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Psyche 
[Vol. 91 
fact that P. scahriusculus was able to perform this maneuver dem- 
onstrates that the loss of abdominal grooming in other cephalotines 
was not related to the inflexibility conferred by heavy armor. Of 
greater significance, the ability to autogroom the abdomen, espe- 
cially the tip, casts doubt on a suggestion made by Wilson (1976) 
and echoed by Cole (1980) that the acquisition of abdominal tro- 
phallaxis by cephalotines was tied to loss of maneuverability. 
Fate of infra buccal pellets 
P. scahriusculus workers regurgitated infrabuccal pellets and the 
action frequently attracted the interest of a nestmate. However, ants 
never ate the pellets or offered them to larvae, as has been observed 
in Z. varians (Wilson, 1976; Cole, 1980). As soon as a pellet was 
regurgitated, a worker would leave the brood area and drop the 
pellet onto the floor of the petri dish. Regurgitation of infrabuccal 
pellets was never observed in C. at rat us (Corn, 1976). 
Excavation 
Usually several workers were at the rear of the nest tube digging 
at the damp cotton with their legs and mandibles. Presumably this 
behavior would be homologous to excavating the blind end of a 
tunnel in a twig nest. 
Antennal tipping 
A stretching behavior dubbed antennal tipping by Wilson and 
Fagen (1974) was frequently observed. This behavior has been noted 
in many ant species, including Leptothorax curvispinosis, L. cluloti- 
cus (Wilson, 1975), Formica perpilosa ( Brandao, 1978), Colohopsis 
sp. (Cole, 1980), C. atratus (Corn, 1980) and Z. varians (Wilson, 
1976; Cole, 1980). In P. scahriusculus, the first pair of legs were 
extended forward and the rear 2 pairs extended backwards. The 
body was elevated due to the leg extension and the abdomen 
drooped slightly. The position of the head was more variable. Some- 
times it was raised and sometimes it was tucked under the body. The 
impression was one of rigidity, and the body sometimes trembled 
slightly or the antennae vibrated. 
Stridulation 
Both workers and queens stridulated when physically trapped or 
restrained. This behavior does not appear in the behavioral reper- 
