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Life history traits of a European Messor harvester ant

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Abstract.

We present life history traits of a Central European harvester ant, Messor cf. structor, determined by gyne and male dissections, behavioural assays, standardised brood photography and laboratory rearing of brood. Messor cf. structor is polygynous and builds up unicolonial populations. Sexuals develop from hibernated larvae in a univoltine cycle and become adult from late summer to late autumn. Neither intra- nor extranidal mating was observed in autumn, even though gynes and males were mature. In spring, after hibernation, intranidal mating without swarming flight took place, even though the flight muscles of alate sexuals were still fully developed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Forest Entomology, Forest Pathology and Forest Protection, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences, Hasenauerstraße 38, 1190, Vienna, Austria

    B. C. Schlick-Steiner, F. M. Steiner & C. Stauffer

  2. Institute of Zoology, Department of Integrative Biology, BOKU, University of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences, Hasenauerstraße 38, 1190, Vienna, Austria

    B. C. Schlick-Steiner, F. M. Steiner & F. M. Steiner

  3. Rossbergring 18, 64354, Reinheim, Germany

    A. Buschinger

Authors
  1. B. C. Schlick-Steiner
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  2. F. M. Steiner
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  3. C. Stauffer
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  4. A. Buschinger
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to F. M. Steiner.

Additional information

Received 3 March 2005; revised 4 May 2005; accepted 9 May 2005.

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Schlick-Steiner, B.C., Steiner, F.M., Stauffer, C. et al. Life history traits of a European Messor harvester ant. Insect. Soc. 52, 360–365 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-005-0819-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-005-0819-8

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