The black-headed sugar ant (''Camponotus nigriceps''), also known as the brown sugar ant, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

Formicinae The Formicinae are a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development. Formicines retain some primitive features, such as the presence of cocoons around pupae, the presence of ocelli in workers, and little ...

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 ...

endemic to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Found throughout most states, the species is a member of the genus '' Camponotus'', a

cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

genus of ants commonly known as carpenter ants. It was formally described and named by British entomologist Frederick Smith in 1858. These ants are characterised by their black head, reddish-brown

mesosoma The mesosoma is the middle part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the metasoma. It bears the legs, and, in the case of winged insects, the wings. In hymenopterans of t ...

and black gaster, which can change in colour. The species is polymorphic: workers and soldiers measure and males are . The queens are the largest members of the colony, measuring . Colonies dwell in dry regions, including open areas or in

dry sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or oblique to direct ...

woodland, where they nest in soil, large mounds or under stones.

Nuptial flight Nuptial flight is an important phase in the reproduction of most ant, termite, and some bee species. It is also observed in some fly species, such as ''Rhamphomyia longicauda''. During the flight, virgin queens mate with males and then land to ...

occurs in summer and nests can hold several thousand individuals. Considered a household pest, black-headed sugar ants feed on sweet foods and insects and tend to butterfly larvae. Numerous birds and fish prey on these ants.

Taxonomy

The black-headed sugar ant was described from a

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

worker by British

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Frederick Smith in his 1858 publication ''Catalogue of the hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae'', and was originally placed in the genus ''

Formica ''Formica'' is a genus of ants of the family Formicidae, commonly known as wood ants, mound ants, thatching ants, and field ants. ''Formica'' is the type genus of the Formicidae, and of the subfamily Formicinae. The type species of genus ''For ...

''. The specific name, ''nigriceps'', is derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

words ''niger'' black", and ''ceps'', abbreviated form of ''caput'' "head" when used in a compound word. Some years later, the species was assigned to the genus '' Camponotus'' by German entomologist

Julius Roger Julius Roger (23 February 1819 – 7 January 1865) was a German medical doctor, entomologist, and folklorist who worked in Ratibor, in Upper Silesia, most notable for having arranged (and raised the necessary monies) to build hospitals in Groß ...

. In 1887, Italian entomologist

Carlo Emery Carlo Emery (25 October 1848, Naples – 11 May 1925) was an Italian entomologist. He is remembered for Emery's rule, which states that insect social parasitism (biology), social parasites are often closely related to their hosts. Early in hi ...

described a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

, ''Camponotus nigriceps lividipes'', based on collections of smaller ants. In 1933,

William Morton Wheeler William Morton Wheeler (March 19, 1865 – April 19, 1937) was an American entomologist, myrmecologist and Harvard professor. Biography Early life and education William Morton Wheeler was born on March 19, 1865, to parents Julius Morton Wheeler ...

classified the black-headed sugar ant as a subspecies of the

banded sugar ant The banded sugar ant (''Camponotus consobrinus''), also known as the sugar ant, is a species of ant native to Australia. A member of the genus ''Camponotus'' in the subfamily Formicinae, it was species description, described by German entomolog ...

(''Camponotus consobrinus''), but it was later revived as a full species in 1934. The ant is a member of the ''Camponotus nigriceps''

species group In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

, which also includes '' C. clarior'', ''C. consobrinus'', '' C. dryandrae'', '' C. eastwoodi'', '' C. loweryi'', '' C. longideclivis'', '' C. pallidiceps'' and '' C. prostans''.

Description

Camponotus nigriceps Casent0280197 p 1 high

Ants of this species are relatively large; it is a polymorphic species with two castes of workers, known as minor workers and major workers (soldiers). Workers and soldiers range in sizes from . Males measure and queens are the largest, measuring . Workers and soldiers of the subspecies ''Camponotus nigriceps lividipes'' only grow to . Workers' gasters and mesosomi can vary in colour; the gaster can be black, brown or yellowish-brown while the mesosoma is either reddish-brown or yellow. Workers are mostly brown with light patches noticeable on the head and mesosoma, and their clypei and

mandibles In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower tooth, teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movabl ...

are even darker; the

legs A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element ...

are either black or brown. A large number of hairs grow from the gaster,

mesonotum The mesothorax is the middle of the three segments of the thorax of hexapods, and bears the second pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the mesonotum (dorsal), the mesosternum (ventral), and the mesopleuron (lateral) on ...

pronotum The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on ea ...

and

propodeum The propodeum or propodium is the first abdominal segment in Apocrita Hymenoptera (wasps, bees and ants). It is fused with the thorax to form the mesosoma. It is a single large sclerite, not subdivided, and bears a pair of spiracles. It is strongl ...

. On average, individual hairs are long. Golden, erect

setae In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. Th ...

are present under the head and on the mesosoma. The setae on the

tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

are short in comparison to setae on the mesosoma. The workers' eyes bulge while soldiers' eyes are flat. Within the ''Camponotus nigriceps'' species group, the black-headed sugar ant can be easily mistaken for a

due to its similar appearance, but the latter are darker and have a band wrapping around their gaster, a feature absent on the black-headed sugar ant. Minor worker specimens are usually examined when trying to identify similar-looking species.

Distribution and habitat

The black-headed sugar ant can be found in most Australian states. The species is restricted to the north and south-east of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, and is widespread throughout the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...

