Assesment of Antlion, Myrmeleon Species for The Economic Optimization in Malegaon Sheti farm of Krishi Vidnyan Kendra Baramati India

Abstract

Having marked out the chosen site by a circular groove, the antlion larva starts to crawl backwards, using its abdomen as a plough to shovel up the soil. Ant Lion larvae are truly one of the most fascinating of insect predators. They are more prevalent in areas with sandier soils than the others. The attempts on testing optimal foraging behavior elucidate characteristics related to the decision making capabilities of animals. “The ideal free distribution (IFD), positing that animals distribute themselves amongst resources in a way that is proportional to the availabilities of those resources”, is one of the strategies in the such foraging behavior. The objective of the present attempt is to analyze for the presence of the ideal free distribution ( IFD ) in groups of antlion (Myrmeleon sp.) larvae and observation of the reaction of antlions to pit destruction with the hopes of analyzing the incentives associated with pit relocation. The study reveals that, although antlions possessed characteristics that showed they were cognizant of their incentive structures (such as moving pits in response to pit destruction), they did not appear to employ the ideal free distribution ( IFD ) under the constraints selected.