Abstract

Very little is known about colony founding strategies and social organization of the four North American species of the ant genus Dolichoderus. I here report the finding of a Dolichoderus taschenbergi queen in a colony of D. plagiatus, which suggests parasitic colony founding may occur occasionally in Dolichoderus taschenbergi. In addition, the colony contained three reproductively active queens of D. plagiatus, indicating that this species is facultatively polygynous.