Protomognathus

Protomognathus
Protomognathus americanus worker
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Genus: Protomognathus
Wheeler, 1905
Species: P. americanus
Binomial name
Protomognathus americanus
(Emery, 1895)

Protomognathus americanus is a species of ant that is 2–3 mm in size and the sole member of the genus Protomognathus. It is endemic to the northeastern United States and adjacent Canadian regions.[1] P. americanus is a species of slave-maker ant. They do not forage for food, but instead 'scout workers' from the colony seek out nearby host colonies of ants, steal larvae and bring them back to their own colony. A small P. americanus colony could consist of a queen, two to five workers and thirty to sixty slaves.[2]

In a study published in Animal Behaviour, researchers showed that P. americanus scouts target stronger colonies over weaker ones to steal larvae from.[2][3]

References

  1. ↑ Social Insects Specialist Group 1996. Protomognathus americanus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 10 August 2007.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Davies, Davies (8 November 2010). "Slave-making ants target the strong not the weak". BBC News. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Pohl, Sebastian; Foitzik, Susanne (2011). "Slave-making ants prefer larger, better defended host colonies". Animal Behaviour 81 (1): 61–68. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.09.006. Retrieved 20 August 2014.

External links