84 
Psyche 
[June 
From the limited data given above it is evident that 
Belonopelta deletrix, like many other endemic Neotropical 
species, can live in more than one type of habitat, despite 
the fact that it is primarily a rainforest dweller. It is 
of interest also that groups of workers and brood can 
exist apart from a queen, although there is no way of 
knowing whether these groups are fragments of a larger 
colony or independent colonies founded by workers. 
The queen of Belonopelta deletrix is a normal female 
(figs. 1, 3), a fact by itself of considerable significance, 
since Borgmeier (1950) has shown that the queen of the 
closely related genus Simopelta [S. pergandei (Forel)] 
is dichthadiiform. Not only does this add a large morpho- 
logical difference between the two genera, but it may 
foreshadow a fundamental difference in behavior; i.e., 
Belonopelta leads a “typical” sedentary life, while Simo- 
pelta may be nomadic. 
The rainforest colony and larger colony fragment were 
maintained in artificial nests during a month’s period for 
studies on food habits and behavior. In the field, a worker 
had been found on the undersurface of a limb near the 
rainforest colony carrying a dead or paralyzed campo- 
deid in its mandibles. In captivity, other campodeids, as 
well as a single japygid, were quickly captured by the 
workers and fed to the larvae. Small geophilid centipedes 
and a single small cicadellid were also accepted and eaten, 
but a larger lithobiid centipede was discarded after cap- 
ture, and other larger centipedes were completely avoided. 
Termites of the genus Nasutitermes were generally avoided 
in the first weeks, at the most stung to death and then 
abandoned, but later, after a month’s confinement and 
transfer to the United States, the rainforest colony ac- 
cepted workers of Reticulitermes. Beetle larvae and adults, 
moth larvae, millipedes, and isopods were avoided. The 
general impression received is that only a few kinds of 
small arthropods are readily accepted, and of these, the 
Explanation of Plate 9 
Figs. 1-4, Belonopelta deletrix Mann. 1, head of queen. 2, head of 
worker. 3, queen, side view. 4, worker, side view. 
