"outside the rainforest, in areas where the fungi would not have been able to survive outside a colony anyway due to the dry environment. Fungus-growing ants Fungus-growing ants (tribe Attini) comprise all the known fungus-growing ant species participating in ant-fungus mutualism. They are the sister group to the subtribe Dacetina. Leafcutter ants, including ""Atta"" and ""Acromyrmex"", make up two of the genera. Their cultivars come from the fungal tribe Leucocoprineae of family Agaricaceae. This New World ant clade is thought to have originated about 60 million years ago in the South American rainforest. While the fungal cultivars of the 'lower'"
"in search of other nests. The males die shortly thereafter, along with most of the females. A small percentage of the females survive to initiate new nests. The term ""ant colony"" refers to the collections of workers, reproductive individuals, and brood that live together, cooperate, and treat one another non-aggressively. Often this comprises the genetically related progeny from a single queen, although this is not universal across ants. The name ""ant farm"" is commonly given to ant nests that are kept in formicarium; these formicaria are formed so scientists can study by rearing or temporarily maintaining them. Another name is"
"Army ant The name army ant (or legionary ant or marabunta) is applied to over 200 ant species, in different lineages, due to their aggressive predatory foraging groups, known as ""raids"", in which huge numbers of ants forage simultaneously over a certain area. Another shared feature is that, unlike most ant species, army ants do not construct permanent nests: an army ant colony moves almost incessantly over the time it exists. All species are members of the true ant family, Formicidae, but several groups have independently evolved the same basic behavioral and ecological syndrome. This syndrome is often referred to"
"and the species within that group. This can cause some confusion when reading literary studies about them. This is because it encompasses a number of highly similar species which were once all considered under the name """"Solenopsis saevissima"""" . This number of species within this species group currently includes 13 individual species which are included in a group of 20 aggressive species of ants popularly known as fire ants. The majority of the species within this group are ""thief ants"" with small monomorphic workers. They tend to build their colonies near those of other ant species so that they can"
"group, based on data from three molecular genes and one mitochondrial gene. Brady concluded that these two groups are, therefore, a single lineage that evolved in the mid-Cretaceous period in Gondwana, so the two subfamilies are now generally united into a single subfamily Ecitoninae, though this is still not universally recognized. Accordingly, the army ants as presently recognized consist of these genera: Army ant The name army ant (or legionary ant or marabunta) is applied to over 200 ant species, in different lineages, due to their aggressive predatory foraging groups, known as ""raids"", in which huge numbers of ants forage"
"Ant tribe ""Ant tribe"" () is a neologism for a group of low-income university graduates who settle for a poverty-level existence in the cities of China. Those who belong to the ant tribe class hope that, in time, they will find the jobs for which they were trained in college. Lian Si (), then a postdoctoral researcher at Peking University, coined the term ""ant tribe"" to draw a comparison between the lives of these college graduates and ants: ""They share every similarity with ants. They live in colonies in cramped areas. They're intelligent and hardworking, yet anonymous and underpaid."" Typically"
"fossils, with the exception of the dinosaur ant (""Nothomyrmecia macrops""). ""M. nigriceps"" is a member of the ""M. gulosa"" species group, which is the largest species group of the nine groups described. The specific name, ""nigriceps"", is a combination of the Latin words ""niger"", meaning ""black"", and ""caput"", meaning ""head"". This references the distinctive black head of the ant. With this said, ""M. nigriceps"" is commonly known as the black-headed bull ant. The size of worker ants varies from . However, colonies contain very small workers, usually less than half the size of normal sized workers. Despite this, it is"
"genetically related to each other. Depending on the species, the number of individuals present in a colony can range from 50 to over 2,200 individuals. A colony with less than 100 workers is not considered a mature colony. ""M. dispar"" colonies have around 15 to 329 ants, ""M. nigrocincta"" have over 1,000, ""M. pyriformis"" have from 200 to over 1,400 and ""M. gulosa"" have nearly 1,600. A colony can last for a number of years. Foraging behaviour among smaller workers which never usually leave the nest can be a sign of a colony's impending demise. Workers are known to produce"
"Myrmecophily Myrmecophily ( ; literally """"ant-love"""") is the term applied to positive interspecies associations between ants and a variety of other organisms such as plants, other arthropods, and fungi. Myrmecophily refers to mutualistic associations with ants, though in its more general use the term may also refer to commensal or even parasitic interactions. The term ""myrmecophile"" is used mainly for animals that associate with ants. There are an estimated 10,000 species of ants (Formicidae), with a higher diversity in the tropics. In most terrestrial ecosystems ants are ecologically and numerically dominant, being the main invertebrate predators. As a result, ants"
"habit which may have given rise to the archaic term for ant, ""pismire"", and by analogy its American equivalent ""piss-ant"". They can be relatively large: ""F. rufa"" workers can reach a maximum length around 10 mm. The eastern US species ""F. dolosa"" and the western ""F. ravida"" (syn. ""F. haemorrhoidalis"") may be slightly longer. Ants are eusocial organisms - the individuals of the species work together to survive, produce the next generation, and accomplish tasks which cannot be accomplished alone. Unlike other ants, the genus ""Formica"" does not have separate castes, which are based on an individual's specialization and morphology."
"Ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the Cretaceous period, about 140 million years ago, and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than 12,500 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists. Ants form colonies that range in size from a few dozen predatory individuals living in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies that may occupy"
"count for ""M. piliventris"" and ""M. fulvipes"" is 2 and 12, respectively. The genus ""Myrmecia"" retains many traits that are considered basal for all ants (i.e. workers foraging alone and relying on visual cues). ""Myrmecia"" contains a total of nine species groups. Originally, seven species groups were established in 1911, but this was raised to 13 in 1951; ""Promyrmecia"" had a total of eight while ""Myrmecia"" only had five. ""M. maxima"" does not appear to be in a species group, as no type specimen is available. ""Myrmecia"" ants are easily noticeable, due to their large mandibles, and large compound eyes"
"Pissant A pissant, also seen as piss ant or piss-ant, refers to a specific type of ant. The word is also used as a pejorative noun or adjective, indicating insignificance. It has its origin in the word ""pismire"", a 14th-century term for ant. The original ""pissant"" is any of a certain group of large ant species, commonly called ""wood ants,"" that make mounded nests in forests throughout most of Europe. The name ""pissant"" arises from the urine-like odour produced by their nesting material—needles and straw from pine trees—and the formic acid that constitutes their venom. ""Formica rufa"" is one such"
"is due to their ferocity and the way they hang off their victims using their mandibles, and also due to the jumping behaviour displayed by some species. Other common names include ""inch ants"", ""sergeant ants"" and ""soldier ants"". The jack jumper ant and other members of the ""Myrmecia pilosula"" species group are commonly known as ""black jumpers"", ""hopper ants"", ""jumper ants"", ""jumping ants"", ""jumping jacks"" and ""skipper ants"". Genetic evidence suggests that ""Myrmecia"" diverged from related groups approximately 100 million years ago. The subfamily Myrmeciinae to which ""Myrmecia"" belongs, is believed to have been found in the fossil record of"
"Anteater Anteater is a common name for the four extant mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua (meaning ""worm tongue"") commonly known for eating ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together with the sloths, they are within the order Pilosa. The name ""anteater"" is also colloquially applied to the unrelated aardvark, numbat, echidnas, pangolins and some members of the Oecobiidae. Extant species are the giant anteater ""Myrmecophaga tridactyla"", about long including the tail; the silky anteater ""Cyclopes didactylus"", about long; the southern tamandua or collared anteater ""Tamandua tetradactyla"", about long; and the northern"
"20 million individuals. As with their New World counterparts, there is a soldier class among the workers, which is larger, with a very large head and pincer-like mandibles. They are capable of stinging, but very rarely do so, relying instead on their powerful shearing jaws. Seasonally, when food supplies become short, they leave the hill and form marching columns of up to 50,000,000 ants, which are considered a menace to people, though they can be easily avoided; a column can only travel about 20 metres in an hour. It is for those unable to move, or when the columns pass"
"large territories and consist of millions of individuals. Larger colonies consist of various castes of sterile, wingless females, most of which are workers (ergates), as well as soldiers (dinergates) and other specialised groups. Nearly all ant colonies also have some fertile males called ""drones"" (aner) and one or more fertile females called ""queens"" (gynes). The colonies are described as superorganisms because the ants appear to operate as a unified entity, collectively working together to support the colony. Ants have colonised almost every landmass on Earth. The only places lacking indigenous ants are Antarctica and a few remote or inhospitable islands."
