Dinomyrmex gigas
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Dinomyrmex gigas |
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| ( Latreille , 1802) |
Dinomyrmex gigas (formerly Camponotus gigas ) is a species of ant from the genus Dinomyrmex within the subfamily of the scale ants (Formicinae). This species is one of the largest ants in the world.
features
The body length of the workers is between 20.9 mm and 28.1 mm. The average length of the queen is 31.3 mm, the male 18.3 mm. The head and mesosoma are mostly black in color, while the color of the legs and guests can vary.
Subspecies
The species Dinomyrmex gigas is divided into the following subspecies:
- D. gigas borneensis Emery, 1887
- D. gigas gigas (Latreille, 1802)
distribution
The distribution area extends in Southeast Asia from Sumatra to Thailand . There they occur both in mangrove forests and in the mountains at heights of up to 1,500 meters.
Way of life
Dinomyrmex gigas are mainly nocturnal. A colony often inhabits several nests that are connected to one another. The total area on which the workers work can be up to one hectare. Workers who travel distances of 100 m to the food source are not uncommon. Special lower castes of transport workers transport the food from the source to the nest and are recruited in groups by pheromones . In case of danger, the Major-workers can give an alarm signal by playing with her Gaster drumming on the floor. In addition, this species has a pronounced territorial behavior. Fighting on the borders with neighboring colonies can last for several months. A handful of ants always meet at fixed battlefields and fight for several hours in a kind of ritual. These ritualized battles only take place with other Dinomyrmex gigas colonies, never with other species.
food
The diet consists on average of 87% honeydew , 7.4% bird droppings and 5.3% prey insects. Rain seems to favor the hunt for prey insects.
Multiplication
Around 40 to 225 sex animals swarm at dusk. The times of the swarm flight follow a certain rhythm for which endogenous factors play a role. Five overlapping cycles were found which were repeated with a periodicity of 185 to 190 days.
credentials
- ↑ Philip S Ward, Bonnie B Blaimer, Brian L Fisher: A revised phylogenetic classification of the ant subfamily Formicinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with resurrection of the genera Colobopsis and Dinomyrmex
- ↑ Camponotus gigas borneensis. (No longer available online.) Hymenoptera On-Line Database, formerly the original ; Retrieved May 23, 2007 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Camponotus gigas gigas. (No longer available online.) Hymenoptera On-Line Database, formerly the original ; Retrieved May 23, 2007 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
literature
- Martin Pfeiffer: Social structure and behavioral ecology of giant ants. Camponotus gigas Latreille 1802 in the rainforest of Malaysia on Borneo. Wissenschaft & Technik Verlag 1996, ISBN 3-896-85424-0
Web links
- Martin Pfeiffer: A briefing on the life history of the giant forest ant Camponotus gigas. In: antbase.net. Retrieved March 1, 2013 .