1985] 
Moffett — Behavioral notes on Acanthomyrmex 169 
live hemipteran nymph was seized by a minor, carried to the nest, 
and then torn apart and consumed by several individuals. 
A clump of about 35 fig seeds was present within the A. notabilis 
nest (fig. 2). Similar tiny seeds were found in the nests of A. notabi- 
lis colonies collected from rotten wood by W. L. Brown, Jr. on 
Mount Klabat, not far from Tangkoko-Batuangus Reserve. A 
minority of other, unidentified seeds of a size comparable to the fig 
seeds or slightly larger were also present in these nests. In the field 
A. notabilis minors carried three sesame seeds to their nest from a 
bait of bird seeds. However, captive A. notabilis ants completely 
ignored all seeds provided, including the fig seeds taken from their 
own colony. 
There are indications that seeds are normally a significant part of 
the diet. Many of the fig seeds taken from A. notabilis nests had 
their outer layer gnawed away. Moreover, the mandibles of the 
majors were badly worn, which would be expected if this caste mills 
seeds. The region of northern Sulawesi that includes Mt. Klabat and 
the neighboring Tangkoko-Batuangus Reserve is exceptionally rich 
Figure 2. Fig seeds from Acanthomyrmex notabilis colony in situ. 
