- Glossary
All words found in bold throughout antARK can found in this 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.
