Saving the injured: Rescue behavior in the termite-hunting ant Megaponera analis

Abstract

Ants that get injured during predation on termites get saved by their nestmates and recover inside the nest.

Dyadic Nestmate Reunion Test in the Research on Ant Social Behavior

“…Recently, uy et al (2019) used a modified version of the entrapment bioassay in which victim ants, workers of the weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina, were experimentally immobilized by being wrapped in spider silk. Yet another type of ant rescue behavior was reported in the termite-hunting ant Megaponera analis: workers of that species were observed to transport injured nestmates back to the nest and to engage in their intense allogrooming that facilitated wound healing (Frank et al 2017(Frank et al , 2018. Workers of the harvester ant Veromessor pergandeyi were also observed to free nestmates ensnared in spider webs, transport them to the nest, and groom away their silk bindings (kWapi-cH and Hölldobler 2019).…”

“…Interestingly, two other studies devoted to the role of mandibular gland secretions in the elicitation of ant rescue behavior brought about different results. Mandibular gland secretions proved to be involved in the elicitation of nestmate rescue behavior in the termite-hunting ant M. analis (Frank et al 2017), and in the harvester ant V. pergandeyi responding to nestmates ensnared in spider silk (kWapicH and Hölldobler 2019).…”

Rettung auf sechs Beinen

“…So graben Ameisen von Sand oder Erde verschüttete Artgenossen wieder aus oder befreien sie aus der Falle eines Ameisenlöwen, der räuberischen Larve eines Netzflüglers. Ein viel weiter reichendes Hilfsverhalten beschrieben kürzlich Würzburger Forscher bei der südlich der Sahara weit verbreiteten Ameisenart Megaponera analis . Diese ernährt sich ausschließlich von Termiten und geht dazu auf regelrechte Beutezüge: Findet eine als Späher ausgesandte Ameise eine aussichtsreiche Stelle, rekrutiert sie im Nest zwischen 200 und 500 Artgenossen.…”

Wound treatment and selective help in a termite-hunting ant

“…During the hunt, some ants get injured by termite soldiers, which have strongly sclerotized heads and mandibles [14]. These ants often lose limbs or have termites clinging to them [3,5,15]. Before returning to the nest, nest-mates search for these handicapped ants, which call for help with pheromones in the mandibular gland, consisting of dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) [3].…”

“…These ants often lose limbs or have termites clinging to them [3,5,15]. Before returning to the nest, nest-mates search for these handicapped ants, which call for help with pheromones in the mandibular gland, consisting of dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) [3]. After a short investigation, a nest-mate picks up the injured ant and carries her back to the nest within the safety of the returning group.…”