Ant social parasitism (IMAGE)

Arizona State University

Ant social parasitism

Caption

Diversity of life history traits in the formicine ants. In clockwise direction: (A) members of the F. fusca group practicing independent colony foundation; (B) F. obscuripes, representing the Formica integra group (Nearctic members of the paraphyletic “rufa” group), which practices dependent and temporary social parasitic colony founding; (C) Formica gynocrates, representing the facultatively dulotic species of the F. sanguinea group, with a worker of its neogagates group host species, Formica vinculans; (D) the highly modified worker of Polyergus mexicanus, representing the obligately dulotic formicine ants in the genera Polyergus and Rossomyrmex.

Credit

All images courtesy of Alex Wild (www.alexanderwild.com).

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