Aphaenogaster
| Aphaenogaster | |
|---|---|
| |
| A. phillipsi worker | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: | |
| Tribe: | |
| Genus: | Aphaenogaster Mayr, 1853
|
| Type species | |
| Aphaenogaster sardoa Mayr, 1853
| |
| Species | |
|
> 190 | |
| Diversity | |
| > 190 species | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Nystalomyrma | |
Aphaenogaster is a genus of myrmicine ants. Almost 200 species have been described. Also, 11 fossil species are known. They live worldwide except from South America and Southern Africa.
They are often confused with Pheidole or Pheidologeton. These two have major and minor workers, while Aphaenogaster has only a single worker caste. Pheidole has a 3-segmented club on its antenna. But Aphaenogaster has four segments and a larger body size. Pheidologeton has a 11-segmented antenna, while the antenna in Aphaenogaster is 12-segmented.[1]
They make very thick, easily seen nests with many big entrances in a small place. These entrances can have diameters of up to 4 cm and are up to 30 cm deep. This resulted in their common name funnel ants. These nests can be a bad problem for golfers or on pastures and unsealed airstrips, because the fragile ground easily breaks under pressure.[1]
Aphaenogaster gets most of its food from tended aphids on the roots of plants. This explains that they are not commonly seen out of their tunnels. The funnel-shaped openings could play a role in trapping arthropods, which are also eaten.[1]
Although these ants are not aggressive, they will bite when their nest is disturbed.
Footnotes
References
- ITIS: Genus Aphaenogaster
- Ants Down Under: Genus Aphaenogaster Archived 2009-10-09 at the Wayback Machine
Other websites
- Dale Ward: Aphaenogaster cockerelli Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
Content Disclaimer
Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.
- The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
- There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
- It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
- Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
- Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.