Myrmecological Glossary

• Aletes

  winged reproductive ants.

• Asexual

  the ability to reproduce without a sexual partner, off spring will be clones of parents.

• Antenna

  used to smell, touch, feel and communicate with other ants. Attached to the front of the head, they can move in-front and behind the ant.

• Aspirator

  see ‘Pooter’

• Arthropods

  a group of invertebrate animals that includes insects, spiders, crustaceans and their relatives.

• Biomass

  a mass of organisms.

• Bivouac

  a nest made of entirely of ants, primarily found in the Army ant species.

• Brood

  the first born, consisting of eggs, larvae, pupae and ants.

• Carnivore

  a meat eating diet, carnivorous ants mostly eat other invertebrates.

• Callows

  young immature adult ants, typically paler in colour.

• Caste

  the different types of ant in a colony. i.e. queens, drones, soldiers, workers and all in-between.

• Colony

  A group of ants, which cooperatively construct nests or rears brood.

• Compound eyes

  ants have many small eyes placed next to each other. This enables them to see close movement.

• Crop

  holds the ants social food it will share with the colony.

• Diurnal

  active during the day time.

• Drone

  a reproductive male ant.

• Dufour’s gland

  is believed to be involved with the laying of chemicals that guide other ants and perhaps the attraction of mates.

• Eclose

  when the ant brood changes through stages of the life cycle.

• Entomology

  the study of insects.

• Exoskeleton

  An external skeleton, providing rigidity and support for the ant.

• Forage

  when a worker ant leaves its nest to find food.

• Formicaria

  plural of ‘formicarium’.

• Formicarium

  an artificial container designed to house a colony of ants.

• Gamergates

  rare female worker ants which can mate and reproduce, keeping the colony alive after the queen dies.

• Gastor

  part of the abdomen. It contains vital organs, it is has a telescoping construction of seven segments that gives this large area flexibility.

• Genes

  information passed down through generations that determine characteristics of offspring.

• Genus

  a grouping of organisms that have common characteristics distinct from those of other such groupings. i.e Lasius sp.

• Genera

  plural of genus.

• Granaries

  a storage areas where ‘harvester ants’ store their collected seeds.

• Granivory

  the process by which harvester ants grind and eat seeds.

• Herbivore

  a plant eating diet, see leaf cutter ants.

• Homopterans

  plant bugs such as aphids, scale insects and mealy bugs.

• Honey dew

  a sweet nutritious sugary substance produced by homopterans eaten by ants.

• Hymenoptera

  the Order in which ants occur, the Order also includes bees, wasps and sawflies.

• Invertebrate

  an animal without a backbone.

• Major worker

  the larger worker ants found in a colonies caste, also known as soldier ants.

• Mandibles

  the ants main jaws, these are used for cutting, holding, fighting, and digging. There are smaller mouthparts for chewing food.

• Median workers

  worker ants found in polymorphic species that are sized between minor and major workers.

• Monodomous

  when a single colony lives in and maintains a single nest.

• Monogyn

  Ant species that have one active queen per colony.

• Metamorphosis

  the transformation from an immature form to an adult form.

• Minor worker

  the smaller worker ants found in a colonies caste.

• Minims

  first born ants that tend to be smaller than typical established colony workers. See also ‘nantics’.

• Myrmecochory

  a term used to describe seed dispersal by ants.

• Myrmecology

  the study of ants.

• Myrmecophile

  an invertebrate or plant that has a symbiotic relationship with the ants.

• Nantics

  first born ants that tend to be smaller than typical established colony workers. See also ‘minims’.

• Nectar

  a sweet nutritious sugary substance produced by homopterans eaten by ants.

• Nocturnal

  active at night time.

• Nuptial flight

  normally during late spring and summer seasons, the alates take to the skies to mate.

• Offspring

  the ants born from a queen.

• Omnivore

  A mixed diet, able to eat seeds, nectar and other creatures.

• Outbreeding

  reducing the probability of interbreeding closely related individuals, thus reducing disease or genetic abnormalities.

• Pheromone

  a chemical produced by the ant to communicate with other ants.

• Polydomous

  when a single colony lives in and maintains more than one nest.

• Polymorphism

  the occurrence of different worker forms within a colony i.e minor, median and major workers.

• Polygyn

  Ant species that may have more that one active queen within their colony.

• Pooter

  a simple device that allows the user to catch insects, typically by sucking on a tube with a filter.

• Rectum

  holds the waste products inside an ant, waste will be deposited in the colonies designated waste area.

• Repletes

  a caste of ant that stores large amounts of liquid food in its crop i.e honey pot ants.

• Soldier

  see ‘major worker’.

• Spiracles

  small holes found on the ants abdomen that allow oxygen to enter it body.

• Sterile

  inability to reproduce.

• Subterranean

  living underground.

• Super colony

  seen in argentine ants, where by colonies co-exist.

• Symbiosis

  Interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to the advantage of both.

• Taxonomie

  the classification of organisms. A scientific way of grouping and naming anything living.

• Terrestrial

  living in or on the ground.

• Trophallaxis

  The ‘mouth to mouth’ exchange of regurgitated liquids between adult ants or adults and the larvae.

• Thorax

  all legs and wings are attached to the thorax.

• Vertebrate

  an animal with a backbone.