Ravoux's slavemaker ant (''Myrmoxenus ravouxi'') is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
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 ...
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
to
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
. The species are helotistic, that is, they oppress another species of ant in order to sustain their colony.
The queen will
fake death to entice ants from another colony to drag her back to their nest, where she awakens and kills the nest's original queen. She will then cover herself in the dead queen's
pheromones
A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavi ...
, and will begin producing
eggs
Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...
. The slavemaker ants then overrun the colony and then find a new colony to take over.
See also
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Formica sanguinea
''Formica sanguinea'', or blood-red ant, is a species of facultative slave-maker ant in the genus ''Formica'' characterized by the ability to secrete formic acid. It ranges from Central and Northern Europe through Russia to Japan, China, the ...
''
References
Role of early experience in ant enslavement: a comparative analysis of a host and a non-host species Rumsaïs Blatrix and Claire Sermage, Front Zool. 2005; 2: 13. Published online 2005 August 2. .
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External links
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Myrmicinae
Slave-making ants
Hymenoptera of Europe
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN
{{myrmicinae-stub