ABSTRACT
The antennae of an ant are essential for its social behavior, since they are the location of receptors that detect multimodal chemical, tactile, vibratory, proprioceptive, and/or thermal information. As with most social insects, chemical communication plays an essential part in the survival of fungus-growing ants. The ants were collected from specific nests of Acromyrmex octospinosus in the field in Guadeloupe and then maintained in a rearing room at 25° to 30°C. A thorough knowledge of the neurobiology of attine ants, both from polymorphic and developmental points of view, is needed to define new approaches to the rational control of the pests. The study of developmental processes in the antennal system between the end of larval life and the adult stage was undertaken on major workers using anatomical and physiological approaches. For the functional studies of the antennal system, we used the technique of electroantennography.
