''Aphaenogaster senilis'' is a species of ant in the family Formicidae native to the western Mediterranean Basin and the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

Description

It is a monogynous and monomorphic species, about long. Its color is black, dull in appearance. Despite being considered a monomorphic species, it is possible to observe some variation in the size of the workers. It has light hair throughout the body. The thorax has a pair of short spines. The queen has vestigial wings, which do not perform any flight function. It is an omnivorous species, being frequent to find pieces of arthropods, seeds, snail shells, bones of small animals and pieces of garbage, next to the anthills. The ants are diurnal, aggressive and inactive in the coldest months of the year, and spotted in shady areas in the warmer months.

Distribution and habitat

''Aphaenogaster senilis'' is distributed throughout the western Mediterranean, from the southern Mediterranean coast of France and Sardinia, to the Canary Islands and Morocco. It is especially prevalent on the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

(excluding the north). It has been introduced to the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

. It inhabits humid

undergrowth In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but above ...

areas, as well as in areas highly altered by humans, such as car parks or gardens in urban centers.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13383455 senilis Hymenoptera of Africa Hymenoptera of Europe Fauna of Portugal Insects described in 1853 Taxa named by Gustav Mayr