''Tetraponera aethiops'' 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
ant
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,0 ...
in the subfamily
Pseudomyrmecinae
Pseudomyrmecinae is a small subfamily of ants containing only three genera of slender, large-eyed arboreal ants, predominantly tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Trop ...
, which is native to tropical
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. It is found living in the
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
in association with ''
Barteria fistulosa
''Barteria fistulosa'' is a species of tree in the family Passifloraceae, native to tropical Central Africa. The tree has an association with an aggressive species of ant with a very painful sting, which lives in its hollow branches and twigs, an ...
'', a small tree.
Distribution and habitat
This ant is always found living in association with the tree ''Barteria fistulosa'', so the ant is only found where the tree grows in Central Africa. Its range extends from Nigeria, through Cameroon and the Central African Republic to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The tree grows in moist mixed
terra firma
Terra firma ("solid earth" in Latin) may refer to:
* Solid earth, the planet's solid surface and its interior
* Terra firma forest, moist tropical forest that does not get seasonally flooded
* Terrafirma, the mainland territories of the Republic ...
forest where it forms part of the
understory
In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English
The use of the English language in current and former member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations was largely inherited from British co ...
.
[
]
Ecology
After her nuptial flight, a queen ''Tetraponera aethiops'' searches for a ''Barteria fistulosa'' tree. The branches are hollow and she chooses a shoot some long and chews a hole through which she enters the cavity, known as a domitia. This links up to other parts of the tree and already contains the resources she needs, scale insect
Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than th ...
s and fungus, on which she feeds. As the shoot grows, the colony expands to fill the newly available space.herbivorous
A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...
insects that feed on leaves, and their presence on the tree give rise to its common name of "ant tree".hemolymph
Hemolymph, or haemolymph, is a fluid, analogous to the blood in vertebrates, that circulates in the interior of the arthropod (invertebrate) body, remaining in direct contact with the animal's tissues. It is composed of a fluid plasma in which ...
while others may carry off bits of prey. Other victims like small caterpillars may be stung to kill them and discarded.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3519179
Pseudomyrmecinae
Hymenoptera of Africa
Insects described in 1877