Temnothorax unifasciatus
Monovalent narrow chest ant ( Temnothorax unifasciatus )
The Monovalent narrow chest ant ( Temnothorax unifasciatus ) is occurring in Europe ant species of the subfamily of red ants.
Features
Monovalent narrow chest ant is a very small, strange colored ant. The colonies are monogynous mandatory, Queen measures 3-4 mm, workers are 1-2 mm long. They are reddish-brown to yellowish and show on the gaster a broad dark cross bands, which was decisive for the designation of the species. Of the Finns certain tapeworm species infested ants have a lighter color.
Way of life
The monovalent narrow chest ants live in warm regions of dry forests. The colonies consist of relatively few individuals who find, for example, inside a hollow acorn place. They live in dead wood, in and under pieces of bark and between stones. They feed zoophag be additionally honeydew is taken.
The Monovalent narrow chest ant is not very aggressive against other colonies and species and avoids confrontation. The low number of individuals of the colonies should also be a reason that there are no specialized workers carrying sick or dead animals out of the nest. However, it was observed that sick or weak animals voluntarily remove at the end of their lives out of the nest and other social Avoid contact with healthy animals. In the absence of a queen workers may be fertile, but they are immediately attacked on the return of a queen and pushed out of the nest.
Dissemination
The Monovalent narrow chest ant comes in the deciduous forest, but also mixed forest of oaks, in Föhrenbeständen and forest-like trees, in gardens, parks and orchards. Most often they can be found on the rocky soil of the south-facing, dry and warm slopes in open areas in all of Europe except in the UK. In Germany, the stocks are declining.
System
Temnothorax unifasciatus was originally described as Formica unifasciatus of Latreille 1798. 2003 Temnothorax was spun by B. Bolton of the genus Leptothorax.
Subspecies:
- T. u unifasciatus
- T. u obenbergeri
- T. u rougeti
- T. u staegeri
- T. u ucrainicus
- T. u unifasciatonigriceps