Isyarat Sentuhan Antena Semut (Dolichoderus Sp) Pada Tubuh Aphid (Aphis Sp) Untuk Memperoleh Embun Madu

Abstrak

Ant, Dolichoderus sp, interact mutually with aphid (Aphis sp).  The ants specifically communicate with the aphid by means of antennal sign.  A hungry ant will approach an aphid and touch it dorsal part using ant antennae; in respond to this, will expel honey dew.  To further study the pattern of communication between the ant and the aphid, their movement was recorded using Handycam JVC GR-SXM 300 AC.  The records were processed using Adobe Premier Pro 1.5.  The results showed that the ant antennae moved in a specific pattern which could be classified into 4 main steps.     The first step consisted of 8 movements which formed 2 movement patterns.  The second step consisted of 3 main repeated movements.  The third step consisted of 3 main repeated movements.  The fourth step consisted of 6 main movements which were repeated several times before the final movement.  Such pattern of antennae movement was recognized by the aphid as tactile signal of ant identity.