Formica sanguinea
| Slavemaker ant | ||||||||||||||
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| Formica sanguinea Latreille, 1798 |
with enslaved F. fusca
Formica sanguinea, the slavemaker ant, also know as Raptiformica range from Central and Northern Europe through Russia to Japan, China, and the Korean Peninsula. They are colored red and black with workers up to 7 mm long. Their common name comes from their practice of "enslaving" other species of ants.
A fertilized F. sanguinea queen will enter the nest of another ant species and kill their queen. She then takes advantage of the works who tend to her and her brood. F. sanguinea workers will also raid nearby nests, stealing larvae and pupae to become future workers for F. sanguinea.
Notes and references
- Sonobe, Rikio; Onoyama, Keiichi. Formica sanguinea. Retrieved on 2007-12-18.
- Wood Ants (1999). Retrieved on 2007-12-18.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Formica sanguinea". Image Credit.
