How a ponerine ant acquired the most evolved mode of colony foundation

Summary:

Founding queens of the ponerine ant Discothyrea oculata always install themselves in spider nests where both shelter and ample food permit their entire first brood to develop, while other Ponerinae repeatedly forage for prey. This evolved mode of founding colonies is nevertheless different from that of subfamilies with claustral colony founding (first generation nanitic workers developing from larvae fed from the queen's reserves) as the first workers, developing from larvae fed on spider eggs, are of a similar size as those of mature colonies.