''Formicoxenus nitidulus'', or the shining guest ant, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

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 botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Myrmicinae Myrmicinae is a 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 botanical subfamily ...

. It is found in

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, and

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. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

has assessed it as being a

vulnerable species A vulnerable species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being threatened species, threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatened species, ...

Description

It is a very small ant, about 2–3 mm long, with a brown-red body, similar in shade to the ''

Formica ''Formica'' is a genus of ants of the subfamily Formicinae, including species 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 ...

'' ants that it nests with, but the body is noticeably shiny. The ants move about quickly on the surface of the nest, dwarfed by the much larger wood ants.

Distribution and habitat

The shining guest ant has a wide distribution in Northern Europe and Asia. Its range extends from Spain and North Italy to Scandinavia and eastern Siberia. In the British Isles it is known from Scotland, but not England, Wales or Ireland. Its habitats are wherever its host ants are found, largely in coniferous forests.

Ecology

This ant is known as the shining guest ant because it cohabits with various species of wood ants, including '' Formica aquilonia'' and '' Formica lugubris''. The relationships between the ''Formicoxenus nitidulus'' and their hosts are poorly known. They seem to rear their own brood in a separate nest connected to their host's nest. The guest ants exit to the open air via passages from their nest, and here the individual guest ant workers solicit food from wood ant workers returning to the nest, or intercept the food while it is being transferred between these workers. There may be several guest ant nests inside one wood ant nest, each with its own queen and a few dozen workers. There is no nuptial flight for this species, reproductives attracting each other on the surface by the release of

pheromone A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q308877 Myrmicinae Hymenoptera of Europe Insects described in 1846 Taxa named by William Nylander (botanist) Taxonomy articles created by Polbot