Ants constitute one of the most numerous families in species and it is scattered throughout or almost all over the earth, in this article you will be able to discover everything about the classes and types of ants. We will learn about their discipline and organization. Don't stop reading it!
Characteristics of ants
They belong to the order Hymenoptera, to the suborder of the formicids, they constitute one of the most numerous families in species that are located in almost the whole world, it is estimated that they represent between 15% and 25% on the terrestrial surface, they present a great capacity for adaptation. to different habitats.
The different existing species have their own characteristics that allow the species to be differentiated from each other, it is estimated that there are more than 20.000 types of ants. Ants present common patterns or characteristics among the different types of species, which we will indicate below.
Food
The diet will be based on the characteristics of the species, there are those that feed on the essences that they extract from flowers and fruits, others from plants in general leaves, stems, roots and there are some carnivorous groups that consume dead insects such as flies and cockroaches among others. They are mostly attracted to candy or sweet substances from aphids that they care for in the colonies.
Habitat and coexistence
We can find them in almost the whole world except for Antarctica. These insects dig in the ground or logs as well as walls, they can build very complex nests that can consist of a large number of galleries. Ants live in hives called hormigueros.d
Their organization and discipline is evident in the societies that they make up, they constitute colonies that comprise more than 10.000 members where we can find a good coexistence since each one adheres to the function that corresponds to him in that family.
Life period
The life time varies in each species, the environment will influence and the work carried out by each individual within the colony will be taken into account. The queens live longer than the workers, from months to several years.
behavior and organization
As indicated above, ants are characterized by their organization and by the way they are distributed and the functions that each one performs within the colony. Despite being very sociable, they are usually very jealous of their home. They do not accept the mixing of colonies. It is important to highlight that team and individual work guarantees that everyone takes care of each other and therefore the protection of their colony.
The myrmecology science that is in charge of the study of ants where it studies the classification and types of ants and their relationship between them and with the environment, each colony has particular characteristics which makes it difficult to study it. The head of its structure is the queen, usually the only developed and fertile female.
Communication
The communication system of the ants is the aroma, the pheromones are the key point, through them the ants communicate with each other, each colony emits different pheromones that allow them to distinguish between themselves and the other colonies, they can distinguish if the message is a warning of danger or power.
Pheromones are chemical signals, ants show great development more than other groups of hymenoptera. Ants perceive odors through their mobile antennae, receiving information about the direction and intensity of odors. Since they generally live on land, they use the ground surface to leave trails for other ants to follow.
Ant Classification
The internal classification that each subfamily has creates a bit of difficulty when carrying out the study of the internal formation of ants, but in general terms we can mention some functions or positions that are general in many social organizations or anthills. Below we will mention some classifications :
Queen ant
They are the center of attention of the colony, life revolves around them, their function is to reproduce, they have a longer lifespan than the rest of the anthill, there is not a single queen as was thought, there may be several depending on the distribution of the subfamily . They can live up to 30 years if there are no external problems with the colony. The queen can leave her group and form a separate anthill if she wishes.
Worker Ant
It represents the largest volume of members of the anthill, its function is to carry out hard work and enforce the functions entrusted to it taking into account condition and family group, its life span is from one to three years. Some of the functions performed by the workers:
Nurse Worker Ant
Since birth, its function is to attend to the queen, take care of its feeding, cleaning, eggs or any activity that includes the participation of the queens or queens.
Farmer Worker Ant
The workers, when they have the time and maturity necessary to face the world, go out to collect leaves, work in well-organized teams and generate a large production of pheromones, by locating their food they expand their aroma to mark and indicate the other ants in their colony and bring food to the queen Each group has an aroma that identifies them and is characteristic of each colony.
They are called farmers because when they collect leaves they are taken to the anthills to wait for them to decompose and feed the fungi that produce gongylidia and thus feed the entire anthill.
Livestock Worker Ant
They carry out the same process as the farmers but in their case they take care of the aphids that feed it and they produce a sweet substance that is very important for the ants.
