''Temnothorax americanus'' is a species of slave-maker ant 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 ( mesosoma length 0.715 mm). Colonies are typically monogynous, although fac ...

''. The ants are 2–3 mm in size, and

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to the northeastern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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''), 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 a branch of zoology that studies the behavior, behaviour of non-human animals. It has its scientific roots in the work of Charles Darwin and of American and German ornithology, ornithologists of the late 19th and early 20th cen ...

'', 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 (mesosoma length 0.715 mm). Colonies are typically monogynous, although facul ...

''.

References

External links

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