Plug head ant
| Plug head ant | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plug-head ant worker with a characteristically shaped head |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Camponotus truncatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Spinola , 1808) |
The peg head ant ( Camponotus truncatus , Syn. : Colobopsis truncatus ) is one in Central Europe occurring ant species from the genus of carpenter ants ( Camponotus ).
features
In addition to the ordinary minor workers, colonies of the plug-head ant also have major workers (door closer morphs) who have a plug-shaped head with a circular cross-section, conspicuously truncated at the front. This morphological peculiarity gives the species its name. The minor worker ants can be distinguished from the other Ross ants in that the upper edge of their petiolus is clearly concave when viewed from the front, whereas the other species of the genus have a convex upper edge. In addition, the front ledge is not curved, but almost straight. Your antennae turn in the middle of your forehead. The Gynen otherwise have a head capsule, which measures than the other, much larger (> 3.0 mm) carpenter ants at the breitesten place a maximum of 2.7 millimeters. Like the major workers, they have a plug-shaped head with a conspicuously truncated front and a circular cross-section.
Occurrence
The species has its natural distribution in Central Europe, north to 50.4 ° north latitude, from the lowlands to the colline altitude level , as well as in southern Europe. Further north, for example in Berlin, it was brought in through the introduction of plant material. So far it has only been found in 31 locations in five federal states (Thuringia, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg) in Germany. However, due to the arboricolous way of life, it is difficult to discover and is probably more widespread. The species occurs frequently in southern Germany and can also be found in cities.
Deciduous forests with favorable temperatures and isolated deciduous trees are settled.
Way of life
Older nests can only be found in dead wood or the bark of trees, less often in bushes. The nest foundation takes place in existing insect feeding tunnels, which are gradually expanded into a gallery system. This gallery system covers the entire volume of the dead wood, but has a maximum of two to three small entrances. Individual Gynen also set up their colonies in plant galls, in which they also overwinter. The nest can also be established in hollow plant stems, such as those of Rubus species. At first the small entrance to the nest is closed by the Gyne, later this task is taken over by the door closer morphs (major workers) with their characteristically deformed heads. Larger entrances are locked by up to three workers at the same time. Plug-head ant colonies seem to grow slowly and rarely are those with more than 500 workers. Major workers are around 20 to 30 times less numerous in the nest than ordinary minor workers. The colonies are monogynous , but it is not uncommon to find several separate nest areas on a nest tree (polydomy). Pupation apparently always takes place without a cocoon.
The fast-moving plug-head ants behave very carefully and are ready to flee towards other ants, with the exception of Temnothorax . They are only aggressive towards foreign colonies of their own species. Not only minor, but also major workers sometimes go looking for food. The animals swarm from June to early August.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bernhard Seifert: The ants of Central and Northern Europe . lutra Verlags- und Vertriebsgesellschaft, Tauer / Görlitz 2007, ISBN 978-3-936412-03-1 , p. 152 ff .
- ↑ Camponotus truncatus in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved September 24, 2013
- ↑ a b c d Bernhard Seifert: The ants of Central and Northern Europe . lutra Verlags- und Vertriebsgesellschaft, Tauer / Görlitz 2007, ISBN 978-3-936412-03-1 , p. 270 .
literature
- Bernhard Seifert: The ants of Central and Northern Europe . lutra publishing and sales company, Tauer / Görlitz 2007, ISBN 978-3-936412-03-1 .