Soldier Worker Ant
They are in charge of security, carry out patrols and notify the rest of the members of possible enemies, their communication system is pheromones, these aromas are different depending on the case they want to communicate if it is food or security and it differs between colonies. If a soldier marks another insect or enemy with the scent of danger all the other ants will appear to attack.
male ant
Their life time is very short, generally a few weeks, their main function is to carry out the nuptial flight to fertilize the worker who will be queen.
types of ants
The defense system of the ants is the sting by the generators, it usually hurts and bothers but it does not indicate a major annoyance but within the existing species there is a type of ant whose sting can cause a lot of damage, we will group the types of ants in poisonous and not poisonous or homemade, we will indicate the most outstanding characteristics of each group.
poisonous ants
In this group there is a wide variety of species that are classified as poisonous, the intensity and danger of the damage it produces is very variable, we can find ants whose bite does not imply great risk to humans but to other animals, triggering a series of complications and There are other groups whose bite is dangerous both for man and for other animals, in many cases it leads to death. Some types of poisonous ants:
Bullet Ant
This type of ant is called Paraponera Clavata or as the bullet ant is known because of the pain caused by its bite, similar to that produced by a bullet, the pain it causes is compared to that caused by the puncture of a wasp, accentuating its pain about 30 times. . After its bite, it is accompanied by inflammation in the area affected by the bite, spasms, a lot of perspiration and mobility in the affected limb can be lost. They can be found in South America as in Venezuela, Brazil, Paraguay, Nicaragua.
bulldog ant
The Myrmecia ant or Australian giant or as it is also known as the bulldog ant, its name originates from its enormous and strong jaw, they are yellow in color with reddish and brown colours, when it bites it introduces a powerful poison that causes burns on the skin, leaving marks forever . They are located in Australia and Caledonia.
Black Fire Ant
Solenopsis Richteri or black fire ant owes its name to the black color with fire colorations, they are very active and aggressive their bite is powerful and poisonous causing discomfort constant and penetrating pain similar to the sting of a wasp. It attacks man if it is disturbed by this in animals if they tend to attack their prey.
fire ant
The name of this ant is due to the sensation of heat, burning and burning generated by the bites of this species, they are active and aggressive, their body is reddish and their hair is yellow, their venom can cause penetrating pain and nausea in man in other young or baby animals they can cause death. Their food is usually meat, butter, seeds and vegetables.
african ant
Pachycondyla analis or Megaponera foetens, known as the African ant, is located on the African Continent in the cities of Senegal, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Togo. It is the most dangerous species in the world due to its powerful neurotoxic venom that paralyzes its prey. Among the characteristics of this species, the jaw and the stinger stand out, its jaw is triangular in shape, of great strength and power, just like the stinger, the combination of both manage to pierce the skin to introduce the lethal substance.
dracula ant
Adetomyrma venatrix known as the Dracula ant for its unusual habit of drinking the blood of its young. It was recently discovered.
Non-Poisonous or House Ants
In this group there are thousands of species distributed in much of the world, they usually bite to defend themselves but it does not represent a health risk apart from generating a simple burning, they can be found on floors, walls, ceilings, wood and like the other groups present a well-structured organization, some more common species:
carpenter ant
They are part of the Camponotus genus, their name is due to the fact that they build their house inside the wood, expanding their colony throughout the tree, damaging its structure. These ants look for rotten wood that provides the right conditions for them to survive, taking humidity and temperature into account. They present different types of size and present a great variety of colors such as black, yellow and brown.
They do not feed on wood, their diet consists of dead insects, sweet substances from plants, flowers, fruits, meat and fat. They can be located in America, Europe and Africa
Argentine Ant
Linepithema humile or Argentine ant is native to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay and is currently scattered throughout the world. They are considered a pest, they are aggressive and territorial, causing great changes in their ecosystem and altering the environment of the species that live around them. They usually measure 2 and 3 mm.
Leafcutter Ant
It belongs to the Atta and Acromyrmex genera. This is one of the most numerous genera encompassing more than 40 species. Its organizational system is quite complex and defined, each individual has a specific function to perform, the queen is in charge of locating the colonies and reproducing, the soldiers protect, the foragers make the tunnels and look for food, the gardeners are in charge of caring for and protecting the fungus that forms in the fields, larvae and eggs in formation.
These ants are found from Panama to Argentina, they can cause great damage to the ecosystem and damage plantations and fields of coffee, corn and sugar cane.
Odorous House Ant
Tapinoma sessile is known as the sugar or coconut ant, it comes from the United States, its name comes from the smell it gives off when it is killed. They make their colonies anywhere walls, ceiling, floor, trunks, any place is good for them. Its diet is based on fruits, insects and nectar, it can be a pest if it is not controlled in time.
