1967] 
Watkins & Rettenmeyer — Army Ants 
231 
Five physogastric queens and approximately 5,000 workers of N. 
carolinensis from the same colony were observed in laboratory nests 
to determine which areas of the queens’ bodies were licked most 
often. The numbers of workers licking each queen’s mouthparts, 
head, alitrunk, legs, petiole, and gastric segments 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 
were counted every 15 minutes for five hours (Table 3). 
Table 3. Areas on live queens of N. carolinensis licked by their workers. 
No. 
obser- 
vations 
Mean number of 
workers licking queens 
MP 
H 
A 
p 
L 
1 
Gastric segments 
2 3 4 
5 
Total 
20 
0 
.25 
.55 
.05 
.15 
.20 
1.00 
.60 
.95 
1.60 
5.35 
19 
.16 
.11 
.42 
.05 
.16 
.47 
.79 
.53 
1.11 
1.78 
5.59 
20 
0 
.10 
.45 
.10 
.25 
.25 
.60 
.55 
1.20 
2.60 
6.10 
19 
0 
.53 
.42 
0 
.11 
.11 
.47 
.47 
.84 
.95 
3.90 
20 
.20 
.50 
.70 
.10 
.15 
.25 
1.10 
1.55 
1.70 
2.00 
8.25 
Total 
.36 
1.49 
2.54 
.30 
.82 
1.28 
3.96 
3.70 
5.80 
8.93 
29.19 
MP = 
mouthparts 
; h = 
head ; 
A : 
— alitrunk; 
P = 
petiole ; 
; L — 
legs,. 
In 98 observations of the five queens, workers licked all areas of 
the queens’ bodies but consistently licked the fifth gastric segment most 
frequently. Based on means of all observations, the areas licked in 
decreasing frequency were: fifth, fourth, second, and third gastric 
segments; alitrunk; head; first gastric segment; legs; mouthparts; and 
petiole. 
Hagan (1954) reported two pairs of glandular cell masses were 
arranged in the vicinity of the vulva of queens of Eciton hamatum. 
These masses have ductules extending through the exoskeleton. The 
physogastric condition of the queens or the presence of such glands 
may be responsible for the licking being concentrated on the last two 
gastric segments. 
SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION 
Worker army ants live for a longer time in the presence of their 
queen (s), -most likely because secretions are licked from the body 
of the queen. The workers must carry and transmit the effect of 
their queen because each worker cannot lick the queen frequently. 
As Brian and Carr (i960) reported for Myrmica , the effects of the 
queen do not persist with the workers but the queen’s presence is 
essential. It is unlikely in these experiments that eating of brood 
increased worker survival. It is also possible that the presence of a 
queen modifies the amount of worker activity, but no quantitative 
