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Techniques for Investigating the Anatomy of the Ant Visual System
Published on: November 27, 2017
Seasonal patterns in the orientation system of the migratory ant Pachycondyla marginata
D Acosta-Avalos1, D M Esquivel, E Wajnberg
1Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas, Rua Xavier Sigaud 150, 22290-180, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. darci@cbpf.br
Abstract:
Route directions of migrations by the neotropical termite-hunting ant Pachycondyla marginata at a forest reserve in Southeast Brazil were analysed by circular statistic. Colony movement patterns were compared between the rainy/hot and dry/cold seasons. Migrations during the dry/cold season are significantly oriented 13 degrees with the magnetic North-South axis, while rainy/hot migrations do not exhibit a preferred direction. This result is discussed considering the hypothesis that P. marginata ants may use the geomagnetic field as an orientation cue for migrations in the dry/cold season. The presence of magnetic iron oxides in the head and abdomen of P. marginata is consistent with this suggestion.
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