Do Japanese Queenless Ants Pristomyrmex punctatus (F. Smith) Exhibit Genotype-based Kin Recognition During Colony Formation?

Abstract

The queenless ant, Pristomyrmex punctatus (F. Smith) reproduces parthenogenetically. Workers lay unfertilized eggs, which develop into female workers. This mode of reproduction generates hereditary clones, though a colony is not necessarily constructed from single clonal line. In a previous study, where a colony was separated into two subcolonies, it was found that genetically monomorphic colonies tended to reassemble but genetically polymorphic colonies did not. Here, we used multiple clonal colonies to investigate whether P. punctatus could recognize “individual” relatedness and assemble with subcolony members of the same clonal type. Results show individuals did not assemble with individuals of the same clonal type in each subcolony. This suggests they cannot recognize individual relatedness.