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Does Colour of the Food Attract Ants?

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Abstract

Milky white, brown, yellow and pink sugar grains along with normal sugar grains in equal number were offered to the ants at different sites, in the foraging ground of a garden locating at Garia, Kolkata, India to note the role of colouration of the food in food selection, if any. It is revealed that the ants Anoplolepis gracilipes procured all the supplied colour sugar grains from the offered sites between 1 and 43 min and the normal sugar grains between 1 and 38 min from the offered sites. Results of statistical analyses clearly indicate that the colour of the food has no role to attract the ants A. gracilipes in respect to procurement times of the sugar grains noted. This suggests that the colour of the food does not act as an attractant for the ants A. gracilipes in food selection.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the Head of the Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta and to the Principal, Achhruram Memorial College, Purulia for the facilities provided. The ants specimens were identified by the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Achhruram Memorial College, Jhalda, Purulia, West Bengal, 723202, India

    K. Naskar

  2. Ecology and Ethology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, 35, Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, 700019, India

    S. K. Raut

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  1. K. Naskar
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  2. S. K. Raut
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Correspondence to K. Naskar.

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Naskar, K., Raut, S.K. Does Colour of the Food Attract Ants?. Proc Zool Soc 71, 25–29 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12595-016-0181-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12595-016-0181-z

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