1975] Buren, Nickerson and Thompson — Conomyrma 
309 
The details of the behavior appear to vary considerably but the 
general patterns and results are quite similar. The newly mated 
parasitic queen approaches the host colony, is “discovered” by the 
host workers, and then according to the particular species, either 
adopts so-called “conciliatory” reactions to these workers, or else 
fights with them and “intimidates” them. In either case, if she is 
successful and not killed by the host workers, she enters the host 
colony and gradually is accepted and finally adopted as the colony 
queen. During this process the host queen is eliminated by various 
methods. In most cases this appears to be by assassination, the para- 
sitic queen killing the host queen by strangulation, cutting off her 
head, or other means according to the particular species. The adopted 
parasitic queen then begins to lay eggs. The host workers care for 
the parasitic brood as they would for their own, and the newly 
reared parasitic workers work side by side with the host workers in 
a mixed nest until normal attrition of the host workers in time 
leaves the parasite in an unmixed colony. There is no reported 
evidence that the host workers are ever subjected to overt suppression 
by the parasitic workers or treated as anything but nest-mates. 
As stated above, the mixed nests of C. ins ana- flav ope eta found in 
Florida and the localized enclaves of C. insana appeared to us to 
give presumptive evidence that temporary parasitism followed by 
hesmosis was occurring in these ants. Further evidence may be 
given by the morphology of the queens. In queens of C. insana the 
head is large, wider than the thorax, while the gaster is rather small 
and slender in alate queens. In C. flavopecta queens, however, the 
head is of moderate size, 'about equal in width to the thorax, and 
the gaster is large and voluminous in both alate and dealate queens. 
The morphological modifications of the C. insana queens therefore 
seem to be similar to the modifications already known for many 
temporary parasitic ants. 
The existence of incipient nests is excellent evidence that a species 
has the normal claustral type of new colony establishment. Incipient 
nests of C. flavopecta have been found several times at Gainesville, 
Fla. by the senior author whereas no incipient nests of C. insana 
have been found in Florida even with intensive search over a period 
of several years by Nickerson (unpublished). Two incipient nests 
of C. flavopecta excavated by the senior author consisted of a single 
C. flavopecta queen and less than 20 nanitic workers (all specimens 
not captured for accurate count) in each nest. Incipient nest craters 
of C. flavopecta are very small (radius less than 2 cm) and are 
