A chemosensillar design discriminating between nestmates and nonnestmates in ant species: Its functional property and influence on their social form

Ants use chemical sings of colony specific blend of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) as the nestmate and nonnestmate discriminating pheromone. We investigated the functional design of a particular type of antennal sensillum sensitive to CHCs and compared its utility between monogyne and polygyne species. The CHC sensillum of a monogyne Camponotus japonicus responds to the CHC blends of nonnestmates and other species but not to the nestmate blend. On the other hand, the CHC sensillum of a polygene species, Formica yessensis responded not only nonnestmates but also nestmate CHC blends. The responsiveness to CHCs of the own species was relatively weak in comparison with that to CHCs of other ant species.