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1 September 2011 Pollenivory in Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Seems to be Much More Common than It was Thought
Wojciech Czechowski, Bálint Markó, Katalin Erős, Enikő Csata
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Abstract

So far, besides some specialised Neotropical ant species of the genus Cephalotes Latr., the Palaearctic Myrmica schencki Viereck, M. rubra (L.) and Tetramorium cf. caespitum (L.) were known to be, at least facultative, pollen-eaters. The present paper reports on nine other common Palaearctic ant species occasionally feeding on pine pollen: Myrmica ruginodis Nyl., F. pratensis Retz., F. cinerea Mayr, F. clara For., F. sanguinea Latr., F. exsecta Nyl., Lasius niger (L.), L. platythorax Seifert, and L. fuliginosus (Latr.) and re-confirms pollenivory of M. schencki. Pollenivory of all these species was revealed based on the presence of pollen grains in the alimentary canal of the dissected workers. The possible role of pollen in the diet of ants as a generally omnivorous insect group is discussed.

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Wojciech Czechowski, Bálint Markó, Katalin Erős, and Enikő Csata "Pollenivory in Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Seems to be Much More Common than It was Thought," Annales Zoologici 61(3), 519-525, (1 September 2011). https://doi.org/10.3161/000345411X603364
Received: 16 February 2011; Accepted: 1 July 2011; Published: 1 September 2011
KEYWORDS
ants
food
foraging
pollen-eating
rubbish dumps
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