''Prenolepis imparis'', commonly known as the winter ant, false honey ant, or false honeypot 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 ''

Prenolepis ''Prenolepis'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. Most species are found in southeastern Asia and southern China, but the genus has a wide distribution with species known from North America, southern Europe, Anatolia, Cuba, Haiti, ...

''. The species is found in North America, from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

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 ...

, nesting deep within the ground. Unusual among ants, ''Prenolepis imparis'' prefers lower temperatures, including near freezing, and is only active outside the nest during winter and early spring. ''Prenolepis imparis'' enters a hibernation-like state called

aestivation Aestivation ( la, aestas (summer); also spelled estivation in American English) is a state of animal dormancy, similar to hibernation, although taking place in the summer rather than the winter. Aestivation is characterized by inactivity and ...

during the summer. ''P. imparis'' secretes an opaque white liquid from its abdomen as a defense against other ants, including ''

Linepithema humile The Argentine ant (''Linepithema humile''), formerly ''Iridomyrmex humilis'', is an ant native to northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and southern Brazil. It is an invasive species that has been established in many Mediterranean climat ...

''. The defensive secretions appear to be derived anatomically from the

Dufour's gland Dufour's gland is an abdominal gland of certain insects, part of the anatomy of the ovipositor or sting apparatus in female members of Apocrita. The diversification of Hymenoptera took place in the Cretaceous and the gland may have developed at a ...

and has been shown to contain a mixture of alkanes and alkenes including

hexadecene 1-Hexadecene, also known as 1-cetene, is a long-chain hydrocarbon and an alkene with the molecular formula CH2=CH(CH2)13CH3. It is one of many isomers of hexadecene. Classified as an alpha-olefin, 1-hexadecene is a colorless liquid. 1-Hexadece ...

octadecene 1-Octadecene is a long-chain hydrocarbon and an alkene with the molecular formula CH2=CH(CH2)15CH3. It is one of many isomers of octadecene. Classified as an alpha-olefin, 1-octadecene is the longest alkene that is liquid at room temperature. ...

, tetradecene, octylcyclohexane, and

hexadecane Hexadecane (also called cetane) is an alkane hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C16H34. Hexadecane consists of a chain of 16 carbon atoms, with three hydrogen atoms bonded to the two end carbon atoms, and two hydrogens bonded to each of the 14 ...

. Secretions from ''P. imparis'' have experimentally been shown to often kill ''L. humile'' workers.

Subspecies

*''Prenolepis imparis arizonica'' Wheeler., 1930 *''Prenolepis imparis colimana'' Wheeler, 1930 *''Prenolepis imparis coloradensis'' Wheeler, 1930 *''Prenolepis imparis veracruzensis'' Wheeler, 1930

References

External links

*
AntWiki
has information on the identification, distribution, and biology of ''Prenolepis imparis''. Formicinae Hymenoptera of North America Insects described in 1836 {{formicinae-stub