''Anoplolepis custodiens'', commonly known as the common pugnacious ant, is a species of

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22 ...

in the genus ''

Anoplolepis ''Anoplolepis'', also known as the "pugnacious ants", is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae and tribe Lasiini. The genus is mainly found in the Afrotropics, with a few native species known from the Malagasy and Oriental regions (and so ...

'', native to central and southern Africa. Individual ants may come in a range of colors and sizes. Found in dry and cultivated areas, it is an important source of prey for some pangolins and aardvarks. Although generally aggressive, ants from other colonies of ''Anoplolepis custodiens'' are not attacked.

Description

The worker common pugnacious ant varies greatly in size and is up to long, and polymorphic, being yellowish-brown, reddish-brown or darker chocolate-brown, often with the abdomen darker than the rest of the ant. Darker individuals can be distinguished from the black pugnacious ant (''Anoplolepis steingroeveri'') by the chequer-board dark pattern on the gaster, which is caused by reflection of light by pubescent hairs which lie in different directions on the two sides.

Distribution and habitat

This ant is native to tropical sub-Saharan Africa. Its range includes Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe. It is a terrestrial species living in dry, open habitats such as the

Karoo The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its ext ...

in South Africa, and is found in cultivated areas and vineyards.

Ecology

''Anoplolepis custodiens'' is a very aggressive ant and tends to dominate ant communities wherever it is found; nevertheless, it has been shown to be tolerant towards ants of its own species from other colonies. This fact may facilitate its invasive expansion locally. It is a generalist feeder on dead and living animal material,

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

and honeydew. It has been found that both larger and smaller workers

forage Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used m ...

on the ground, whereas it is almost exclusively smaller workers that forage in bushes, indicating the possibility of workers adopting size-related roles. A study of

pangolin Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota (, from Ancient Greek ϕολιδωτός – "clad in scales"). The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: '' Manis'', '' Phataginus'', and '' Smut ...

s in

Sabi Sand Game Reserve Sabi Sand Game Reserve is located adjacent to the Kruger National Park in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga, South Africa. Officially named Sabi Sand Wildtuin, the Sabi Sand Game Reserve consists of a group of private game reserves. The Newington Gate ...

in South Africa showed that they fed exclusively on ants and termites and that ''A. custodiens'' constituted 77% of their diet, mostly dug out from shallow subterranean locations. Similarly, ''A. custodiens'' forms a high proportion of the diet of

aardvark The aardvark ( ; ''Orycteropus afer'') is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is the only living species of the order Tubulidentata, although other prehistoric species and genera of Tubulidentata are known. Unlike ...

s, being the most prominent prey species, but this largely reflects the fact that it is the most abundant ant species in the area.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anoplolepis Custodiens Formicinae Hymenoptera of Africa Insects described in 1858 Taxa named by Frederick Smith (entomologist)