Agonistic Behavior Between Colonies of the Formosan Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) from Louis Armstrong Park, New Orleans, Louisiana

摘要

Agonistic behavior bioassays were evaluated among 11 neighboring and non-neighboring colonies of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptoterm.es formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), collected from a confined area (Louis Armstrong Park) in New Orleans. Each individual colony maintained a distinct foraging territory in the field and was characterized using both mark-recapture and DNA fingerprinting techniques. Individuals from each colony were paired with individuals from the same colony andindividuals from different colonies in two different types of arenas: petri dish and two-dimensional foraging arenas. No intracolony aggression was observed during each trial. Intercolony aggression varied among different colonies, especially among neighboring colonies. Intercolony pairings of these neighboring colonies inside the foraging arenas led to aggression suggesting the presence of a distinct colony odor, especially when these pairings were non-aggressive during open-air petri dish trials. Thelack of aggression during both arena trials using distant colonies supports these findings.