Etude Eco-Ethologique de la Predation Chez les Fourmis du Genre Smithistruma (Formicidae-Myrmicinae-Tribu Des Dacetini)—I. Effets Du Milieu Sur le Choix Des Proies Chez Smithistruma Truncatidens Brown

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Abstract
The variations of moisture in the leaf litter of Eucalyptus tally with the fluctuations in the populations of microarthropods of the litter. The acurines and collembolans are the most numerous. At the end of the rains there was a spectacular rise in the rate of increase of psocids in this litter and an obvious drop in the population of entomobryomorph collembolans (specific prey of Smithistruma) which have begun to penetrate the soil looking for moisture. An analysis of the sampling of prey carried back to the nest by foraging workers shows that, whatever the season, the capture of entomobryomorphs is the highest. In the rainy season, the majority of the prey are these entomobryomorphs; with the coming of the dry season, the rate falls to 31-21%. Foraging workers catch psocids, Acarina and termite larvae by way of compensation.

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