Aphaenogaster senilis (lat.) Is a species of small ants of the genus Aphaenogaster from the subfamily Myrmicinae ( Formicidae ). Mirmekohornaya view [1] .
| Aphaenogaster senilis | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Aphaenogaster senilis ant | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Aphaenogaster senilis Mayr , 1853 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Distribution
Mediterranean region. Spain , Portugal , France , Italy , Slovakia [1] .
Description
Small-sized ants in black; length of workers is about 6 mm. The length of the head of workers (HL) 1.5-1.87 mm, the width of the head (HW) 1.18-1.46 mm. The body is covered with numerous white hairs. The antennae of the workers are 12-segmented with an indistinct 5-segmented mace. Scape of antennae long, exceeds occipital margin; the length of the scapus (SL) is 1.7-1.89 mm, the index of the scapus (SI) 129-149. The base of the abdomen is on top with micro-grooves, the micropuncture head, the body is dull. The posterior thorax is angular with small propodeal spines. The stalk between the breast and the abdomen consists of two nodular segments ( petiol and postpetiol). Monomorphic workers. The sting is developed. Pupae naked, without cocoon [1] .
They live in open biotopes: outskirts of the forest, edges, meadows, sparse shrubs, urban areas. Soil nests, often under rocks. The foraging of the workers is individual, ground, at the base of tree crowns and on bushes. Families are monogynous or oligogynous (up to 4 queens per colony are noted), in which there are an average of 1260 ants [1] [2] .
Systematics
The species was first described in 1853 by Austrian worldmecologist Gustav Mayr using typical materials from Italy [3] . It is included in the species group Aphaenogaster testaceopilosa [1] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Boer, P. Revision of the European ants of the Aphaenogaster testaceopilosa-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) (Eng.) // Tijdschrift voor Entomologie: Journal. - brill.com, 2013. - Vol. 156. - P. 57–93. - ISSN 0040-7496 .
- ↑ Chéron B., Doums C., Fédérici P., Monnin T. (2009). Queen replacement in the monogynous ant Aphaenogaster senilis: supernumerary queens as life insurance. Animal Behavior 78: 1317-1325
- ↑ Mayr, G. 1853: Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Ameisen. Verhandlungen des Zoologisch-Botanischen Vereins in Wien, vol. 3, p. 101-114.
Literature
- Arnoldi K.V. Overview of the genus Aphaenogaster (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of the fauna of the USSR (Russian) // Zoological Journal . - 1976 . - Vol. 55, No. 7 . - P. 1019-1026.
Links
- Aphaenogaster (English) . faunaeur.org. - Taxonomy. Date of treatment August 15, 2016.