Red Wood Ant
Formica rufa or red wood ant is common in Europe, it can be found in forests in very numerous colonies of approximately 200.000 individuals, it feeds on insects, plants, fungi and vegetables.
barn ant
Messor barbarus or the granary ant is found in Spain, Italy, France and Morocco. Their colonies are created on the ground, among their peculiarities are their hygiene, they tend to clean themselves and their space inside the anthill, the soldiers have a large head, they feed on fruits and herbs.
acrobat ant
This ant stands out for the flexibility it shows, it can bend and place its head on the abdomen or thorax, among its characteristics we can mention its abdomen is heart-shaped, its color is yellow or black, its colony is built on rotten wood or almost rotten on very few occasions in woods in good condition.
Field Ant
They are found in fields and gardens, they build their colonies on the ground forming mounds of earth, their colors are brown, black or red or combinations of each other, their favorite food is sweets, sometimes they eat insects. An outstanding aspect is that they kidnap larvae and pupae of other species that they then keep in their colony and enslave when they develop.
harvester ant
They are usually large, from 6,25 to 12,5 mm, and have hairs that they use to clean their legs and antennae. They are located in hot and dry places. They are very clean they tend to clean the area around the colony they store the seeds inside
Pavement Ant
Caespitum their average size is 3,2 mm to 4,2 mm, they are brown almost reaching black, their legs and antennae are light brown. On the chest they have small spines and the whole body has hairs. It is obtained at home and buildings in search of food, being the menu is based on sweets and fats.
False Honey Ant
These ants make their home in the mud, feeding on large amounts of sugary liquid that it stores in its abdomen and is then expelled when other ants need it. The workers stand out for their bright dark brown coloration, their size is 3,2 to 4,2 mm.
Big Yellow Ant
They are reddish in color, agile, and measure about 5 mm, they are confused with termites. It seeks to make its colonies in rotten trunks or under the stone, its anthills are recognized by the large amount of earth that they move at the entrance. They are harmless and prefer sweet foods. When crushed they give off a bad smell.
Thief Ant
They are one of the smallest species, their size is 1 to 1,7 mm. They are yellow with brown tones, they live in other anthills and feed on larvae, their diet highlights fats, cheeses and meats, they do not consume sweet substances.
crazy ant
Longicornis or crazy ant these ants measure 2,5 mm and are dark brown in color; its legs and antennae are larger in proportion to the body. It can be found inside the house, its name is due to the uncontrolled way and without orientation that the ants show in the houses. Their diet is based on insects, fats and sweets.
Little Black Ant
It is a very small species, it usually measures up to 1,7 mm and its coloration is black. They can be located in open places and in disintegrating wood or cornice of buildings, the colonies are very numerous. They feed on the transpiration of plants and sometimes search houses for sweet foods, fats or vegetables.
Cornfield Ant
Its name of this species is given to it to be found mostly in corn crops. They feed on sweet food, live or dead insects, plant sap, and sweet substances from aphids. They usually make their nest in rotten logs, trunks or under stones.
green ants
Green ants owe their name to the fact that they make their colony in the treetops with leaves and silk obtained from the larvae, this is waterproof, at the time of making their colony they present architectural forms between them.
Pharaoh Ant
This type of ant is common to find in any area of the house, generally it enters the foundations, ceilings, pipes, which is why they are difficult to locate, they are yellow with reddish tones, they feed on sweet extracts, juices, honey, dead insects, meat and blood look for spaces that provide heat and humidity. They are very numerous colonies, the workers have a size of 2,1 mm to 5 mm. Adults have wings but do not fly.
Velvety Tree Ant
This ant is characterized by having a velvety and silky abdomen, its chest is red and its head is black, they locate their colonies in old trees or on their bark. They consume all kinds of food or dead insects. Its bite is painful.
yellow ants
Also called zanconas, its yellow color makes it similar to its relatives, the honey ants, it is highly adaptable to any climate, its size is usually 2 mm, there are numerous colonies and it is highly active and feeds on sugars it extracts from plants.
Red Headed Ants
It receives its name from the range of reds that it presents on its body, its abdomen is dark red, its thorax is light red and its head is red, they are found in the northern part of Chile, its bite is strong and produces great pain.
Army Ants
It is characterized by its way of hunting, they present great strategies when hunting, they create swarm raids or column raids with a multitude of them unfolding in columns to create a network and catch their prey, this warrior ant is carnivorous.
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