Acquisition of water from soil by the meat-ant,Iridomyrmex purpureus(Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Workers of Iridomyrmex purpureus (F. Sm.) kept under laboratory conditions near Melbourne in Australia to simulate drought conditions encountered in the field by foragers outside the nest were found to be able to extract significant amounts of water from soil with 2 or 4% water content or from nest soil with 4% water content, at a relatively small metabolic cost.