''Melophorus bagoti'', or red honey ant, is an Australian

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 ...

of desert

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

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

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 ...

Distribution and habitat

Widespread in arid

Central Australia Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and i ...

, the species inhabits low-shrub and grassland deserts, where it builds fairly large underground nests.

Foraging and feeding habits

The outdoor activity is mainly restricted to the hotter summer months, when the ants are active during the heat of the day. Foragers usually begin their activity at soil surface temperatures of about 50 °C and continue to forage when soil temperatures are above 70 °C. They forage solitarily for food such as dead insects, seeds, and sugary plant

exudate An exudate is a fluid emitted by an organism through pores or a wound, a process known as exuding or exudation. ''Exudate'' is derived from ''exude'' 'to ooze' from Latin ''exsūdāre'' 'to (ooze out) sweat' (''ex-'' 'out' and ''sūdāre'' 'to ...

s and are well known for their ability to store liquids in the abdomens of specialized workers, the so-called repletes or " honey pots", hence their

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

"red honey ant" (the genus name ''

Melophorus ''Melophorus'' (meaning "honey carrier") is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae and the sole member of the tribe Melophorini. The genus is endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic locati ...

'' means "honey carrier").

Colony founding

Nest relocation is possibly aided by trail laying behavior, which is highly unusual for solitary foraging desert ants. The founding stage of an

ant colony An ant colony is a population of a single ant species capable to maintain its complete lifecycle. Ant colonies are eusocial, communal, and efficiently organized and are very much like those found in other social Hymenoptera, though the vario ...

is usually characterized by the same sequence of events. Reproduction occurs in synchronized mating flights, which are probably triggered by rain. The virgin

queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

leaves the nest in a mating flight and is inseminated by one or several males, and there is circumstantial evidence that males are chemically attracted to queens. She then looks for a new nest site and starts excavating a small nest, where she lays eggs and rears a small brood. The queens found new colonies independently and without the help of other queens or workers; this mode of colony founding is common in formicine ants. However, nothing is known about the number of queens in later colony stages or other populations of ''M. bagoti''.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q13834460 Formicinae Insects described in 1883 Hymenoptera of Australia