Myrmecocystus mexicanus
| Myrmecocystus mexicanus | |
|---|---|
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| M. mexicanus worker | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Tribe: | Lasiini |
| Genus: | Myrmecocystus |
| Species: | M. mexicanus |
| Binomial name | |
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Myrmecocystus mexicanus Wesmael, 1838 |
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Myrmecocystus mexicanus is a species of ant in the genus Myrmecocystus, which is one of the six genera that bear the common name "honey ant" or "honeypot ant", due to curious behavior where some of the workers will swell with liquid food until they become immobile and hang from the ceilings of nest chambers, acting as living food storage for the colony. Honey ants are found in North America, Australia, and Africa. Ant species belonging to the Myrmecocystus genus reside in North America. M. mexicanus in particular is found in the southwestern United States and parts of Mexico.
Workers range from 3–7 mm in length and have a light tan thorax, legs and slightly darker head with black mandibles. The gaster is brownish-gray. Queens are roughly 9 mm in length. The head and mandibles are a reddish brown. The thorax is yellowish brown, and the gaster is a lighter shade of yellow. The legs are a dull yellow. Males are typically about 6 mm long and have a small black head and black thorax, except a reddish-brown pronotum. The gaster is a dark brown, and the legs are gray. Males are winged.
M. mexicanus like many ant, wasps and bees, is a eusocial insect species. Eusocial insects are characterized by distinct caste systems, where some individuals breed and most individuals are sterile helpers, and overlapping generations so mother, adult offspring and immature offspring are all living at the same time. In a eusocial colony, an individual is assigned a specialized caste before they become reproductively mature, which makes them behaviorally (and sometimes physiologically) distinct from other castes. The honey pot ants exhibit all of these characteristics within a colony: a queen and males make up the reproductive caste, and the rest of the individuals are sterile female workers.
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