Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-rkxrd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-20T07:26:12.505Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Some observations on the trail-laying behaviour of Macrotermes michaelseni (Sjöst) (Termitidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2011

G. W. Oloo
G. W. Oloo
Affiliation:
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya
Get access

Abstract

Major workers are the dominant caste in foraging parties of Macrotermes michaelseni; they also have the largest sternal gland, with the highest potential trail-laying activity. The termite utilizes pheromonal trails along open-air foraging routes, surface galleries and in the subterranean gallery network. Thus, surface galleries appear to serve primarily as protective structures to foraging traffic, while trails lead foragers to food sites. Well-established trails on paper lost activity within 2–3 hr under open-air field conditions. In a choice situation, a trail leading to food source was 30–40 times stronger than that directed to an empty food chamber, suggesting that food influences trail-laying and recruitment behaviour of the termite.

Keywords

Macrotermes michaelseniforagerscaste compositionsternal gland size and trail activitytrail utilization and its effective lifeinfluence of food on trail-laying behaviour
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science , Volume 5 , Issue 4 , August 1984 , pp. 259 - 262
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 1984

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bruinsma, O. H. (1979) Analysis of building behaviour of the termite Macrotermes subhyalinus (Rambur). Ph.D. thesis. Landbouwweternschappen, Landbouwhogeschool, Wageningen, p. 86.Google Scholar
Leuthold, R. H. and Lüscher, M. (1974) An unusual caste polymorphism of the sternal gland and its trail pheromone production in the termite Trinervitermes bettonianus. Insectes soc. 21, 335–341.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oloo, G. W. (1981a) specificity of termite trails: Analysis of natural trails of Trinervitermes, Macrotermes and Odontotermes from sympatric populations. Entomologia exp. appl. 29, 162–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oloo, G. W. (1981b) The sternal gland: Variation in size and activity in worker instars of Trinervitermes bettonianus (Sjost) (Termitidae). Insect Sci. Applic. 2, 145–147.Google Scholar
Oloo, G. W. and Leuthold, R. H. (1979) The influence of food on trail-laying and recruitment behaviour in Trinervitermes bettonianus (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae). Entomologia exp. appl. 26, 267–278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pasteels, J. M. (1965) Polyethisme chez les ouvries de Nasuti termes lujae (Termitidae, Isopteres). Biol. Gabonica 1, 191–205.Google Scholar
Quennedy, A. and Leuthold, R. H. (1978) Fine structure and pheromonal properties of the polymorphic sternal gland in Trinervitermes bettonianus (Isoptera, Termitidae). Insectes soc. 25, 153–162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stuart, A. M. (1969) Social behaviour and communication. In Biology of Termites I (Edited by Krishna, K. and Weesner, F. M.), pp. 193–232. Academic Press, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Traniello, J. F. A. (1981) Enemy deterrence in the recruitment strategy of a termite-soldier-organized foraging in Nasutitermes costalis. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 1976–1979.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed