The Trail Pheromone of the Venomous Samsum Ant,Pachycondyla sennaarensis

Abstract

Ant species use branching networks of pheromone trails for orientation between nest and resources. The current study demonstrated that workers of the venomous samsum ant, Pachycondyla sennaarensis (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae), employ recruitment trail pheromones discharged from the Dufour's gland. Secretions of other abdomen complex glands, as well as hindgut gland secretions, did not evoke trail following. The optimum concentration of trail pheromone was found to be 0.1 gland equivalent/40 cm trail. This concentration demonstrated effective longevity for about one hour. This study also showed that P. sennaarensis and Tapinoma simrothi each respond to the trail pheromones of the other species as well as their own.

Trail communication in twoMessorspecies,M. meridionalisandM. foreli(Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

“…Short-lived trails can rapidly modulate recruitment to ephemeral food sources, whereas long-lived trails are be more suited to persistent or recurrent food sources (Fitzgerald & Underwood 1998). In the two Messor species, the activity of trail pheromone decreased to the lowest level after 1 h. The activity of trail pheromone in Pachycondyla sennaarensis Mayr, 1862 decreased to half of the original activity level after 1 h (Mashaly et al 2011). In Pheidole teneriffana Forel, 1893 (Ali 1996) and M. niloticum, M. mayri and M. najrane (Mashaly 2010), the optimum dose of the trail completely disappeared after 1 h. In P. jordanica, P. sinaitica and Pheidole sp., the activity of workers decreased to its lowest level after 75-90 min at a concentration of two gasters, while the activity decreased gradually by the time recording just a trace after 165-180 min at a concentration of 5 gasters (Ali & Mashaly 1997).…”

New Perspectives in Plant Protection

“…Short-lived trails can rapidly modulate recruitment to ephemeral food sources, whereas long-lived trails will be more suited to persistent, or recurrent, food sources (Fitzgerald & Underwood, 1998). The activity of the optimal dose trail pheromone in P. sennaarensis decreased to half of the original activity level after approximately 30 min, and it completely disappeared after 1 h (Mashaly et al, 2011).…”

“…In M. meridionalis and M. foreli, the optimum concentration of trail pheromone was found to be 1 gland equivalent/30 cm trail (Mashaly, 2011). In P. sennaarensis, the optimum concentration of trail pheromone was found to be 0.1 gland equivalent/40 cm trail (Mashaly et al, 2011).…”

“…Also, the response of the two Messor ants M. meridionalis and M. foreli to extracts of their trail pheromones, presented as a point source, is clearly non species-specific (Mashaly, 2011). P. sennaarensis and Tapinoma simrothi each respond to the trail pheromones of the other species, as well as their own (Mashaly et al, 2011). Tumlinson et al (1971) identified methyle, 4-methylepyrrole-2-carboxylate, a poison gland substance of A. texana.…”

Foraging behavior and food preference of Singapore ant Trichomyrmex destructor (Jerdon, 1851)

“…Humidity also plays an important role on ant foraging activity. A lot of researches pointed out that humidity with temperature as well were the factors that limited ant foraging activity (Abril et al, 2007;Mashaly et al, 2013;Raimundo et al, 2009). For instance, Eciton ants increased their activities during the morning and declined during the midday to reduce the loss of water when they reached the lowest humidity and the highest temperature (Vowles, 1995).…”