Comportamento e estrutura reprodutiva da formiga Dinoponera lucida Emery (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Abstract

The ant Dinoponera lucida (Ponerinae), endemic of the Atlantic rain forest (States of Bahia, Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais), is included in the list of Brazilian threatened species. We investigated aspects of its biology, particularly its behavior, to furnish arguments for a plan of management aiming the conservation of this species. Five colonies collected at Belmonte, Bahia, were studied through the scan sampling method. The division of labor between workers seems to depend on the individual age (age polyethism) and was organized in two groups: workers taking care of the offspring (nurses) and foragers. The spermatheca analysis pointed out the occurrence of a single " gamergate" (worker that have the ovaries developed and its spermatheca functional, able to mate and lay fertilized eggs) per colony (monogyny). Agonistic interactions included specialized behaviors, such as: gaster rubbing, antennal boxing, mandible bite and immobilization. These interactions were observed generally with a low frequency, but were more frequent in a colony with no gamergate. In colonies with a gamergate, this one does not participate in agonistic interactions. The understanding of reproduction mechanisms, as well as that of inter-individual relations, is extremely important for future management actions where any colony manipulation aiming at reinstallation or rehabilitation of a population needs this previous knowledge.