Glossary of ant terms
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This is a glossary of terms used in the descriptions of ants.
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
- See also
- References
- External links
A
winged reproductive male or female ant
B
device used to extract ants and other living organism from soil and leaf-litter samples; a sample is placed on a screen with a funnel beneath, and a heat source above; the drying forces the animals downwards, where they fall into a collecting jar, usually filled with alcohol
in army and driver ants, nest formed by the bodies of the ants themselves to protect the queen and larvae
D
dulosis
see slave-making
dichthadiiform
wingless queen with enlarged gaster, having a broadened head, very small eyes and worker-like alitrunk
in plants, tiny chamber produced by plants to house arthropods
E
living or foraging above the ground
ergate
a member of the non-reproductive, laboring caste.
denotes any intercaste female morphologically intermediate between workers and (winged) queens, not restricted to the reproductive caste; formerly often used interchangeably to refer to ergatoid queens
a wingless (dealate) reproductive adult ant, anatomically intermediate in form between workers and winged queens or males
F
feeding on fungi
G
a mated, egg-laying, female worker in species lacking a queen
seed herbivory, feeding on grain
a member of the female reproductive caste
H
haplometrosis
colony founding by a single queen
subterranean, living below the ground, or at least beneath the leaf litter, stones or dead bark
M
"parasitogenic" phenotype of worker ants, caused by mermithid nematodes
"parasitogenic" phenotype of gynes, caused by mermithid nematodes
monandry
queen mating with a single male
monodomy
colony housing arrangement in a single nest
monogyny
nest arrangement containing a single queen
multicoloniality
nest arrangement of a population of ants consisting of multiple independent colonies (monodomous or polydomous)
seed dispersal by ants
domatium housed by ants
myrmecologist
a student of ants
the study of ants
association of various organisms with ants
plant that lives in a mutualistic association with ants
N
nanitic
a worker of the first generation, usually smaller in size than subsequent generations
O
oligogyny
nest arrangement with multiple queens, defined by worker tolerance towards all queens in the colony and antagonism among the queens
P
trail of chemical compounds secreted by ants to guide nestmates to a target (usually food)
pilosity
quality of being covered with hair
colony founding by multiple queens
see replete
polyandry
queen mating with multiple males
polydomy
colony arrangement housed in multiple separate nests
polyethism
division of labor, the development of different roles
polygyny
nest arrangement containing multiple queens
in social insects, having more than one caste within the same sex
primary monogyny
single queen founding a colony (haplometrosis), with no additional queens incorporated into the colony
primary polygyny
colony founding by multiple queens (pleometrosis), with more than one queen surviving
Q
queen
see gyne
R
worker ant that functions as a living larder, having an enlarged abdomen filled with liquid food
secondary monogyny
colony founding by multiple queens (pleometrosis), a single queen survive
S
secondary polygyny
colony founding by a single queen (haplometrosis), with additional queens incorporated into the colony at a later stage, usually by adoption or fusion with other colonies
the capture of brood of other ant species that is then reared as slaves
T
recruitment method used by some species of ants, where one ant leads a single, closely following nestmate to a target (usually food)
trail pheromone
see pheromone trail
transfer of liquid food among family members or guest organisms
non-viable egg laid by the queen to be used as a source of nutrition
mutualistic relationships between ants and other insects
U
unicoloniality
a population of ants inhabiting a single large polydomous colony
W
device used to extract ants and other living organism from soil and leaf-litter samples; a sample is placed inside an inner bag constructed from cloth mesh, which is suspended in a second bag containing a funnel leading to a collecting jar, usually filled with alcohol; the device is hung up in the air and passively extracts escaping animals
See also
External links
- 2015-08-30 at the Wayback Machine