairy surface: howHeliamphora nutansBenth. pitcher plants capture prey

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Trichomes are a common feature of plants and perform important and diverse functions. Here, we show that the inward-pointing hairs on the inner wall of insect-trapping Heliamphora nutans pitchers are highly wettable, causing water droplets to spread rapidly across the surface. Wetting strongly enhanced the slipperiness and increased the capture rate for ants from 29 to 88 per cent. Force measurements and tarsal ablation experiments revealed that wetting affected the insects' adhesive pads but not the claws, similar to the 'aquaplaning' mechanism of (unrelated) Asian Nepenthes pitcher plants. The inward-pointing trichomes provided much higher traction when insects were pulled outwards. The wetnessdependent capture mechanisms of H. nutans and Nepenthes pitchers present a striking case of functional convergence, whereas the use of wettable trichomes constitutes a previously unknown mechanism to make plant surfaces slippery.

show abstract

Section: Results (A) Micromorphology and Trichome Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Oecophylla smaragdina are ideal for friction force measurements because of their very high attachment forces [22,23]. Both ant species have been shown to 'aquaplane' on the Nepenthes peristome, and were chosen to allow comparisons with previous studies [19,20].…”

Section: (C) Friction Force Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Insect aquaplaning’ on a superhydrophilic hairy surface: howHeliamphora nutansBenth. pitcher plants capture prey

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A very important adaptation, or perhaps pre-adaptation (exaption), favouring SAs are the recurved tarsal claws (and also in some ant species, tarsal arolia, e. g. Wojtusiak et al, 1995) that individuals use to link with one another. A higly-recurved claw will form a more effective link than a less recurved one (which may slip under force).…”

Section: Self-assemblages In Insect Societiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-assemblages in insect societies

2002

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In insect societies, a number of very striking collective structures are formed by individuals linking themselves to one another. One such example is an army ant bivouac. These structures are termed self-assemblages and are part of a more general and important aspect of insect societies -intermediate-level parts -in which functional grouplevel adaptive structures are formed. These parts are, in a sense, the tissues and organs of complex insect societies. Here we review the natural history of self-assemblages in insect societies. We find that at least 18 different types of structure exist: -assemblages are found in a variety of species of ants, bees, and wasps, but (as far as we are aware) not in termites. The function of these self-assemblages can be grouped under five broad categories which are not mutually exclusive: 1) defence, 2) pulling structures, 3) thermoregulation, 4) colony survival under inclement conditions, and 5) ease of passage when crossing an obstacle. The paucity of our knowledge concerning the factors that favour self-assemblage formation and the likely proximate mechanisms are highlighted.

show abstract

“…Both species were selected because they have relatively large arolia that have been studied morphologically by previous authors (ref. 13 for O. smaragdina and refs. 3, 9, 10, and 12 for A. mellifera).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomechanics of the movable pretarsal adhesive organ in ants and bees

Federle

Brainerd

McMahon

et al. 2001

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

185

184

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hymenoptera attach to smooth surfaces with a flexible pad, the arolium, between the claws. Here we investigate its movement in Asian weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) and honeybees (Apis mellifera).When ants run upside down on a smooth surface, the arolium is unfolded and folded back with each step. Its extension is strictly coupled with the retraction of the claws. Experimental pull on the claw-flexor tendon revealed that the claw-flexor muscle not only retracts the claws, but also moves the arolium. The elicited arolium movement comprises (i) about a 90°rotation (extension) mediated by the interaction of the two rigid pretarsal sclerites arcus and manubrium and (ii) a lateral expansion and increase in volume. In severed legs of O. smaragdina ants, an increase in hemolymph pressure of 15 kPa was sufficient to inflate the arolium to its full size. Apart from being actively extended, an arolium in contact also can unfold passively when the leg is subject to a pull toward the body.We propose a combined mechanical-hydraulic model for arolium movement: (i) the arolium is engaged by the action of the unguitractor, which mechanically extends the arolium; (ii) compression of the arolium gland reservoir pumps liquid into the arolium; (iii) arolia partly in contact with the surface are unfolded passively when the legs are pulled toward the body; and (iv) the arolium deflates and moves back to its default position by elastic recoil of the cuticle.T he capacity to hold on to smooth surfaces is essential for small animals that live on plants. Some insects can produce adhesive forces equivalent to more than 100 times their own body weight on perfectly smooth surfaces (e.g., refs. 1 and 2). However, these insects are able not only to hold on firmly, but also are able to run around swiftly on a smooth substrate. It is evident that, to master these different tasks, insects must have fast and effective control over their adhesive forces. However, almost nothing is known about the mechanisms of how insects control surface attachment and detachment. As a first step toward understanding the insects' control of adhesion, it is necessary to analyze how adhesive pads are moved. Only a few studies have addressed the movement of insect adhesive organs (3, 4), with conclusions that were based mainly on morphological results.In Hymenoptera, the arolium is a smooth pad located between the claws. As in many other insects (e.g., refs. 5-8), its adhesion to smooth surfaces is mediated by a thin liquid film between the arolium and the surface (W.F., unpublished data). The arolium morphology has been investigated by light (e.g., refs. 3 and 9) and scanning electron microscopy (10-12). Despite these studies, it has remained unclear how the arolium is moved. The assumed mechanisms were either inflation by blood pressure (10, 11) or the action of the claw-flexor muscle (3), but none of these mechanisms had ever been examined experimentally. In this study, we combine direct observation of the arolium motion during walking with experimental tests ...

show abstract

Capture and retrieval of very large prey by workers of the African weaver ant,Oecophylla longinoda(Latreille 1802)

Cited by 71 publications

References 11 publications

‘Insect aquaplaning’ on a superhydrophilic hairy surface: howHeliamphora nutansBenth. pitcher plants capture prey

‘Insect aquaplaning’ on a superhydrophilic hairy surface: howHeliamphora nutansBenth. pitcher plants capture prey

Self-assemblages in insect societies

Biomechanics of the movable pretarsal adhesive organ in ants and bees

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About