"receiving workers will forcibly remove the wings in order to accommodate the large males into the colony for mating. Because of their size, males are sometimes called ""sausage flies"" or ""sausage ants."" Colonies of real army ants always have only one queen, while some other ant species can have several queens. The queen is dichthadiigyne (a blind ant with large gaster) but may sometimes possess vestigial eyes. The queens of army ants are unique in that they do not have wings, have an enlarged gaster size and an extended cylindrical abdomen. They are significantly larger than worker army ants and"
"Antlion The antlions are a group of about 2,000 species of insect in the family Myrmeleontidae, known for the fiercely predatory habits of their larvae, which in many species dig pits to trap passing ants or other prey. The adult insects are less well known, as they mostly fly at dusk or after dark, and may be mistakenly identified as dragonflies or damselflies; they are sometimes known as antlion lacewings, and in North America, the larvae are sometimes referred to as doodlebugs because of the strange marks they leave in the sand. Antlions have a worldwide distribution. The greatest diversity"
"ant, but there are others with similar characteristics. ""Forelius"" and ""Iridomyrmex"" are two genera of piss ants. In the United States, the word ""pissant"" can refer to any small ant that infests a home. ""Pissant"" is an epithet for an inconsequential, irrelevant, or worthless person, especially one who is irritating or contemptible out of proportion to his or her perceived significance. A Virginia politician is said to have silenced a heckler by saying, ""I'm a big dog on a big hunt and I don't have time for a piss-ant on a melon stalk."" The term ""piss-ant"" can also be used"
"Myrmecology Myrmecology (; from Greek: μύρμηξ, ""myrmex"", ""ant"" and λόγος, ""logos"", ""study"") is a branch of entomology focusing on the scientific study of ants. Some early myrmecologists considered ant society as the ideal form of society and sought to find solutions to human problems by studying them. Ants continue to be a model of choice for the study of questions on the evolution of social systems because of their complex and varied forms of eusociality (social organization). Their diversity and prominence in ecosystems also has made them important components in the study of biodiversity and conservation. Recently, ant colonies are"
"Ant colony An ant colony is the basic unit around which ants organize their lifecycle. Ant colonies are eusocial, and are very much like those found in other social Hymenoptera, though the various groups of these developed sociality independently through convergent evolution. The typical colony consists of one or more egg-laying queens, a large number of sterile females (workers, soldiers) and, seasonally, a large number of winged sexual males and females. In order to establish new colonies, ants undertake nuptial flights that occur at species-characteristic times of the day. Swarms of the winged sexuals (known as alates) depart the nest"
"Atta cephalotes Atta cephalotes is a species of leafcutter ant in the tribe Attini (the fungus-growing ants). A single colony of ants can contain up to 5 million members, and each colony has one queen that can live more than 15 years. The colony comprises different castes, known as 'task partitioning', and each caste has a different job to do. The species is one of the earliest formally classified ants, first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 as ""Formica cephalotes"" in the 10th edition of ""Systema Naturae"" together with sixteen other ant species, all of which he placed"
"a hive mind, a common misconception about ant colonies. Ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the Cretaceous period, about 140 million years ago, and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than 12,500 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists. Ants form colonies that range in size from a few dozen predatory individuals living in small"
"a cooperative, leaderless group of foragers to detect and overwhelm the prey at once. Army ants do not have a permanent nest but instead form many bivouacs as they travel. The constant traveling is due to the need to hunt large amounts of prey to feed its enormous colony population. Their queens are wingless and have abdomens that expand significantly during egg production. This allows for the production of 3-4 million eggs every month and often results in synchronized brood cycles, thus each colony will be formed of millions of individuals that descend from a single queen. All three of"
