Definition of trophallaxis in English:

noun

• The mutual exchange of regurgitated liquids between adult social insects or between them and their larvae.

  More example sentences

  • ‘Direct interactions are the ‘obvious’ interactions: antennation, trophallaxis (food or liquid exchange), mandibular contact, visual contact, chemical contact (the odor of nearby nestmates), etc.’
  • ‘Second, we quantified the rate of trophallaxis, that is, oral exchange of liquid food between individuals.’
  • ‘Typical nest behaviors, such as aggression and trophallaxis, were not observed among aggregating wasps.’
  • ‘The worker was performing trophallaxis with the queen who had her tongue extended through a slit or small hole in the queen cell.’
  • ‘Its expression in salivary glands suggests it can be passed among nestmates by trophallaxis or spread on the insect cuticle during grooming.’