Entomological Science, Vol. 8 (2005), No. 3, pp. 271-281
1 Laboratory of Ethology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
2 Department of Natural Sciences, International Christian University
ABSTRACT. The facultatively polygynous ant Camponotus yamaokai shows various degrees of internest hostility. We examined the relationship between aggressiveness and possible factors that affect the level of hostility, such as internest distance, numbers of queens and workers, and brood size. We found that the aggression level did not significantly correlate with these factors. Our study suggests that information on the colony genetic structure is important in understanding variation in the aggressiveness of polygynous colonies.
Key words: aggression, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, polygyny, super-colony