1974] 
Moglich &f Holldobler — Nest Moving of Ants 
221 
The Specificity and Stereotypy of Carrying Behavior 
Escherich (1917) and Arnoldi (1932) pointed out that the be- 
havioral patterns of adult transport in ants are very stereotyped and 
are often specific for certain taxonomical groups. These assumptions 
are confirmed by the following brief survey of adult transport be- 
havior in ants. 
Myrmeciinae : 
In one of the most primitive genera of the myrmecoid complex, the 
Australian Myrmecia Haskins and Haskins 1950 observed adult 
transport. However, the behavioral patterns are apparently not 
stereotyped. One worker grasps another at the mandibles or any 
other part of the body and drags it over the ground. 
Dorylinae : 
According to Rettenmeyer (1963) workers of the New World army 
ants (tribe Ecitonini) carry other adults like larvae and pupae slung 
beneath the body and between the legs of the transporting worker. 
Ponerinae: 
An unstereotyped carrying behavior, similar to that described for 
Myrmecia , was observed by the present authors in Bothroponera 
tesserinoda. It occurs only rarely; nestmates are primarily recruited 
by the tandem running technique (see Maschwitz, Holldobler and 
Moglich, in press). Somewhat more advanced is the adult transport 
behavior of Odontomachus. The transporter ant simply grasps a 
nestmate on a leg, the petiole or some other part of the body, lifts it 
up and carries it away. Although there is no general, stereotyped 
response, the transported individual usually folds its appendages 
tightly to the body (Fig. ia). Much more elaborate and stereo- 
typed behavior is displayed by Rhyditoponera metallica. When the 
transporting worker approaches a nestmate head on, it repeatedly 
grasps the ant at the head and jerks it slightly forward. The move- 
ment lasts only 1-2 seconds. The nestmate responds by turning its 
bodyaxis slightly sideways, whereupon the transporting ant seizes the 
nestmate with a firm grip. After turning through an angle of ap- 
proximately 180 0 , the transportee is lifted and curled over the head 
of the carrying ant. During transportation the gaster is bent in- 
wards and the appendages folded tightly to the body. 
Myrmicinae : 
Although Escherich reports that in myrmicine ants the transported 
ant is grasped at the petiole and carried with the head and legs 
