Banded sugar ant
Banded sugar ant | |
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Worker with cocoon | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Formicidae |
Subfamily: | Formicinae |
Genus: | Camponotus |
Species: | C. consobrinus
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Binomial name | |
Camponotus consobrinus (Erichson, 1842)
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Distribution of the banded sugar ant | |
Synonyms[1][2] | |
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The banded sugar ant (Camponotus consobrinus), also known as the sugar ant, is a species of ant native to
The ant is polymorphic and relatively large, with two different castes of workers: major workers (also known as soldiers), and minor workers. These two group of workers measure around 5 to 15 millimetres (0.2 to 0.6 in) in length, while the queen ants are even larger. Mainly nocturnal, banded sugar ants prefer a mesic habitat, and are commonly found in forests and woodlands. They also occur in urban areas, where they are considered a household pest. The ant's diet includes sweet secretions that are retrieved from aphids and other insects that it tends. This species is a competitor of the meat ant (Iridomyrmex purpureus), and food robbery and nest-plugging is known to occur between these two ants. Workers prey on insects, killing them with a spray of formic acid. Banded sugar ants are preyed upon by other ants, echidnas, and birds. The eggs of this species were consumed by Indigenous Australians.
Taxonomy
The banded sugar ant was first
The specific name is derived from the Latin word consobrina, meaning "cousin".[9] This is in reference to its similar appearance with the species C. herculeanus.[8]
The ant is a member of the Camponotus nigriceps species group, which also includes C. clarior, C. dryandrae, C. eastwoodi, C. loweryi, C. longideclivis, C. nigriceps, C. pallidiceps and C. prostans.[8] The species is commonly known as the banded sugar ant or sugar ant due to its attraction to sweet food and the orange-brown band that is present on its gaster.[10]
Description
Banded sugar ants appear in different forms, varying from 4 to 16 millimetres (0.2 to 0.6 in) in length, making them a large species.[10] Banded sugar ants are polymorphic, and colonies have two types of workers: minor workers and major workers that have different size ranges. The two castes can be identified easily, due to the workers being smaller and more slender, while the soldiers are larger and more robust. Both castes carry a set of powerful mandibles.[8] Queen ants are the largest ants in the colony. Banded sugar ants come in a large variety of colours, possibly due to ecological rather than genetic influences. For example, humidity, insolation and temperature may all affect the colour of an individual.[11]
Female banded sugar ants are easily recognised by their black head, orange
The related black-headed sugar ant (Camponotus nigriceps) has a similar appearance and may be mistaken for a banded sugar ant. Black-headed sugar ants are lighter in colour than banded sugar ants and the orange-brown band is absent from their gaster.[12]
Distribution and habitat
The banded sugar ant is one of the most widely distributed ants in Australia, but is most commonly found in south-east Australia.
Nests are found in a variety of sites, including holes in wood, roots of plants, twigs of trees and shrubs, between rocks, in the soil, and under paving stones.[21][22] Sometimes, banded sugar ant colonies form small mounds, which are less than 20 cm (8 in) in diameter and usually funnel-shaped and ephemeral.[23] Mounds are not constructed in undisturbed regions where land degradation has not occurred.[24] Instead, the entrance of a nest consists of a smooth-walled vertical shaft that is 15 to 17 millimetres (0.59 to 0.67 in) in diameter. Chambers in the nest have a similar appearance to the nest entrance (shaft-like walls), and the floors within the chambers are typically 20 to 30 millimetres (0.8 to 1.2 in) in length with an arched roof that is 10 millimetres (0.4 in) in height.[24] Excavated meat ant nests show that banded sugar ants will also inhabit them.[25]
Behaviour and ecology
Banded sugar ants are the dominant group of
Banded sugar ants will often attack the nests of other ant species at random, while ignoring other ants nearby. They use their mandibles to hold opponents, and use formic acid to kill them.[30] Foraging workers use visual cues to help them find their way around, or to let them determine that they are lost; workers will identify landmarks they are familiar with to orientate themselves.[31] When provoked, an individual banded sugar ant will lift up its abdomen and use its large mandibles to fend off an attacker. If further provoked, it can defend itself by spraying formic acid from its abdomen to deter predators.[32]
A common competitor of sugar ants are meat ants, which have been observed blocking banded sugar ant nesting holes with pebbles and soil to prevent them from leaving their nest during the early hours of the day. The ants counter this by preventing meat ants from leaving their nest by blocking their nesting holes with debris, a behaviour known as nest-plugging.[33][34] If meat ant nests are encroached by trees or other shade, banded sugar ants may invade and take over the nest, since the health of the colony may deteriorate from overshadowing.[35] Members of an affected meat ant colony later move to a nearby satellite nest that is placed in a suitable area, while invading banded sugar ants fill nest galleries up with a black resinous material.[36] In a 1999 study, Pogonoscopus myrmex leafhoppers were placed in a banded sugar ant colony to test the reaction of non-host ants. These leafhoppers were attacked, suggesting no symbiotic relationship between the two.[37]
Diet and predators
Banded sugar ants are
Banded sugar ants have been found in the feces of the
Life cycle and reproduction
Like all ants, banded sugar ants begin life as eggs. If the egg is fertilised, the ant becomes a female; if not, it will become a male.
