The migrating herdsman Dolichoderus (Diabolus) cuspidatus: an ant with a novel mode of life
The migrating herdsman Dolichoderus (Diabolus) cuspidatus: an ant with a novel mode of life
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迁徙的牧民Dolichoderus (Diabolus) cuspidatus：一种具有新颖生活方式的蚂蚁
DOI：
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发表时间：
1985
影响因子：
2.3
通讯作者：
H. Hänel
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
U. Maschwitz;H. Hänel
马来亚的虎蚁（Dolichoderus cuspidatus）与伪球虫马来球虫（Malaicoccus formicarii）及其他同属的蚁种强制共生。在离巢25米远的地方可能会遇到蚁群，蚁群经常被大量工蚁覆盖，工蚁保护蚁群并接收蜜露。在大雨的情况下，工人们从一个密集的保护性集群，粘在粉虱上。虎纹库蚊既没有捕猎行为，也没有主动寻找蛋白质来源，但死虫被接受为食物。当不寻找新植物时，蚁群外的活动仅限于拜访粉蚧。在晚上和白天的部分时间里，蚂蚁呆在它们的巢里。由于蚁群对共生关系的依赖和其他蚁群的竞争，失去了粉蚧的蚁群是无法生存的。无蚁蚁蚁同样不能存活。粉蚧是极多食性的，以许多不同的单子叶和双子叶被子植物为食。它们只以富含氨基酸的幼嫩植物的韧皮部汁液为食。虎纹蠓工蜂将粉蚧带到这些地点。在拿起和搬运过程中，双方都表现出典型的行为模式。新的觅食地点的殖民化是在组织良好的大规模游行中进行的。在大型饲养群的建立或解体期间，会设立临时仓库，供等候的粉虱和蚂蚁使用。假球菌不仅在迁移觅食地点时携带，而且在蚁群离开原来的筑巢地点时携带，特别是在发生任何干扰时携带。它们甚至在没有任何明显的外部原因的情况下被搬运，这导致了这样一个事实，即在任何时候，在所有使用小径的蚂蚁中，平均有超过10%的蚂蚁携带着粉蚧。粉蚧也存在于巢内，尤其是成年雌虫，它们是胎生的，在巢内产下后代。每个被普查的蚁群有超过10000只工蜂，大约4000只幼虫和蛹，5000多只粉蚧和一个类蛾蚁后。雄翅蚁在旱季（1 - 2月）和雨季（9 - 10月）大量存在。蜂群形成典型的块状露营巢，由成群的工蜂相互依偎组成，从而覆盖了幼虫和粉蚧。巢址不会被任何建设性的措施所改变，而且大多靠近地面。首选的筑巢地点是树叶丛，树木或土壤中的洞穴，尽管在几根树枝之间也可以建立一个自由悬挂的营地。一旦巢和觅食地之间的距离太大，蚁群就会移动到觅食地，在那里，幼蚁和粉蚧被很好地组织起来。在这种迁巢过程中，可以观察到中间仓库的建立。巢址的移动也可由干扰或巢附近小气候的变化引起。菌落通过出芽繁殖。热带雨林不断提供不同的发芽植物，这些植物的利用需要消费者的极大流动性。cuspidatus的独特行为策略是不断地把它们的多食粉蚧伴侣带到新的觅食地点，并把整个蚁群带到那里，这使得这种蚂蚁和它的共生体占据了这个丰富的食物生态位。cuspidatus是在蚂蚁中发现的第一个真正的游牧动物。
SummaryThe Malayan ant Dolichoderus cuspidatus lives in obligatory symbiosis with the pseudococcid Malaicoccus formicarii and other species of the same genus. The assemblies, which may be encountered up to 25 m away from the nest, are constantly covered with a great number of worker ants who protect them and receive honeydew. In the event of heavy rain the workers from a dense protective cluster, clinging to each other on top of the mealybugs. Neither hunting behavior nor active search for protein sources was observed in D. cuspidatus, although dead insects were accepted as food. When not searching for new plants, the activity of the ants outside the colony is limited to visiting the mealybugs. During the night and parts of the day the ants stay in their nest. Ant colonies deprived of their mealybugs are not viable due to their dependence on the symbiosis and because of the competition of other ants. Antless M. formicarii are likewise not viable. The mealybugs are extremely polyphagous and feed on many different monocotylous and dicotylous angiosperms. They feed exclusively on the phloem sap of young plant parts which are rich in amino acids. Dolichoderus cuspidatus workers carry the mealybugs to such locations. During the picking up and carrying process both partners display typical behavioral patterns. The colonization of new feeding sites takes place in well organized mass processions. During the foundation or disintegration of large feeding complexes, provisional depots with waiting mealybugs and ants are set up. The pseudococcids are carried not only while shifting the feeding sites, but also whenever the colony leaves its former nesting site and especially when any kind of disturbance occurs. They are even carried about without any apparent external cause, which leads to the fact that, at all times of trail activity, on average more than 10% of all ants using the trails carry mealybugs. Mealybugs are also present within the nest, especially adult females which are viviparous and give birth to their offspring there. Censused colonies each consisted of over 10 000 workers, about 4000 larvae and pupae, more than 5000 mealybugs and one ergatoid queen. Male winged ants were observed in large numbers during the dry season (January–February) and during the rainy season (September–October). The colonies form typical clumplike bivouac nests consisting of clusters of workers clinging to each other, thereby covering the brood and the mealybugs. The nesting site is in no way altered by constructive measures and is mostly found close to the ground. The preferred nesting sites are clusters of leaves, and cavities in wood or soil, although a freely hanging bivouac between a few branches may be set up as well. As soon as the distance between the nest and the feeding site is too great the colony moves to the feeding site, whereby the brood and the mealybugs are carried along in a well organized manner. During such nest-moving the establishment of intermediate depots can be observed. A shift of nest sites can also be induced by disturbances or by a change in the microclimate in the vicinity of the nest. Colonies multiply by budding. The tropical rain forest continuously offers different sprouting plants, the utilization of which requires extreme mobility on the part of the consumer. The unique behavioral strategy of D. cuspidatus, to carry constantly their polyphagous mealybug partners to new feeding sites and to take the whole colony there has enabled this ant and its symbiont to occupy this rich food niche. Dolichoderus cuspidatus is the first true nomad found in ants.