Diet and Spatial Pattern of Foraging in Ectatomma opaciventre (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in an Anthropic Area

Abstract

Ectatomma opaciventre (Formicidae: Ectatomminae) presents an individual foraging strategy in the epigeal stratum. It is a generalist predator, collecting a wide variety of live or recently dead arthropods. The objective of this study was to determine individual foraging pathways and identify prey types in the diet of this species. The individual foraging pathways of 3 colonies were determined by following foragers in the field and recording the time and maximum foraging distance from the nest. Diet was assessed by the collection and identification of the prey carried between the mandibles of the ants. Foragers collected mainly other species of ants. The maximum foraging distance was 5.14 m and the longest time spent foraging was 66 minutes. The pathways appeared to be spatially distributed in a way that avoids intersection with pathways from other nests and favors search for food in areas unexplored by other individuals.