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Ergatoid
An ergatoid (from Greek '' ergat-'', "worker" + ''-oid'', "like") is a permanently wingless reproductive adult ant or termite. The similar but somewhat ambiguous term ergatogyne refers to any intermediate form between workers and standard gynes. Ergatoid queens are distinct from other ergatogyne individuals in that they are morphologically consistent within a species and are always capable of mating, whereas inter caste individuals, another class of ergatogynes, often are not. Ergatoids can exhibit wide morphological differences between species, sometimes appearing almost identical to normal workers and other times being quite distinct from both workers and standard queens. In addition to morphological features, ergatoids among different species can exhibit a wide range of behaviors, with some ergatoids acting only as reproductives and others actively foraging. Ergatoid queens have developed among a large number of ant species, and their presence within colonies can often provide c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Queen Ant
A queen ant (formally known as a gyne) is an adult, reproducing female ant in an ant colony; generally she will be the mother of all the other ants in that colony. Some female ants, such as the '' Cataglyphis'', do not need to mate to produce offspring, reproducing through asexual parthenogenesis or cloning, and all of those offspring will be female. Others, like those in the genus ''Crematogaster'', mate in a nuptial flight. Queen offspring ants develop from larvae specially fed in order to become sexually mature among most species. Depending on the species, there can be either a single mother queen, or potentially hundreds of fertile queens in some species. A queen of ''Lasius niger'' was held in captivity by German entomologist Hermann Appel for 28 years; also a ''Pogonomyrmex owyheei'' has a maximum estimated longevity of 30 years in the field. Life cycle Development Ants go through four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa (sometimes cocoon, called metamorphosis depending ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myrmecia Esuriens
''Myrmecia esuriens'', also known as Tasmanian inchman, is a species of bulldog ant native to Tasmania. Morphology The largest size of this bull ant species is reached by the queen, about long. Males ( "drones") grow to , and the worker ants average long. Within its genus, ''M. esuriens'' is a medium-sized species, as sizes for ''Myrmecia'' range from to more than . The main body of the ant is black with a single segment of the abdomen, the postpetiole, coloured an orange-red. The mandibles, antennae, and legs of the ants are also orange-red. The hair on the ant is yellow, and is short on the head, thorax, and legs and longer on the gaster. No hair is present on the scapes. The mandibles are long and straight, and of the 11 teeth present, the third, fifth, seventh, and ninth are wider and longer than the other seven. The Tasmanian inchman has good eyesight, useful outside of the nest for defence and foraging. Unusually for ants, the queens are apterous (i.e., win ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Megalomyrmex Wallacei
''Megalomyrmex wallacei'' is a Neotropical species of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. ''Megalomyrmex wallacei'' can be found in Brazil ( Amazonas, Rondônia, Pará, Tocantins), Guyana, Colombia, Costa Rica. This species occurs in mature wet forest, usually low-elevation rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores .... Brandão (2003) reports the species nesting under leaves on the forest floor, in colonies of up to 300 workers. References * * * Myrmicinae Insects described in 1916 Hymenoptera of South America Hymenoptera of North America {{myrmicinae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gamergate (ant)
A gamergate ( ) is a mated worker ant that can reproduce sexually, i.e., lay fertilized eggs that will develop as females. In the vast majority of ant species, workers are sterile and gamergates are restricted to taxa where the workers have a functional sperm reservoir ('spermatheca'). In some species, gamergates reproduce in addition to winged queens (usually upon the death of the original foundress), while in other species the queen caste has been completely replaced by gamergates. In gamergate species, all workers in a colony have similar reproductive potentials, but as a result of physical interactions, a dominance hierarchy is formed and only one or a few top-ranking workers can mate (usually with foreign males) and produce eggs. Subsequently however, aggression is no longer needed as gamergates secrete chemical signals that inform the other workers of their reproductive status in the colony. Depending on the species, there can be one gamergate per colony (monogyny) or seve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alate
Alate (Latin ''ālātus'', from ''āla'' (“wing”)) is an adjective and noun used in entomology and botany to refer to something that has wings or winglike structures. In entomology In entomology, "alate" usually refers to the winged form of a social insect, especially ants or termites, though can also be applied to aphids and some thrips. An alate is a winged reproductive caste from a social insect colony in its winged form. Alate females are typically those destined to become gynes (queens), whereas alate males are occasionally referred to as "drones" (or "kings", in the case of termites). Their common behavioural function is starting a new colony, to expand their mother colonies etc. Colonies of termites and ants produce alates. It is a flight-based form of reproductive technique. In a termite colony, alates (winged males and winged females) disperse in a specific period or a month. Male and female pair to each other during flight, shed their wings, and start a new colo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Convergent Evolution
Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last common ancestor of those groups. The cladistic term for the same phenomenon is homoplasy. The recurrent evolution of flight is a classic example, as flying insects, birds, pterosaurs, and bats have independently evolved the useful capacity of flight. Functionally similar features that have arisen through convergent evolution are ''analogous'', whereas '' homologous'' structures or traits have a common origin but can have dissimilar functions. Bird, bat, and pterosaur wings are analogous structures, but their forelimbs are homologous, sharing an ancestral state despite serving different functions. The opposite of convergence is divergent evolution, where related species evolve different traits. Convergent evolution is similar to parallel evo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pogonomyrmex
