''Aphaenogaster senilis'' is a species of ant in the family Formicidae native to the western

Mediterranean Basin In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and w ...

and the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

Description

It is a monogynous and

monomorphic Monomorphic or Monomorphism may refer to: *Monomorphism, an injective homomorphism in mathematics * Monomorphic QRS complex, a wave pattern seen on an electrocardiogram * Monomorphic, a linguistic term meaning "consisting of only one morpheme" *Mo ...

species, about long. Its color is black, dull in appearance. Despite being considered a monomorphic species, it is possible to observe some variation in the size of the workers. It has light hair throughout the body. The thorax has a pair of short spines. The queen has vestigial wings, which do not perform any flight function. It is an omnivorous species, being frequent to find pieces of arthropods, seeds, snail shells, bones of small animals and pieces of garbage, next to the anthills. The ants are diurnal, aggressive and inactive in the coldest months of the year, and spotted in shady areas in the warmer months.

Distribution and habitat

''Aphaenogaster senilis'' is distributed throughout the western Mediterranean, from the southern Mediterranean coast of France and Sardinia, to the Canary Islands and Morocco. It is especially prevalent on the Iberian Peninsula (excluding the north). It has been introduced to the Azores. It inhabits humid undergrowth areas, as well as in areas highly altered by humans, such as car parks or gardens in urban centers.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13383455 senilis Hymenoptera of Africa Hymenoptera of Europe Fauna of Portugal Insects described in 1853 Taxa named by Gustav Mayr