1985] Moffett — Behavioral notes on Acanthomyrmex 
171 
Table I. Acanthomyrmex notahilis ethogram. The actual numbers of acts 
recorded are followed in parentheses by the relative frequencies of performance of 
each act. When fitted to a lognormal Poisson probability distribution using a compu- 
ter program written by R. M. Fagen (see Fagen and Goldman, 1977), the complete 
repertory of the minor workers is estimated to include 20 behavioral acts, with a 95% 
confidence interval of [20, 21] acts. 
MINORS 
MAJORS 
1 . 
Allogroom minor 
53 (.1541) 
0 
2. 
Allogroom major 
17 (.0494) 
0 
3. 
Lick eggs 
3 (.0087) 
0 
4. 
Lick larva 
45 (.0131) 
0 
5. 
Lick pupa 
29 (.0843) 
0 
6. 
Hold eggs 
1 1 (.0320) 
1 (0.5) 
7. 
Hold larva 
30 (.0872) 
0 
8. 
Hold pupa 
14 (.0407) 
0 
9. 
Carry eggs 
9 (.0262) 
1 (0.5) 
10. 
Carry larva 
24 (.0698) 
0 
11. 
Carry pupa 
14 (.0407) 
0 
12. 
Assist ecdysis to pupa 
6 (.0174) 
0 
13. 
Feed larva 
6 (.0174) 
0 
14. 
Regurgitate to minor 
5 (.0145) 
0 
15. 
Regurgitate to major 
1 (.0029) 
0 
16. 
Lick sugar grain 
36 (.1047) 
0 
17. 
Eat dead insect 
31 (.0901) 
0 
18. 
Hold dead minor 
2 (.0058) 
0 
19. 
Lick dead minor 
5 (.0145) 
0 
20. 
Carry dead minor 
3 (.0087) 
0 
TOTALS 334 (.9999) 2 (1.0) 
commonly held brood even under apparently quiescent conditions. 
Majors occasionally also held or carried immatures, even when the 
nest was undisturbed. 
Only minors were observed to allogroom and to lick brood. Lar- 
vae fed on regurgitated food from minor workers. 
Nest Shifts and Emigrations 
Acanthomyrmex notabilis. Before the A. notabilis colony had 
moved into the test tube nest, sudden, severe disturbances (such as 
shaking the box with the ants) caused the ants to rapidly disperse, 
with many of the workers carrying brood. Following such a distur- 
bance, small groups of two to four ants usually formed within 10 
