28 
Psyche 
[Vol. 95 
the mother colony was located at 0.8 m from a big colony with more 
than 1000 workers. Traffic between the mother and daughter nests 
was measured for periods of 5 mn during the maximum activity 
period of the budding day. 6 to 9 workers were transported during 5 
mn, which could indicate a population in daughter nests of at least 
250-300 workers. Probably some transported workers returned to 
their mother nest. Division of labor for moving has not been stud- 
ied: it is not known if the transporters are specialized ants. After 
budding the new colonies were not very active. It is not known if the 
old queen survives. In the 4 cases where it was possible to examine 
this with marked queens the surviving queen was a newly insemi- 
nated queen, but we cannot make any decisive conclusion with so 
few observations. 
Colony foundation with isolated queens 
A few experiments were conducted with newly inseminated 
queens either isolated (n = 5) or with 4 or 5 workers (n = 4). Isolated 
females die in a few weeks and rarely lay eggs (also observed by 
Cagniant, pers. comm.) Females associated with workers can live 
for several months, and sometimes longer after wintering. Some 
larvae were observed but they never developed into callow workers 
(also Cagniant pers. comm.). These data need to be confirmed with 
larger samples but it seems that isolated foundation does not exist in 
C. cursor. If possible, it is surely an accessory mode of reproduction 
of colonies.. 
A new argument against isolated foundation can be found in the 
weight of queens and workers. It is generally considered that species 
with haplometrotic foundation have larger queens relative to the 
size of their workers (Wheeler 1910, Sudd 1967, Wilson 1971). Most 
monogynous species have large queens that are highly differentiated 
from the workers (Baroni Urbani 1968). Table 1 shows that found- 
resses of Lasius niger are 44 times heavier than their nanitic 
workers. In Liometopum occidentale and L. apiculatum, two Mexi- 
can Dolichoderinae species founding in isolation, the proportions 
are respectively 33 and 45. In contrast, in mature colonies of L. niger 
the queen/ worker ratio is less than 10: workers of mature colonies 
are 4 times heavier than nanitic workers of young colonies. In Sole- 
nopsis invicta the first nanitic workers weigh 0.33 mg, the second 
generation workers 0.6 mg and the workers of mature colonies 0.5 
to 1.92 mg (Porter and Tshinkel 1986). By comparison, in small 
