FORAGING BEHAVIOR OF THE ANT TAPINOMA-ERRATICUM (FORMICIDEA, DOLICHODORINAE)

Tapinoma erraticum though not a greatly studied species, is quite common in our region. This ant frequently moves its nesting place. Three adjacent nests have been observed, and workers leaving each nest have been tracked individually and marked on a grid pattern. After observing four hundred tracked workers we drew the following conclusions: -foraging takes place in all directions, -there is little overlapping of the foraging areas, in spite of frequent moves from the nests. -the shape of the foraging areas seemed to be influenced by the presence of neighbouring colonies. The results pointing to competitive interactions have been confirmed by laboratory experiments and a territoriality factor, with the possibility of territorial marking can be assumed for this species.