Table 1 The number of foundresses at pre-comb-cutting and those at post-comb-cutting for 16 original colonies of Roplalidia plebeiana.

From: Nepotistic colony fission in dense colony aggregations of an Australian paper wasp

Colony code

No. of foundresses at pre-comb-cutting

No. of foundresses at post-comb-cutting

No. of combs after comb-cutting

DC01

23

17 + 6

2

DC02

8

3 + 5

2

DC04

6

2 + 2 + 2

3

DC07

28

19 + 9

2

DC10

9

7 + 2

2

DC23

35

2 + 22 + 11

3

DC24

9

5 + 4

2

DC27

31

16 + 15

2

DC33

31

12 + 19

2

DC66

11

5 + 6

2

DC73a

3

2 + 1

2

DC76

23

9 + 6 + 8

3

DC79

6

2 + 4

2

DC83

20

4 + 8 + 8

3

R2

9

5 + 2 + 2

3

R11

18

9 + 9

2

Average ± SE

16.875 ± 2.634

7.297 ± 0.924

2.312 ± 0.120

  1. Each colony consisting of a single old comb was divided into two or three new combs.
  2. aThis colony was excluded from the relatedness calculation for within combs and between combs because only one foundress was observed in a new comb in post-comb-cutting.
Back to article page