Behavior ofPaussus favieri(Coleoptera, Carabidae, Paussini): A Myrmecophilous Beetle Associated withPheidole pallidula(Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

摘要

Several specimens of the myrmecophilous beetlePaussus favieriwere reared in ant nests ofPheidole pallidula. Their interactions were recorded and all behaviors observed are described. Duration and frequency of five behaviors ofP. favieriwere analyzed with ANOVA and post hoc Tukey tests; these comprised rewarding, antennal shaking, antennation, escape, and “no contact”. Significant differences both in duration and in frequency among behaviors were detected. The main result is that the rewarding behavior, during which the beetle provides attractive substances to the host, is performed significantly more frequently than all others. This result strongly supports the hypothesis that the chemicals provided by the beetles and licked by the ants are of great importance for the acceptance and the full integration ofP. favieriin the ant society. This result also suggests that, contrary to previous findings and interpretations, the myrmecophilous strategy ofP. favieriis very similar to the symphilous strategy described forP. turcicus. The occasional interactions of some beetle specimens with theP. pallidulaqueen were recorded, illustrated, and discussed, indicating the possibility of a more complex strategy ofP. favieriinvolving a chemical mimicry with the queen. In addition, the courtship performed by the beetle is described for the first time, together with a peculiar “cleaning” behavior, which we hypothesize functions to spread antennal chemicals over the body surfaces.