''Tetraponera aethiops'' is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
ant
Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...
in the subfamily
Pseudomyrmecinae
Pseudomyrmecinae is a small subfamily of ants containing three genera of slender, large-eyed arboreal ants, predominantly tropical or subtropical
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate cla ...
, which is native to tropical
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
. It is found living in the
forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
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 forest where it forms part of the
understory
In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the Canopy (biology), forest ca ...
.
[
]
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 (biology), order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient g ...
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 evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat n ...
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, similar to the blood in invertebrates, that circulates in the inside of the arthropod's body, remaining in direct contact with the animal's tissues. It is composed of a fluid plasma in which hemolymph c ...
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