Glossary of ant terms

A

alate

winged reproductive male or female ant

B

Berlese funnel

see also Winkler extraction

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

bivouac

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

domatium

see also myrmecodomatium

in plants, tiny chamber produced by plants to house arthropods

E

epigaeic

see also hypogaeic

living or foraging above the ground

ergatogyne

see also ergatoid

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

ergatoid

see also ergatogyne

a wingless (dealate) reproductive adult ant, anatomically intermediate in form between workers and winged queens or males

F

fungivorous

feeding on fungi

G

gamergate

a mated, egg-laying, female worker in species lacking a queen

granivorous

seed herbivory, feeding on grain

gyne

a member of the female reproductive caste

H

haplometrosis

see also pleometrosis

colony founding by a single queen

hypogaeic

see also epigaeic

subterranean, living below the ground, or at least beneath the leaf litter, stones or dead bark

M

mermithergate

see also mermithogyne

"parasitogenic" phenotype of worker ants, caused by mermithid nematodes

mermithogyne

see also mermithergate

"parasitogenic" phenotype of gynes, caused by mermithid nematodes

monandry

see also polyandry

queen mating with a single male

monodomy

see also polydomy

colony housing arrangement in a single nest

monogyny

see also polygyny, primary monogyny, secondary monogyny

nest arrangement containing a single queen

multicoloniality

see also unicoloniality

nest arrangement of a population of ants consisting of multiple independent colonies (monodomous or polydomous)

myrmecochory

seed dispersal by ants

myrmecodomatium

see also domatium

domatium housed by ants

myrmecologist

a student of ants

myrmecology

the study of ants

myrmecophily

association of various organisms with ants

myrmecophyte

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

pheromone trail

see also domatium

trail of chemical compounds secreted by ants to guide nestmates to a target (usually food)

pilosity

quality of being covered with hair

pleometrosis

see also haplometrosis

colony founding by multiple queens

plerergate

see replete

polyandry

see also monandry

queen mating with multiple males

polydomy

see also monodomy

colony arrangement housed in multiple separate nests

polyethism

division of labor, the development of different roles

polygyny

see also monogyny, primary polygyny, secondary polygyny

nest arrangement containing multiple queens

polymorphism

in social insects, having more than one caste within the same sex

primary monogyny

see also monogyny

single queen founding a colony (haplometrosis), with no additional queens incorporated into the colony

primary polygyny

see also polygyny

colony founding by multiple queens (pleometrosis), with more than one queen surviving

Q

queen

see gyne

R

replete

worker ant that functions as a living larder, having an enlarged abdomen filled with liquid food

secondary monogyny

see also monogyny

colony founding by multiple queens (pleometrosis), a single queen survive

S

secondary polygyny

see also 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

slave-making

the capture of brood of other ant species that is then reared as slaves

T

tandem running

see also pheromone trail

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

trophallaxis

transfer of liquid food among family members or guest organisms

trophic egg

non-viable egg laid by the queen to be used as a source of nutrition

trophobiosis

mutualistic relationships between ants and other insects

U

unicoloniality

see also multicoloniality

a population of ants inhabiting a single large polydomous colony

W

Winkler extraction

see also Berlese funnel

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