24 
Psyche 
[Vol. 95 
(ST), which are the warmest hours of the day. Frequently males and 
females from one nest do not come out simultaneously (also in C. 
sabulosa (Shalmon 1981) and C. bicolor (Schmid-Hempel 1987)). 
Behavior of males before mating 
Fonscolombe (1846) observed males running around nest entran- 
ces. Such behavior can be observed frequently in early summer in 
the Mediterranean region. When they reach the exit of the nest, the 
males stop for a few seconds and then fly off. Males are apparently 
able to fly distances greater than several tens of meters, but we were 
unable to estimate their exact range. Apparently they do not often 
come back to their native nest; males captured and marked at the 
exit of one nest were never seen returning same place (n = 16). 
When a male arrives within 10-15 cm from a nest entrance, he may 
stay there motionless for several minutes; he may be attacked by 
workers. When marked males are recaptured later, recapture occurs 
near the nest entrance where they were originally captured (12% 
were seen again; n = 25). 
This observation contradicts the suggestions of Cagniant (1976b), 
who supposed that mating occurs between the members of the same 
colony. Apparently this must be exceptional: outbreeding appears 
to be the rule. In the laboratory we did not observe spontaneous 
matings between siblings whereas it is easy to produce matings by 
introducing alien males (observed previously by Cagniant, pers. 
comm.). 
Behavior of females before mating 
Alate females often come timidly to the exit of the nest before 
they finally leave. When alate females prepare to leave the nest, 
workers and males frequently dance around the entrance. Workers 
are very aggressive towards males and may kill them: this could 
indicate that they are from a different colony. Females walk around 
the nest, within a radius of 1 m. Apparently they cannot fly. Are the 
wings too short, as supposed by Cagniant (1976b)? Wings seem to 
be normal but it must be measured in comparison with other spe- 
cies. Santschi (1929) observed one apterous species: C. theryi. If 
males are present, mating occurs immediately. If several males are 
present around a female, some slight aggressive behaviour may be 
noticed between the males. In the absence of males, females climb 
onto a stone or a twig for a few minutes and then descend. They 
then begin a “sexual calling” behavior, with the gaster bent under 
