PSYCHE 
Vol. 65 June-September, 1958 Nos. 2-3 
A CHEMICAL RELEASER OF ALARM 
AND DIGGING BEHAVIOR IN THE ANT 
POGONOMYRMEX BADIUS (LATREILLE) 
By Edward 0. Wilson 
Biological Laboratories, Harvard University 
Introduction 
The complex social behavior of ants appears to be 
mediated in large part by chemoreceptors. If it can be 
assumed that “instinctive” behavior of these insects is 
organized in a fashion similar to that demonstrated for 
the better known invertebrates, a useful hypothesis would 
seem to be that there exists a series of behavioral “re- 
leasers”, in this case chemical substances voided by in- 
dividual ants that evoke specific responses in other members 
of the same species. It is further useful for purposes of 
investigation to suppose that the releasers are produced 
at least in part as glandular secretions and tend to be 
accumulated and stored in glandular reservoirs. In support 
of this hypothesis one such releaser, the trail substance 
of fire ants, has been described elsewhere (Wilson, 1959). 
This agent effects short-range exploratory behavior and 
also serves as the chief orienting stimulus. Goetsch (1952) 
has suggested the existence of another class of chemical 
releasers in ants, the Femalarm substances , which are said 
to be released by excited workers to communicate a state 
of excitement within the colony. According to this author, 
workers of certain deserticolous species of the dolichoderine 
and formicine genera Forelius, Tapinoma , Iridomyrmex, 
Dorymymex, and Camponotus apparently can discharge 
abdominal secretions that create this effect among other 
workers through the air over short distances. Goctsch’s 
interesting observation has not yet received experimental 
verification. The purpose of the present paper is to report 
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