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<p>Cleptobiosis in ants is a form of compound nesting in which one species obtains food by stealing it from another. Here, we investigated host dependence, cleptobiotic behavioral traits, and host impacts in the attine ant <i>Strumigenys incerta</i>, a species previously suggested to exhibit cleptobiosis toward the ponerine ant <i>Cryptopone sauteri</i>. Field surveys revealed that colonies of <i>S. incerta</i> were found exclusively within nests of <i>C. sauteri</i>, and laboratory rearing experiments further showed that substantial colony growth of <i>S. incerta</i> occurred only under host-cohabitation conditions. Behavioral observations demonstrated that <i>S. incerta</i> primarily relied on specialized cleptobiotic foraging, stealing prey items temporarily stored by the host, and seldom engaged in independent hunting in the presence of the host. In contrast, under host-removal conditions, <i>S. incerta</i> workers engaged in hunting behavior; however, their hunting success was markedly lower than that of other <i>Strumigenys</i> species, indicating that cleptobiosis constitutes the primary foraging strategy of <i>S. incerta</i>. Aggression by host workers toward <i>S. incerta</i> was extremely rare. When encountering host workers, <i>S. incerta</i> workers frequently remained immobile with their antennae and legs folded. Importantly, the presence of <i>S. incerta</i> did not significantly affect the colony growth of <i>C. sauteri</i>. Together, these results suggest that the cleptobiotic association between <i>S. incerta</i> and <i>C. sauteri</i> represents a relationship close to commensalism, imposing no detectable costs on the host colony.</p>

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Obligate association between the cleptobiotic ant Strumigenys incerta and its host Cryptopone sauteri

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月15日

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  • H. Shinohara,
  • R. Hosokawa,
  • S. Makita,
  • H. Matsumura,
  • T. Ogino,
  • H. Sasaki,
  • F. Ito

摘要

Cleptobiosis in ants is a form of compound nesting in which one species obtains food by stealing it from another. Here, we investigated host dependence, cleptobiotic behavioral traits, and host impacts in the attine ant Strumigenys incerta, a species previously suggested to exhibit cleptobiosis toward the ponerine ant Cryptopone sauteri. Field surveys revealed that colonies of S. incerta were found exclusively within nests of C. sauteri, and laboratory rearing experiments further showed that substantial colony growth of S. incerta occurred only under host-cohabitation conditions. Behavioral observations demonstrated that S. incerta primarily relied on specialized cleptobiotic foraging, stealing prey items temporarily stored by the host, and seldom engaged in independent hunting in the presence of the host. In contrast, under host-removal conditions, S. incerta workers engaged in hunting behavior; however, their hunting success was markedly lower than that of other Strumigenys species, indicating that cleptobiosis constitutes the primary foraging strategy of S. incerta. Aggression by host workers toward S. incerta was extremely rare. When encountering host workers, S. incerta workers frequently remained immobile with their antennae and legs folded. Importantly, the presence of S. incerta did not significantly affect the colony growth of C. sauteri. Together, these results suggest that the cleptobiotic association between S. incerta and C. sauteri represents a relationship close to commensalism, imposing no detectable costs on the host colony.