Abstract
A colony of Protanilla sp. was collected from the floor of a selectively logged forest in Ulu Gombak, Peninsular Malaysia, in March 2011. The colony contained 17 ergatoid queens and 25 workers. The ergatoid queens had 6–10 ovarioles per individual with a sperm-filled spermatheca while workers had two ovarioles and a vestigial spermatheca. In the laboratory, foraging workers responded to Occasjapyx sp. (Japygidae) only; larvae, workers, and ergatoid queens fed on this prey. Ergatoid queens frequently showed larval and egg care, and transported larvae when the nest was disturbed. Compared to Leptanilla, morphological and behavioral specialization of both castes in Protanilla sp. does not seem developed.
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Acknowledgements
We thank T. Kishimoto and K. Sekitani for providing us with information of Occasjapyx, and Sk. Yamane for his kind and detailed instructions on thoracic morphology. This research was partly supported by grant for Overseas research (B, 24405010; C, 18K06421) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
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JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) Grant for Overseas research (B, 24405010; C, 18K06421).
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FI and JB designed research, FI, RM and RH performed research, and FI, RH, RM and JB wrote the paper.
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Ito, F., Hashim, R., Mizuno, R. et al. Notes on the biology of Protanilla sp. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) collected in Ulu Gombak, Peninsular Malaysia. Insect. Soc. 69, 13–18 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-021-00839-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-021-00839-z