Although most banded sugar ant colonies are
Workers that belong to different matrilines (female ancestry) appear significantly different from each other in size.[60] Matrilines are also said to influence caste determination within the species.[61]
Interaction with humans
The banded sugar ant is considered a household pest and is occasionally seen in houses at night. It is capable of damaging furniture and fittings by chewing the wood.
See also
References
- ^ Johnson, Norman F. (19 December 2007). "Camponotus consobrinus (Erichson)". Hymenoptera Name Server version 1.5. Columbus, Ohio, USA: Ohio State University. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
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- ^ Crane, Gregory R. "Latin Word Study Tool". Perseus Digital Library. Tufts University. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Animal species: Sugar Ant". Australian Museum. 20 May 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ^ Brown, William (1953). "Revisionary notes on the ant genus Myrmecia of Australia" (PDF). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. 111 (6): 1–35.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-643-05152-2.
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- ^ "Formicidae Family". CSIRO Entomology. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
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- ^ "Sugar ant (Camponotus consobrinus (Erichson))". CSIRO Publishing. 18 September 2004. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ^ a b "Species: Camponotus consobrinus". AntWeb. The California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- OCLC 11628078.
- ^ a b "The Control of Ants". The Chronicle. Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia. 1 May 1941. p. 11. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ "Sugar Ants (Camponotus species)". Queensland Museum. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
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- ^ PMID 26021611.
- ^ a b "Camponotus consobrinus (sugar ant)". CSIRO Entomology. Archived from the original on 16 August 2007.
- ^ Hölldobler & Wilson 1990, p. 281.
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- ^ Egan, Joanna (15 November 2012). "Lost ants use visual cues to quickly navigate". Australian Geographic. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ a b Chisholm, Alec H. (1935). Bird wonders of Australia (2nd ed.). Sydney: Angus & Robertson. p. 155.
- ^ a b Hölldobler & Wilson 1990, p. 424.
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- JSTOR 4081213. Archived from the original(PDF) on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
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- ^ Hölldobler & Wilson 1990, p. 425.
- OCLC 7654420.
- ^ Hölldobler & Wilson 1990, p. 518.
- ^ Hingston, A.B.; Potts, B.M. (1998). "Floral visitors of Eucalyptus globulus subsp. globulus in eastern Tasmania" (PDF). Tasforests. 10: 125–139.
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- ^ Hölldobler & Wilson 1990, p. 183.
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- ^ Hölldobler & Wilson 1990, p. 169.
- ^ Hölldobler & Wilson 1990, p. 203.
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- ^ "Camponotus consobrinus (Erichson, 1842)". Atlas of Living Australia. Government of Australia. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
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Cited text
- Hölldobler, Bert; Wilson, Edward O. (1990). ISBN 978-0-674-04075-5.
External links
- Camponotus consobrinus in the Catalogue of Life
- Camponotus consobrinus in the Universal Protein Resource
- Media related to Camponotus consobrinus at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Camponotus consobrinus at Wikispecies