Division of labour between foraging workers of the ponerine antPachycondyla caffraria (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Summary Two categories of foraging worker were found inPachycondyla caffraria from Senegal. One specialises in hunting and the other in collecting sweet liquid food. In the category of hunters there are two sub-categories: stingers and transporters. When the workers were offered a group of live termites (20–30Microcerotermes sp.), two types of behaviour were observed: some workers stung and paralysed the prey, while others transported the termites back to the nest. While on a foraging raid, the two roles are undertaken by two distinct groups of workers, and the roles are not interchanged during the course of the raid. The number of hunters, liquid collectors and transporters of prey are highly correlated with colony size.