. Ants; their structure, development and behavior. notal enlargement in C. inflata mightbe due to hypertrophy of the peculiar glands which he, Meinert andLubbock had found in this portion of the thorax of our northern ants(see p. 38). Tn a number of specimens of C. inflata in my collection,from Zamboangan, Philippines, two broadly elliptical or nearly circularopenings are seen on each side of the epinotum (Fig. 223). The upper,which is somewhat smaller, is the tracheal orifice, or stigma, the HONEY ANTS. 373 lower is undoubtedly the opening of the epinotal chamber and leadsdirectly into one of
. Ants; their structure, development and behavior. notal enlargement in C. inflata mightbe due to hypertrophy of the peculiar glands which he, Meinert andLubbock had found in this portion of the thorax of our northern ants(see p. 38). Tn a number of specimens of C. inflata in my collection,from Zamboangan, Philippines, two broadly elliptical or nearly circularopenings are seen on each side of the epinotum (Fig. 223). The upper,which is somewhat smaller, is the tracheal orifice, or stigma, the HONEY ANTS. 373 lower is undoubtedly the opening of the epinotal chamber and leadsdirectly into one of the large inflated cavities. As all of my specimensare dry and carded, I am unable to ascertain the histological structureof these organs. I am convinced, however, that they represent, as[anet supposed, an enormous development of the organs found in thecoresponding portion of the epinotum of our common ants. This isalso indicated by an examination of specimens of C. diffonnis fromPerak and of rnncronata from Sumatra. In these the openings of the. FIG. 220. Repletes of Myrmecocystus horti-deorum hanging from roof of honey chamber. (McCook.) epinotal chambers are more ventral and more slit-shaped than in inflata,and may therefore be described as intermediate between those of inflataand our northern species of Cremastogastcr. As the function of the epinotal glands, even in our common ants, isstill unknown, we can hardly expect to form a satisfactory conceptionof the hypertrophied homologues of these organs in a few Indomalayanants that have hardly been studied in a living condition. That theseorgans should secrete a sweet liquid to be fed to the ants or their youngis surprising at first thought and suggests the nursing habits of theMammalia, but when we stop to consider that ants are in the habit offeeding their young and one another with a secretion of the labial, orsalivary glands, we can see no reason why, in certain species, thethoracic glands might not be developed for a sim
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectants, bookyear1910