. The ant is also widespread throughout

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, but it is not found in the north-west of New South Wales and south-east of Victoria. In

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, it is commonly seen in the south-eastern regions and less encountered in the north-west. Populations are present in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, but they are not found in either the north regions of the state or in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

. Black-headed sugar ants mostly live in dry regions including

woodland or open areas, particularly in

pastures Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine ...

. Other preferred habitats include mallee,

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...

woodland and ''

Casuarina cristata ''Casuarina cristata'' is an Australian tree of the sheoak family Casuarinaceae known as belah. It is native to a band across inland eastern Australia. Taxonomy The Dutch botanist Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel described the belah in 1848, and i ...

'' woodland, at elevations ranging . Nests are found in

laterite Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...

soil in upland areas, surrounded by tall eucalyptus trees or under groves. Nests can also be found in large mounds or under stones. Sometimes,

cedar wood Cedar is part of the English common name of many trees and other plants, particularly those of the genus ''Cedrus''. Some botanical authorities consider the Old-World ''Cedrus'' the only "true cedars". Many other species worldwide with similarl ...

and large mounds occupied by the meat ant (''

Iridomyrmex purpureus ''Iridomyrmex'' is a genus of ants called rainbow ants (referring to their blue-green iridescent sheen) first described by Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr in 1862. He placed the genus in the subfamily Dolichoderinae of the family Formicida ...

)'' are inhabited by black-headed sugar ants.

Behaviour and ecology

Black-headed sugar ants are

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

foragers of food. The species is sometimes considered a household pest since ants can enter human homes at night in search of food. During the day, these ants are not active and have exhibited sleep-like behaviours until it is night. The black-headed sugar ant predominantly feeds on sweet secretions and sugar water; insects and a variety of foodstuffs in human homes are also consumed. Workers use several social techniques during colony movements to other nest sites or to lead others to food sources, which includes a worker carrying another worker,

tandem running Tandem running is a pair movement coordination observed in ants and termites. In ants, tandem running is used for social learning, by which one ant leads another native ant from the nest to the food source it has found. Tandem running is also us ...

or laying down a

pheromone trail Trail pheromones are semiochemicals secreted from the body of an individual to affect the behavior of another individual receiving it. Trail pheromones often serve as a multi purpose chemical secretion that leads members of its own species towards a ...

for

orientation Orientation may refer to: Positioning in physical space * Map orientation, the relationship between directions on a map and compass directions * Orientation (housing), the position of a building with respect to the sun, a concept in building de ...

. They are also attendants to the butterflies ''

Ogyris idmo ''Ogyris idmo'', the large brown azure, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Australia, where it is found in Victoria, South Australia and southern Western Australia. The wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or ...

'' and ''

Ogyris genoveva ''Ogyris genoveva'', the genoveva azure or southern purple azure, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Australia. The wingspan is about 50 mm. Adult males are metallic purple, while females are black with metallic azure ...

''. The larvae will reside in underground areas constructed by attending ants, and during the night they will emerge with them and feed on

mistletoe Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemiparasitic plants in the order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they extract water and nutrients from the host plant. ...

leaves. The species is tolerant to myrmecophiles; the beetles '' Ctenisophus morosus'' and '' Cryptodus paradoxus'' have been found in nests, and the wingless cricket '' Myrmecophilus australis'' also dwells inside colonies. Other insects which dwell inside nests include

froghoppers The froghoppers, or the superfamily Cercopoidea, are a group of hemipteran insects in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha. Adults are capable of jumping many times their height and length, giving the group their common name, but they are best known f ...

in the family

Cercopidae Cercopidae are the largest family of Cercopoidea, a xylem-feeding insect group, commonly called froghoppers or spittlebugs. They belong to the hemipteran suborder Auchenorrhyncha. Genera A-C *'' Abidama'' *'' Aeneolamia'' *†'' Allocerco ...

. Several birds and other predatory organisms prey on the black-headed sugar ant. Birds such as the

black-faced woodswallow The black-faced woodswallow (''Artamus cinereus'') is a woodswallow of the genus Artamus native to Australia, New Guinea and the Sunda Islands, including Timor. It is long and is the most widespread species in the family Artamidae. Woodswallows ...

rufous treecreeper The rufous treecreeper (''Climacteris rufus'') is a species of bird in the family Climacteridae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definiti ...

noisy miner The noisy miner (''Manorina melanocephala'') is a bird in the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae, and is endemic to eastern and southeastern Australia. This miner is a grey bird, with a black head, orange-yellow beak and feet, a distinctive yellow ...

jacky winter The jacky winter (''Microeca fascinans'') is a small grey-brown robin found commonly throughout Australia and also in Papua New Guinea. The jacky winter acquired its name due to rapid and strong vocalisations, which sound like ''jacky-jacky wint ...

and southern scrub robin prey on this species, as indicated by the fact that workers body parts have been found in the birds' stomach contents. Other predators of the black-headed sugar ant include the

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

most likely begins during summer, as a young mated queen with no brood was found in a freshly built chamber in January. During the early years of colony foundation, there are more soldiers, and older colonies may have a workforce consisting only of minor workers. A typical colony may contain five to seven thousand individuals. Queens of the species can live for an exceptionally long time; wild queens can live for up to 21 years with one known captive living to 23 years of age, making it the second oldest recorded ant queen. Larvae of this species can grow to be quite large; collected larvae reach lengths of .

Notes

References

Cited text

External links

''Camponotus nigriceps''
in the

Atlas of Living Australia The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) is an online repository of information about Australian plants, animals, and fungi. Development started in 2006. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an organisation sign ...