Time of the Day Variability in Pit-Building Behavior of Antlion Larvae

Pit-building behavior in antlion larvae is a unique trait that ensures survival, growth, and metamorphosis. In the present study, we examined the 24-hour rhythm in the pit-building behavior of 16 antlion larvae collected from the PRSU campus, Raipur. We kept each larva individually in a plastic drinking cup in the laboratory. We observed the pit-building behavior of antlion larvae by monitoring two variables, i.e., the time lag for the initiation of pit reconstruction (TLIPR) and total time for pit construction (TTPC) after its demolition over three consecutive days, at four time points each day. We employed single Cosinor Rhythmometry to compute the characteristics of 24-hour rhythm in TLIPR and TTPC. We found a statistically significant 24-hour rhythm in both variables. We found the peaks of TLIPR between 14.32 h and 17.15 h, irrespective of days. Further, the factor 'time of the day' produced a statistically significant effect on the TLIPR and the maximum and minimum values were found at 14.00 h and 02.00 h, respectively. This implies that antlion larvae took time during the afternoon to initiate pit construction. This phenomenon was reversed during nighttime. TTPC exhibited a statistically significant 24-hour rhythm on day 3 and at the group level. We concluded that antlion larvae exhibit a 24-hour rhythm in pit-building behavior and are nocturnal as they initiate pit construction quickly at night.