| Abstract: | Early experience is known to influence brood care behavior and to induce nesting preferences of several ant species. Scanty information is available with respect to imprinting effects on host selection of dulotic ants. In this paper we investigate host choice behavior of workers of the slave-making ant, Chalepoxenus muellerianus. As in a corresponding paper (Schumann & Buschinger 1994) on host specificity of C. muellerianus young queens during colony foundation, we demonstrate that a blend of innate factors and effects of early experience also influences host species selection of slave-raiding workers. |