"which to explore the magnitude, dynamics, and frequency of mutualism in nature. Myrmecophily Myrmecophily ( ; literally """"ant-love"""") is the term applied to positive interspecies associations between ants and a variety of other organisms such as plants, other arthropods, and fungi. Myrmecophily refers to mutualistic associations with ants, though in its more general use the term may also refer to commensal or even parasitic interactions. The term ""myrmecophile"" is used mainly for animals that associate with ants. There are an estimated 10,000 species of ants (Formicidae), with a higher diversity in the tropics. In most terrestrial ecosystems ants are ecologically"
"estimated population in excess of 56 million ants. ""F. obscuripes"" create distinct dome-shaped mounds composed of varying materials found in the nest's surrounding environment. This composition is primarily vegetation and is commonly called ""thatch"". The mounds are typically constructed in areas devoid of cover to expose the nest to sunlight. The size of these mounds is highly variable and is mostly determined by the age and health of the colony. The height ranges from 1 inch (1.5 cm) to 18 inches (45.7 cm)—although nests of larger heights are not uncommon—and can extend down to 4 feet (1.2 meters) in the"
"ants tend to form castes based on labor duties. This division is normally behavioral but also has a physical basis, including size or age. Soldiers are typically larger with a more developed metapleural gland specialized for colony defence or food acquisition. A worker ant is generally smaller than soldiers and queens, and its main task is to assist the queen in rearing the young. Workers vary in size more than soldiers. This considerable variation in size may have played a considerable role in the evolution of ""large workers"" in this genus. Acrobat ants participate in a form of mutualism called"
"described by William Beebe in 1921 who observed a mill 1200 ft (~370 m) in circumference. It took each ant 2.5 hours to make one revolution. Similar phenomena have been noted in processionary caterpillars and fish. Ant mill An ant mill is an observed phenomenon in which a group of army ants, which are blind, are separated from the main foraging party, lose the pheromone track and begin to follow one another, forming a continuously rotating circle. The ants will eventually die of exhaustion. It has been reproduced in laboratories and has been produced in ant colony simulations. The phenomenon"
"prey to the plant as more ants from around that area arrive. This ability to hold the prey is extremely important because the ants move and congregate fairly slowly. After the first ant has immobilized the prey, it releases pheromones to call other ants to the area. The first few ants to arrive will each grab a different leg and pull in opposite directions, ""spread-eagling"" the prey. This is basically identical to the medieval torture tactic of ""rack torture"". Anywhere between six and 16 ants will participate in this spread-eagling. As the prey lies motionless and helpless, worker ants will"
"""formicary"", which derives from the Medieval Latin word ""formīcārium"". The word also derives from ""formica"". ""Ant nests"" are the physical spaces in which the ants live. These can be underground, in trees, under rocks, or even inside a single acorn. The name ""anthill"" applies to underground nests where the workers pile sand or soil outside the entrance, forming a large mound. Colony size (the number of individuals that make up the colony) is very important to ants: it can affect how they forage, how they defend their nests, how they mate, and even their physical appearances. Body size is often"
"from which the family's common name is derived. Many species of tropical ant form large raiding swarms, but the swarms are often nocturnal or raid underground. While birds visit these swarms when they occur, the species most commonly attended by birds is the Neotropical species ""Eciton burchellii"", which is both diurnal and surface-raiding. It was once thought that attending birds were actually eating the ants, but numerous studies in various parts of ""Eciton burchellii's"" range has shown that the ants act as beaters, flushing insects, other arthropods and small vertebrates into the waiting flocks of ""ant followers"". The improvement in"
"a commonly used suffix in ant generic names. The specific epithet ""tonsora"" was derived from a combination of the Latin words ""tonsor"" meaning ""barber"" or ""hairdresser"" and ""oris"" meaning ""mouth"", in reference to the ants' mouthparts bearing combs and brushes. ""Zigrasimecia"" is one of seven ant species described from Burmese amber and one of the five Burmese amber species placed in Sphecomyrminae or ""incertae sedis"". The other sphecomyrmin species are: ""Haidomyrmex cerberus"", ""Haidomyrmex scimitarus"", ""Haidomyrmex zigrasi"", and ""Gerontoformica orientalis"". In Barden and Grimaldi's article, the authors could not sufficiently identify the ant with enough confidence to place it in a"