''Pogonomyrmex'' is a genus of harvester ants, occurring primarily in the deserts of North, Central, and South America, with a single endemic species from Haiti.Cole, A.C. 1968. Pogonomyrmex Harvester Ants: a study of the genus in North America. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, TN. Description The genus name originated from the Greek language and refers to a beard-like structure, the psammophore, below the head (Greek πώγων/''pōgōn'', "beard" + μύρμηξ/''murmēx'', "ant"), which can be found in most species of the subgenus ''sensu stricto''. The psammophore is used for gathering small seeds, helping to increase the efficiency of transportation of fine sand and pebbles during nest construction, or to carry eggs. However, this structure is missing in species of the subgenus ''Ephebomyrmex'' (Greek ἔφηβος/''ephēbos'', "beardless lad"), and these species generally have smaller individuals and colonies. Venom ''Pogonomyrmex'' (''sensu stricto'') workers ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cardiocondyla Nuda
''Cardiocondyla nuda'' is a species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It is a widespread ant species, and not invasive in nature. Subspecies * ''Cardiocondyla nuda fajumensis'' Forel, 1913 * ''Cardiocondyla nuda nuda'' Mayr, 1866 - See below * ''Cardiocondyla nuda sculptinodis'' Santschi, 1913 - Madagascar * ''Cardiocondyla nuda shuckardoides'' Forel, 1895 * ''Cardiocondyla nuda strigifrons'' Viehmeyer, 1922 Distribution Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Hawaii, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Galapagos Islands, Puerto Rico, Bangladesh, New Guinea, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Afghanistan, China, Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its east .... References External links * * * at antwiki.org' [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cardiocondyla Obscurior
''Cardiocondyla'' is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Distribution Approximately 70 species are currently recognized as belonging to this genus, most of which are distributed in the Old World tropics and subtropics, but a few of which occur in the temperate zone. Some species are also found widely separated in North America and the Pacific Islands, as a result of human introduction. Description Several species of this genus have a striking male polymorphism, with both winged and wingless forms. These males differ not only in morphology, but also in reproductive tactics. Closely related genera are ''Leptothorax'', '' Stereomyrmex'' and '' Romblonella''. Outbreeding ''Cardiocondyla elegans'' worker ants transport young queen ants to alien nests to promote outbreeding.Vidal M, Königseder F, Giehr J, Schrempf A, Lucas C, Heinze J. Worker ants promote outbreeding by transporting young queens to alien nests. Commun Biol. 2021 May 3;4(1):515. doi: 10.1038/s42 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blepharidatta Conops
''Blepharidatta'' is a rare Neotropical genus of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The genus, formed by predatory species whose small colonies nest in soil or leaf-litter, has up to seven species, but most of them are waiting for a formal taxonomic treatment or confirmation. Species *'' Blepharidatta brasiliensis'' Wheeler, 1915 *''Blepharidatta conops'' Kempf, 1967 In 2015 two new species were described: * '' Blepharidatta delabiei'' sp. n. Brandão ''et al.'', 2015 * '' Blepharidatta fernandezi'' sp. n. Brandão ''et al.'', 2015 Distribution and habitat ''Blepharidatta'' is a strictly Neotropical group that was described by Wheeler (1915) from workers of ''Blepharidatta brasiliensis'' collected near Belém (State of Pará, Brazil), in the Amazon forest. Up to seven species are currently recognized, but most of them are waiting for a formal taxonomic treatment or confirmation. Based on morphological as well as behavioral data, only three species are formally recognized: ''B. b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Army Ant
The name army ant (or legionary ant or ''marabunta'') is applied to over 200 ant species in different lineages. Because of their aggressive predatory foraging groups, known as "raids", a huge number of ants forage simultaneously over a limited area. Another shared feature is that, unlike most ant species, army ants do not construct permanent nests; an army ant colony moves almost incessantly over the time it exists. All species are members of the true ant family, Formicidae, but several groups have independently evolved the same basic behavioural and ecological syndrome. This syndrome is often referred to as "legionary behaviour", and may be an example of convergent evolution. Most New World army ants belong to the genera ''Cheliomyrmex'', ''Neivamyrmex'', ''Nomamyrmex'', ''Labidus'', and ''Eciton''. The largest genus is ''Neivamyrmex'', which contains more than 120 species; the most predominant species is ''Eciton burchellii''; its common name "army ant" is considered to b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Megalomyrmex Foreli
''Megalomyrmex foreli'' (named after Auguste Forel) is a Neotropical species of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Habitat and distribution The species is known from Costa Rica south to Andean regions of Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru. ''M. foreli'' occurs in moist to wet forest habitats, in mature and second growth forest. It typically occurs in mountainous regions; in Costa Rica collections are from 100 to 1200 m elevation. Workers are large, conspicuous ants that may be found foraging on the ground or on low vegetation. They are attracted to extrafloral nectaries and will tend Hemiptera Hemiptera (; ) is an order (biology), order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, Reduviidae, assassin bugs, Cimex, bed bugs, and shield bugs. ... for honeydew. In Central America, ''M. foreli'' is known from Costa Rica, where it is not common. Workers can be found on the ground an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
