Possible behavioral hierarchy in the food handling by Messor arenarius ants

Abstract Messor arenarius ants are seed harvesters, that feed mainly on seeds or plant parts. This species inhabits mainly deserts in the Middle East and North Africa. In Israel, M. arenarius ants can be found in the Negev Desert and also in the Coastal Plain. This research focuses on the food-handling stages of those ants. Using food choice experiments, ants were given choices, to select between whole-wheat seeds and halves of wheat seeds cut longitudinally. In first collection rounds, the proportion of cases in which ants touched both food items using their antennae was significantly higher than forelegs touches. Similar findings were obtained in further collection rounds, when the sand or the soil at the food collection points was swept or changed after each collection round. These findings indicate a hierarchy between the food handling by the antennae and the food handling by the forelegs in M. arenarius ants. It seems that those ants smell food items by their antennae, which contain contact chemoreceptors, and afterward feel those food items by their forelegs, which contain mechanoreceptors.