Aphaenogaster
Aphaenogaster is a genus of myrmicine ants. Almost 200 species have been described. Also, 11 fossil species are known. They live worldwide except from South America and Southern Africa.
| Aphaenogaster | |
|---|---|
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| A. phillipsi worker | |
| Scientific classification | |
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| Genus: | Aphaenogaster Mayr, 1853
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| Type species | |
| Aphaenogaster sardoa Mayr, 1853
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| Species | |
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> 190 | |
| Diversity | |
| > 190 species | |
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Nystalomyrma | |
They are often confused with Pheidole or Pheidologeton. These two have major and minor workers, while Aphaenogaster has only a single worker caste. Pheidole has a 3-segmented club on its antenna. But Aphaenogaster has four segments and a larger body size. Pheidologeton has a 11-segmented antenna, while the antenna in Aphaenogaster is 12-segmented.[1]
They make very thick, easily seen nests with many big entrances in a small place. These entrances can have diameters of up to 4 cm and are up to 30 cm deep. This resulted in their common name funnel ants. These nests can be a bad problem for golfers or on pastures and unsealed airstrips, because the fragile ground easily breaks under pressure.[1]
Aphaenogaster gets most of its food from tended aphids on the roots of plants. This explains that they are not commonly seen out of their tunnels. The funnel-shaped openings could play a role in trapping arthropods, which are also eaten.[1]
Although these ants are not aggressive, they will bite when their nest is disturbed.
Footnotes
changeReferences
change- ITIS: Genus Aphaenogaster
- Ants Down Under: Genus Aphaenogaster Archived 2009-10-09 at the Wayback Machine
Other websites
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- Dale Ward: Aphaenogaster cockerelli Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine