Linepithema
Argentine ant ( Linepithema humile )
Linepithema is a genus of ants. They occur with 19 species in South and Central America and the Caribbean. Only one type, the Argentine ant ( Linepithema humile ), was spread by humans and is now at home in Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia, the Azores, the Canary Islands and Hawaii. Two other species of this genus are known from fossil finds.
Features
The Linepithema species five to eight major and five to 13 more small denticles on the inner side of their mandibles. Here, the first tooth at the apex is markedly greater than the other. Another feature of this genus is the end plate ( Clypeus ) whose leading edge has a width slight curvature. You see some Iridomyrmex species very similar, but can be well distinguished from them by the larger number of teeth on the mandibles, a teardrop-shaped head, the relatively low position of the compound eyes and the shape of the face plate.
Occurrence
The ants come from northern Mexico south to northern Argentina before. They are also found in the Caribbean, but missing in Cuba, although they occur in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico in large numbers. In the Amazon basin, they occur less frequently. The largest distribution of species and individuals can be found at 20 to 30 ° south latitude. They come here from sea level to 4,000 meters in height before. They live in forests, grasslands and in the mountains.
Way of life
The night - and day-active animals eat both predatory and aasfressend, as well as honeydew and nectar. You can manage with the help of their pheromone trails quickly a very large number of workers to food sources. Their nests are shallow in the earth, built between dry leaves, dead wood, or under stones. Two species, L. and L. iniquum Leucomelas build their nests on trees. The colonies are populous in general and have more than 1,000 individuals. The Argentine ant is a feared pest near the people and is, once entered a house, extremely difficult to combat. They are not rare colonies with multiple nests, which are connected to each other by ant trails. By displacing native ant species, they also affect the ecosystem. Carney, Byerley and Holway report that the spread of the relatively large seeds of myrmekochoren poppy crop Dendromecon rigida is severely affected near the coast of San Diego, as the Argentine ant the seeds do not spread, but the native ant species Pogonomyrmex subnitidus that so far the spread of seeds had taken over, has pushed back. Reports a similar Christian from South Africa: the plant communities of the bushveld be changed because the large seeds are not spread by the Argentine ant.