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Coordinated group ambush: A new predatory behavior inAzteca ants (Dolichoderinae)

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Summary

This article describes a new technique used by ants (Azteca cf. lanuginosa) in the Brazilian Cerrado to capture large mobile insects. Large numbers of ants position themselves along a leaf margin in sit-and-wait groups and ambush prey by simultaneously attacking insects that land on the upper surface of the leaf. The workers are able to seize insects such as beetles, bees, and butterflies, most of them being two times longer than the ants.

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Morais, H.C. Coordinated group ambush: A new predatory behavior inAzteca ants (Dolichoderinae). Ins. Soc 41, 339–342 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01242307

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01242307

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