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Glossary of ant terms
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This is a glossary of terms used in the descriptions of ants.
A
B
- Berlese funnel
device used to extract ants and other living organism from soil and leaf-litter samples; a sample is placed on a screen with a funnel beneath, and a heat source above; the drying forces the animals downwards, where they fall into a collecting jar, usually filled with alcohol[1]
- bivouac
- in army and driver ants, nest formed by the bodies of the ants themselves to protect the queen and larvae[1]
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D
E
- epigaeic
living or foraging above the ground[1]
- ergate
- a member of the non-reproductive, laboring caste.
- ergatogyne
denotes any intercaste female morphologically intermediate between workers and (winged) queens, not restricted to the reproductive caste; formerly often used interchangeably to refer to ergatoid queens[5]
- ergatoid
a wingless (dealate) reproductive adult ant, anatomically intermediate in form between workers and winged queens or males[5]
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F
- fungivorous
- feeding on fungi[1]
G
H
M
- mermithergate
"parasitogenic" phenotype of worker ants, caused by mermithid nematodes[7]
- mermithogyne
"parasitogenic" phenotype of gynes, caused by mermithid nematodes[7]
- monandry
queen mating with a single male[8]
- monodomy
colony housing arrangement in a single nest[9]
- monogyny
nest arrangement containing a single queen[6]
- multicoloniality
nest arrangement of a population of ants consisting of multiple independent colonies (monodomous or polydomous)[9]
- myrmecochory
- seed dispersal by ants[10]
- myrmecodomatium
domatium housed by ants[4]
- myrmecologist
- a student of ants[1]
- myrmecology
- the study of ants[1]
- myrmecophily
- association of various organisms with ants[11]
- myrmecophyte
- plant that lives in a mutualistic association with ants[1]
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N
- nanitic
- a worker of the first generation, usually smaller in size than subsequent generations[12]
O
- oligogyny
- nest arrangement with multiple queens, defined by worker tolerance towards all queens in the colony and antagonism among the queens[13]
P
- pheromone trail
trail of chemical compounds secreted by ants to guide nestmates to a target (usually food)[14]
- pilosity
- quality of being covered with hair[1]
- pleometrosis
colony founding by multiple queens[6]
- plerergate
- see replete[15]
- polyandry
queen mating with multiple males[8]
- polydomy
colony arrangement housed in multiple separate nests[9]
- polyethism
- division of labor, the development of different roles[16]
- polygyny
nest arrangement containing multiple queens[6]
- polymorphism
- in social insects, having more than one caste within the same sex[1]
- primary monogyny
single queen founding a colony (haplometrosis), with no additional queens incorporated into the colony[6]
- primary polygyny
colony founding by multiple queens (pleometrosis), with more than one queen surviving[6]
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Q
- queen
- see gyne
R
- replete
- worker ant that functions as a living larder, having an enlarged abdomen filled with liquid food[1]
- secondary monogyny
colony founding by multiple queens (pleometrosis), a single queen survive[6]
S
- secondary polygyny
colony founding by a single queen (haplometrosis), with additional queens incorporated into the colony at a later stage, usually by adoption or fusion with other colonies[6]
- slave-making
- the capture of brood of other ant species that is then reared as slaves[1]
T
- tandem running
recruitment method used by some species of ants, where one ant leads a single, closely following nestmate to a target (usually food)[14]
- trail pheromone
- see pheromone trail
- trophallaxis
- transfer of liquid food among family members or guest organisms[1]
- trophic egg
- non-viable egg laid by the queen to be used as a source of nutrition[1]
- trophobiosis
- mutualistic relationships between ants and other insects[17]
U
- unicoloniality
a population of ants inhabiting a single large polydomous colony[9]
W
- Winkler extraction
device used to extract ants and other living organism from soil and leaf-litter samples; a sample is placed inside an inner bag constructed from cloth mesh, which is suspended in a second bag containing a funnel leading to a collecting jar, usually filled with alcohol; the device is hung up in the air and passively extracts escaping animals[1]
See also
References
External links
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