''Formica subintegra'' is a species of

slave-making ant Slave-making ants are brood parasites that capture broods of other ant species to increase the worker force of their colony. After emerging in the slave-maker nest, slave workers work as if they were in their own colony, while parasite workers onl ...

in the genus ''

Formica ''Formica'' is a genus of ants of the family Formicidae, commonly known as wood ants, mound ants, thatching ants, and field ants. ''Formica'' is the type genus of the Formicidae, and of the subfamily Formicinae. The type species of genus ''Fo ...

''. ''Formica subintegra'' seems to be

obligate parasite An obligate parasite or holoparasite is a parasitic organism that cannot complete its life-cycle without exploiting a suitable host. If an obligate parasite cannot obtain a host it will fail to reproduce. This is opposed to a facultative parasit ...

s, enslaving ants of the ''fusca'' group of ''Formica''. The ants are not active outside the nest except during slave-raids; foraging is conducted entirely by their slaves, which make up 70-90% of the colony.

References

External links

* subintegra Hymenoptera of North America Insects described in 1908 Slave-making ants {{formicinae-stub