Visual Matching in the Orientation of Desert Ants (Melophorus bagoti): The Effect of Changing Skyline Height

Ethology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 120 (8) ◽  
pp. 783-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eglantine Julle-Daniere ◽  
Patrick Schultheiss ◽  
Antoine Wystrach ◽  
Sebastian Schwarz ◽  
Sabine S. Nooten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Desert Ants ◽  
Visual Matching ◽  
Melophorus Bagoti

The effect of spatially restricted experience on extrapolating learned views in desert ants, Melophorus bagoti

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1063-1070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudhakar Deeti ◽  
Kazuki Fujii ◽  
Ken Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Desert Ants ◽  
Melophorus Bagoti

Not using the obvious: desert ants, Melophorus bagoti, learn local vectors but not beacons in an arena

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 849-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric L. G. Legge ◽  
Marcia L. Spetch ◽  
Ken Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Desert Ants ◽  
Local Vectors ◽  
Melophorus Bagoti

scholarly journals Nest Relocation and Colony Founding in the Australian Desert Ant,Melophorus bagotiLubbock (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Schultheiss ◽  
Sebastian Schwarz ◽  
Antoine Wystrach
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Colony Founding ◽  
Circumstantial Evidence ◽  
Nest Relocation ◽  
Desert Ants ◽  
Desert Ant ◽  
Multiple Matings ◽  
Trail Laying ◽  
Mating Flights ◽  
Melophorus Bagoti

Even after years of research on navigation in the Red Honey Ant,Melophorus bagoti, much of its life history remains elusive. Here, we present observations on nest relocation and the reproductive and founding stages of colonies. Nest relocation is possibly aided by trail laying behaviour, which is highly unusual for solitary foraging desert ants. Reproduction occurs in synchronised mating flights, which are probably triggered by rain. Queens may engage in multiple matings, and there is circumstantial evidence that males are chemically attracted to queens. After the mating flight, the queens found new colonies independently and singly. Excavation of these founding colonies reveals first insights into their structure.

Information content of visual scenes influences systematic search of desert ants (Melophorus bagoti)

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric L. G. Legge ◽  
Patrick Schultheiss ◽  
Antoine Wystrach ◽  
Marcia L. Spetch ◽  
Ken Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Information Content ◽  
Systematic Search ◽  
Desert Ants ◽  
Visual Scenes ◽  
Melophorus Bagoti

scholarly journals Combining sky and earth: desert ants (Melophorus bagoti) show weighted integration of celestial and terrestrial cues

2014 ◽  
Vol 217 (23) ◽  
pp. 4159-4166 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. L. G. Legge ◽  
A. Wystrach ◽  
M. L. Spetch ◽  
K. Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Desert Ants ◽  
Melophorus Bagoti

Desert ants (Melophorus bagoti) navigating with robustness to distortions of the natural panorama

2014 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Schwarz ◽  
E. Julle-Daniere ◽  
L. Morin ◽  
P. Schultheiss ◽  
A. Wystrach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Desert Ants ◽  
Melophorus Bagoti

scholarly journals Learning walks in an Australian desert ant, Melophorus bagoti

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudhakar Deeti ◽  
Ken Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Visual Landmark ◽  
Desert Ants ◽  
Desert Ant ◽  
Learning Walks ◽  
Stopping Phases ◽  
Melophorus Bagoti ◽  
Learning Walk

The Central Australian ant Melophorus bagoti is the most thermophilic ant in Australia and forages solitarily in the summer months during the hottest period of the day. For successful navigation, desert ants of many species are known to integrate a path and learn landmark cues around the nest. Ants perform a series of exploratory walks around the nest before their first foraging trip, during which they are presumed to learn about their landmark panorama. Here, we studied 15 naïve M. bagoti ants transitioning from indoor work to foraging outside the nest. In three to four consecutive days, they performed 3 to 7 exploratory walks before heading off to forage. Naïve ants increased the area of exploration around the nest and the duration of trips over successive learning walks. In their first foraging walk, the majority of the ants followed a direction explored on their last learning walk. During learning walks, the ants stopped and performed stereotypical orientation behaviours called pirouettes. They performed complete body rotations with stopping phases as well as small circular walks without stops known as voltes. After just one learning walk, these desert ants could head in the home direction from locations 2 m from the nest, although not from locations 4 m from the nest. These results suggest gradual learning of the visual landmark panorama around the foragers’ nest. Our observations show that M. bagoti exhibit similar characteristics in their learning walks as other desert ants of the genera Ocymyrmex and Cataglyphis.

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