1988] Lenoir, Querard, Pondicq, & Bert on — Cataglyphis 35 
In the laboratory, recognition tests were performed with the sister 
groups of workers: old workers reared in the laboratory after 
orphaning and the new ones captured in the field in July. It is 
known that C. cursor societies recognize their sisters and readopt 
them more easily then strangers (80% vs 50% — Berton and Lenoir 
1986). Recognition tests were performed for colonies number 1 to 4: 
75 to 85% of adoptions were observed which is in agreement with 
the fact that the workers were siblings. In colony number 7 only 40% 
of ants were adopted, suggesting that it was another colony. A 
doubt persists about the origin of the queen: was she produced by 
parthenogenesis or was she adopted after swarming from normal 
colonies? The second hypothesis seems to be improbable as it has 
been shown that closure is fairly similar in orphan and normal 
societies (Berton and Lenoir 1986), so adoption of a new queen must 
be difficult. This needs to be verified in the field by observations 
during the swarming period. 
Discussion 
We have confirmed that Cataglyphis cursor is a monogynous and 
monodomous species as indicated by Cagniant (1976b) and contrary 
to Bernard who thought that females were rare (1968) or absent 
(1983). It seems that all the species of the genus are monogynous but 
some can be polydomous. C. iberica (De Haro and Cerda 1984), C. 
bicolor (Wehner et al. 1983), C. albicans (Cerda 1986, Schmid- 
Hempel 1987) and the five species from Israel (Shalmon 1982) have 
polycalic societies with a principal nest containing the queen and 
secondary queenless nests. In these societies workers are observed 
passing from one nest to another transporting workers and brood. 
C. hispanica could be monodomous as we collected two queenright 
societies near Toleda (Spain), but this needs to be confirmed. 
Dispersal of the species 
This does not seem to be carried out by solitary females as is 
frequently the case in monogynous ants. Numerous arguments have 
been presented here that lead us to reject this possibility for C. 
cursor in favor of a budding process. The nuptial flight is replaced 
by a nuptial race and the inseminated females reenter their natal 
nest. During a few days polygynous societies can be found. Later, a 
group of workers leaves the mother nest with brood, other workers 
and a young queen. De Haro (1981) observed one queen transport 
