Last modified: 2021-10-17
Abstract
Myopopone castaneae ants are known to prey on the predatory larvae of Oryctes rhinoceros. These attacks are aimed at the live specimen, involving biting and stinging to death, before the hemolymph fluid is consumed. Despite the minimal information available, these ants have the potential to prey on 2.8 - 3 larvae for a period of 5 days. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to evaluate the predation behavior of M. castaneae ants against several types of insect larvae in the laboratory. This investigation was performed at the pest laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, North Sumatra University from May to July 2020. The results showed a fastest prey time of 2-3 days on 3 Omphisa fuscidentalis larvae, while the longest was observed against Rhynchophorus ferrugineus species, at 3 larvae for 6-7 days. In addition, the typical predation behavior and symptoms include the presence of scars and gradual blackening on the cuticles. Moreover, ants tend to carry their offspring to the dead larvae of O. rhinoceros and R. ferrugineus, while O. fuscidentalis is conveyed to the nest for consumption by the colony.