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Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences

Year: 2015 | Volume: 18 | Issue: 6 | Page No.: 267-272
DOI: 10.3923/pjbs.2015.267.272
Size and the Composition of the Colony of Weaver Ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) and Ecology Role Toward the Palm
Irham Falahudin, Siti Salmah, Dahelmi and Ahsol Hasyim

Abstract: A weaver ant (Oecophylla) is one of insects which is classified into Hymenoptera order and Formicidae family. There are two species of weaver ant, i.e., O. smaragdina which is spreaded along India, South East Asia till Australia and O. longinoda, which is distributed through Africa. Every ant’s nest has each own size which is different one to another. This nest’s size distinction causes the difference in the population dynamics of each colony as well. A weaver ant is a social insect that forms a kind of group named colony. A colony of Oecophylla consists of reproductive and non reproductive class. This research aims at observing the dynamics of weaver ant colonization toward the economics value and palm ecology. The method used in this research was a survey. Meanwhile, the samples were drawn by using hand collecting technique. The results of the research showed that there were 8 colonies of weaver ants which have varied sizes. The biggest size of the mosaic nest of weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) gained in this study was (69:14, 2 cm) and the smallest one was (13:11 cm). Each mosaic has 2 spaces in average. The dynamics of a weaver ant colony are also varied. The biggest number of populations of ants in one nest found in this research were 7508 ind/nest and the smallest one was 578 ind/nest. The more ants found in the nest the higher the economics value.

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How to cite this article
Irham Falahudin, Siti Salmah, Dahelmi and Ahsol Hasyim, 2015. Size and the Composition of the Colony of Weaver Ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) and Ecology Role Toward the Palm. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 18: 267-272.

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