1957] 
Weber — Cephalotes atratus 
65 
Alate females were found on July 28 and one on August 
5. The September brood probably was the result of un- 
fertilized eggs laid by the workers; some of these had 
fully developed ovaries containing eggs. The brood matur- 
ing through August 5 was probably from eggs laid by 
the queen up until her capture on April 27. The data 
suggest a maximum period of development from egg to 
worker of between 100 and 141 days and comparable 
periods for the sexual castes. 
The first part of the worker pupa to take on the adult 
coloration was the eyes, as in Cryptocerus varians, then 
the tarsal claws and apices of the large spines and gaster. 
The head and thorax become black last. The pupa may 
move its legs and other appendages slightly when it is 
still a pale yellow in color. The pupa is aided from its 
white envelope by the adult workers licking and using 
the mandibles to pull at it. A callow worker, gray in color, 
could walk fairly fast when the nest was exposed in July. 
Food of the Ants 
The main source of food for the colony throughout the 
months of observation was the secretions of the mem- 
bracid, Adippe inconspicua Fowler. From February 
through July these insects were on the fruiting pods of 
the saman and were being constantly tended by the ants. 
As the pods in most cases were many meters from the 
nest sites, much time must have been consumed by these 
slow-moving ants in travelling back and forth from the 
feeding areas. While the pods were young and succulent 
they bore large numbers of Adippe and their secretions 
at this time appeared to be particularly important as a 
source of ant food. 
Workers that were foraging on the grass at the base 
of the tree gathered bird feces containing insect remains. 
Others dismembered a large, naked caterpillar lying fresh- 
ly killed in the grass. The ants were often found to carry 
indeterminable bits of food but were at no time seen to 
carry recognizable plant remains. 
Myrmecophiles and Predators 
The entire absence of myrmecophiles in this large colony 
