<I>Crematogaster striatula</I> Ants Capturing a Termite Worker (IMAGE)
Caption
Workers firstly surrounded the termite at a distance of 5-10 mm, their abdominal tip pointed toward the prey. A. After ca. 10 minutes the termite fell down and rolled onto its back, its legs batting the air. One ant approached it very slowly. B. When there were fewer movements of its legs, all of the ants approached the termite. C. Later the ants prepared to seize the termite by an appendage to retrieve it to their nest. D. Interspecific competition. A Crematogaster striatula worker that had discovered several Camponotus brutus imbibing honey on its territory caused them to retreat by very slowly approaching in a backward movement, with its abdominal tip pointed toward the aliens. No contact between the antagonists was noted.
Credit
Rifflet A, Tene N, Orivel J, Treilhou M, Dejean A, et al. (2011) Paralyzing Action from a Distance in an Arboreal African Ant Species. PLoS ONE 6(12):e28571. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0028571
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Please provide proper attribution: Rifflet A, Tene N, Orivel J, Treilhou M, Dejean A, et al. (2011) Paralyzing Action from a Distance in an Arboreal African Ant Species. PLoS ONE 6(12):e28571. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0028571
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