Pit building and location strategies of the Antlion Myrmeleon immaculatus

Abstract

Antlion larvae Myrmeleon immaculatus are sit-and-wait predators, that construct pits in the sand. The quality of the pit greatly affects the foraging success. Antlions face the trade-off between a high quality pit and reserving energy stores. In this study we examined the effects of feeding frequency, substrate size, temperature and location on pit size. Antlions and sand were collected from Pine Point on Douglas Lake and from Sturgeon Bay. We found that antlions will abandon pits to better capture success if not sufficiently fed. In Sturgeon Bay antlions build larger pits than Douglas Lake antlions. There was no effect of substrate or angle of repose leading us to think the difference is due to higher temperatures in Sturgeon Bay.