Social Organization of Cataglyphis cursor Ant Colonies (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): Inter‐, and Intraspecific Comparisons

The social organization of several colonies of the ant Cataglyphis cursor with different compositions has been studied by means of individual marking of workers and later treatment of data with correspondence analysis. There are always three main poles or groups of tasks: inactivity, unspecific tasks in the nest and outside activities. From them, three groups of workers are separated: inactives, which stay immobile in the nest a great part of their time; interiors, which perform various tasks in the nest; and foragers, that are engaged in activities outside the nest. Several factors, such as the presence of the queen, the colony size or the season of the year influence the social structure of C. cursor colonies and originate important inter‐, and intracolonial variations. 1990 Blackwell Verlag GmbH