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Predation of <i>Myrmeleon obscurus</i> (Navas, 1912) (neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) on the ground ant <i>Myrmicaria opaciventris</i> emery (Formicidae: yrmicinae)
Abstract
comprehension of the feeding behaviour of this pit building sit-and-wait predator. The predatory behaviour observed after a 24-hour starvation, pointed out that a 3rd instar larva of Myrmeleon obscurus (NAVAS, 1912) needs 90.7±2.54 min for its first predation on the ground ant Myrmicaria opaciventris EMERY (Formicidae : Myrmicinae). For the following ones, only 54.83 ± 12.9 min is allocated to the predation on a single prey. The
predation is made up of 4 main steps: capture and subduing, suction, removal of mandibles and abandonment of remains of the prey. Maximizing predation is a strategy for these seasonal insects to store energy that might help them to survive during the unfavourable rainy season.
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Keywords: Ant lion larvae, Cameroon, mandibles, feeding behaviour, handling time.
