''Temnothorax americanus'' is a species of

slave-maker 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 on ...

in the genus ''

Temnothorax ''Temnothorax'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It contains more than 380 species. Biology The workers of ''Temnothorax'' species are generally small. Colonies are typically monogynous, although facultative polygyny has been doc ...

''. The ants are 2–3 mm in size, and endemic to the northeastern United States and adjacent Canadian regions. They do not forage for food, but instead 'scout workers' from the colony seek out nearby host colonies of ants (e.g. ''

Temnothorax longispinosus ''Temnothorax'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It contains more than 380 species. Biology The workers of ''Temnothorax'' species are generally small. Colonies are typically monogynous, although facultative polygyny has been doc ...

''), steal larvae and bring them back to their own colony. A small ''T. americanus'' colony could consist of a queen, two to five workers and thirty to sixty slaves. In a study published in ''

Animal Behaviour Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objective ...

'', researchers showed that ''T. americanus'' scouts target stronger colonies over weaker ones to steal larvae from. It was formerly placed as the sole member of the genus ''

Protomognathus ''Temnothorax'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It contains more than 380 species. Biology The workers of ''Temnothorax'' species are generally small. Colonies are typically monogynous, although facultative polygyny has been doc ...

''.

References

External links

* Myrmicinae Slave-making ants Hymenoptera of North America Insects of the United States Insects described in 1895 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN {{myrmicinae-stub