Colony foundation in the ponerine ant, Mesoponera caffraria (F. Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract

Queens of M. caffraria excavated new nests and raised their first brood alone by hunting small arthropods to feed and larvae (semiclaustral haplometrotic colony foundations). Nests consisted of 2 chambers. Structure of the entrance of the inner chamber, in which the brood was raised, helped to prevent other insects from entering it. Egg production followed a cyclic pattern that was co-ordinated with periods when larvae did not require care. -from Author