Ant and Related Entomology Terms

(terms restricted to the study of social insects; such as, ants and words that apply generally to entomology)

alarm-recruitment system
A communication system that rallies nest mates to some particular place to aid in the defense of the colony.

An example is the odor trail system of lower termites, which is used to recruit colony members to the vicinity of intruders and breaks in the nest wall.

alate
Winged.
alitrunk
1. The segment of the body of an insect to which the wings are attached; the thorax.
2. The mesosoma or the higher Hymenoptera, including the true thorax and (fused anteriorly to the thorax) the first abdominal segment.
allele (s), alleles (pl)
Any of the possible forms in which a gene for a specific trait can occur.

In almost all animal cells, two alleles for each gene are inherited, one from each parent. Paired alleles (one on each of two paired chromosomes) that are the same are called homozygous, and those that are different are called heterozygous.

In heterozygous pairings, one allele is usually dominant, and the other recessive. Complex traits; such as, height and longevity are usually caused by the interactions of numerous pairs of alleles, while simple traits; such as, eye color may be caused by just one pair.

allelic recognition, recognition alleles
Alleles (genes that are responsible for alternative characteristics) hypothesized to encode the production of a recognition cue and simultaneously the ability to recognize the cue in others, leading to the discrimination of kin from non-kin.
alloethism
The regular and disproportionate change in a particular category of behavior as a function of worker size.
allogrooming
Grooming directed at another individual, as opposed to self-grooming.
allometry
The study of the change in proportion of various parts of an organism as a consequence of growth.
allomone
A chemical substance or blend of substances used in communication among individuals beloning to different species.

It evokes a response that is adaptively favorable to the emitter but not to the receiver; for example, a lure used by a predator in attracting its prey.

altruism
Self-destructive behavior performed for the benefit of others in the colony.
ant bodies
The bodies of ants are divided into three main parts:
  1. The head
  2. The thorax or mid-section.
  3. The abdomen or gastor.

Three pairs of legs are attached to the thorax, and like all insects, their bodies are encased in a hard, shell-like covering or exoskeleton and their legs are jointed.

The thorax can be broken down into two major parts: the alitrunk which contains the legs and wings, and the petiole which is found directly anterior to the gastor and is found only in ants.

Ants have mandibles (jaws) which are of varied structures. These varied structures provide for a plethora of functions ranging from grasping, tearing, cutting and other special tasks.

Most ants have a stinger at the end of the gastor. Some ants can release this stinger similar to the way honeybees do it. The stinger is only found in female ants and is a modified ovipositor (egg laying organ).

Ants have compound eyes which have not been shown to effect their behavior, although some ants seem to be able to detect movements. They have very sensitive antennae that are used for a wide array of communication.

Nearly all ants have a unique gland found on the petiole called the metapleural gland. Most importantly, this gland has been shown to contain antibacterial and antifungal chemicals which are essential for survival in the humid, dark nests in the ground or rotting vegetation.

This gland secretes an antiseptic substance that at times acts as a repellent to attacking organisms. It is also thought that the metapleural gland releases pheromones for communication.

Their varied mandibles are an irreplaceable tool for accomplishing the jobs necessary for the multiple behaviors displayed by various individuals of colonies.

The metapleural gland excretes antifungal and antibacterial materials that ants spread throughout their colonies through their wanderings. This protects their brood and their food supplies in the humid underground environment.

ant castes, ant categories, or ant classifications
1. Queens, which are typically the largest ants in a colony.

After selecting a nest site, a queen will begin laying eggs and caring for her brood. The first workers that develop assume brood care, leaving the queen to simply lay eggs.

Ant colonies can have single or multiple queens. The number of queens in multiple queen colonies varies by species, ranging from a few queens to nearly half the population in a colony.

Depending on the ant species, queens may live from months to years.

2. Males, that serve one purpose which is to mate or breed with the queen.

Males typically die soon after mating or are forced to leave the colony and are normally alive solely during the colony's reproductive stage or period.

3. Workers, which are sterile, wingless females that form the main members of the colony.

They perform the tasks necessary for the survival and growth of the colony; such as, foraging for or finding food, caring for the brood (eggs, larvae, plus the queen), and excavating or enlarging the nest.

ant gardens
A cluster of epiphytic plants inhabited by ant colonies, which benefit from the association.

Epiphytes are plants: such as, a tropical orchid or a staghorn fern, that grows on another plant upon which it depends for mechanical support but not for nutrients. They are also called aerophytes or "air plants".

One of the most complex mutualisms between plants and ants is the ant garden

To qualify as a true ant garden, the plants must benefit from the ant associations which is an aggregate of epipytes assembled by ants.

The ants bring the seeds of the epiphytes into their carton nests and as the plants grow, nourished by the carton and detritus brought by the ants, their roots become part of the framework of the ant nests.

The ants also feed on the fruit pulp, the elaiosomes (food bodies) of the seeds, and the secretions of the extra-floral nectaries.

—Compiled from excerpts of
"Ant Gardens" located in The Ants by Bert Holldobler and Edward O. Wilson;
The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press;
Cambridge, Massachusetts; 1990; page 546.
ant plant, myrmecophyte
A species of plant with domatia, or specialized structures for housing ant colonies.
ant sizes of workers: monomorphic, dimorphic, polymorphic
Depending on the species, workers in a colony can be
  1. Monomorphic, all the same size.
  2. Dimorphic, of two sizes.
  3. Polymorphic, more than two sizes.

Workers divide labor, so some leave the nest to find food while most of them stay in the nest to take care of all of the other tasks which need to be done.

Here are two additional word units that deal directly with "ants": formic- and myrmeco-.


Index of additional Scientific and Technological Topics.


Bibliography of Entomology or Insect Terms (The Ants).