''Forelius pruinosus'', commonly known as the high noon 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 ''

Forelius ''Forelius'' is a Neotropical genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. The genus is known from southern United States to Argentina. Species *'' Forelius albiventris'' Forel, 1912 *'' Forelius andinus'' Kusnezov, 1957 *'' Forelius bahianus' ...

''. Described by Roger in 1863, the species is endemic to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

and has been recently observed in Latin America. This ant species generally feeds on nectar and invertebrates and are found to have mutualistic relationships with various insect and plant species.

Behavior

Reproductive

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 o ...

s during

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 ...

were recorded from May to August. In terms of colony structure, they are

polygyne The gyne (, from Greek γυνή, "woman") is the primary reproductive female caste of social insects (especially ants, wasps, and bees of order Hymenoptera, as well as termites). Gynes are those destined to become queens, whereas female workers a ...

, meaning they have multiple queens. The size of colonies are usually small to moderately large in size.Mackay, W. P. and E. Mackay. 2002. The ants of New Mexico (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston, NY. They forage for insects and tend to

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. ...

and have been observed to feed on flower

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 ...

. This species is also found to employ the strategy of linking nests via trails. Generally, the ants will scavenge for dead vertebrates and root coccids along these paths. Methyl-n-amyl ketone chemicals are said to be marked on foraging tracks by these ants. The high noon ant has been found to have a mutualistic relationship with caterpillar larva of the

Miami blue The Miami blue (''Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri'') is a small butterfly that is native to coastal areas of southern Florida. It is a subspecies of Thomas's blue. Once common throughout its range, it has become critically endangered, and is co ...

, ''Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri''. The relationship appears more opportunistic in nature, as the ant doesn't actively protect the larvae. Rather, its presence deters predators that would otherwise feed on the larvae of this butterfly species. This ant also exhibits a mutualistic relationship with the cactus, ''

Ferocactus wislizeni ''Ferocactus wislizeni'', the fishhook barrel cactus, also called Arizona barrel cactus, candy barrel cactus, and Southwestern barrel cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae, native to northern Mexico and the southe ...

''. In exchange for nectar from the plant, the high noon ant deters herbivores.

Distribution

''Forelius pruinosus'' ants live in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, where they exist in northern portions of the U.S., and their range could possibly extend further into

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. In Mexico, they live in a broad range of habitats and can be found in desert regions, grasslands, and various sorts of woodland. They also nest under stones and soil. Fields, meadows, and pastures are ideal habitats for the species, and they will colonize woodland areas that are more open spaced. These ants thrive in hot weather and dry conditions, and they are mostly active when it is hot. It's possible they choose not to forage during the night because of the cooler temperatures.

United States

A study carried out in 2003 found that ''F. pruinosus'' was one of the dominant ant species of the subfamily

Dolichoderinae Dolichoderinae is a subfamily of ants, which includes species such as the Argentine ant (''Linepithema humile''), the erratic ant, the odorous house ant, and the cone ant. The subfamily presents a great diversity of species throughout the world ...

in north central Florida. ''F. pruinosus'' was found to be a robust ant species able to withstand the effects of controlled fires during this studies experimentation on ant communities while other ant species declined in population size. The increase of the high noon ant's population size suggested that the decline in other populations may be due to competition with this particular ant species. In a year-long survey conducted by the Pest Management Professionals in Arizona, ''F. pruinosus'' was observed to be one of the predominant pest ant species in Phoenix, Arizona following the southern fire ant, ''

Solenopsis xyloni The southern fire ant (''Solenopsis xyloni''), also known as the Californian fire ant or cotton ant, is a stinging fire ant native to southern parts of the United States. Its behaviour is similar to the red imported fire ant ''(S. invicta)'', alt ...

''. In the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...

, these ants are considered a household pest, where they nest in homes and invade houses.

Latin America

''F. pruinosus'' was recorded for the first time in Columbia in 2008. This species along with, '' F. damiani,'' were the first of the ''

'' genus observed in Columbia and were collected in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a dry forested region.

References

External links

*
Termite Control
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3913484 Dolichoderinae Hymenoptera of North America Insects described in 1863 Household pest insects