33:
223:
54:
472:
306:
they produce. The ants are believed to obtain all their nourishment from this source, and in a laboratory experiment, when they were deprived of their mealybugs, they refused all other forms of food that they were offered. The mealybugs are found clustered on roots in deeper parts of the nest in the
293:
are completely subterranean. Nests have been found under boulders and consist of galleries and chambers that may extend to 30 centimetres (12 in) or more underground, and perhaps deeper in the dry season. This species has an obligate
233:
is a tiny pale golden-brown ant with a few erect hairs but many dense appressed hairs. The reproductives have normal compound eyes but the workers have tiny eyes and avoid exposure to light. These ants are very similar in appearance to
326:, each still carrying a mealybug, shed their wings, and search for a suitable site to make a new nest. Some may join colonies in existing nests, as evidenced by the fact that there are often several queens in a nest.
318:) have been seen in mid-summer, shortly after the beginning of seasonal rains. There are often ten times as many male as female alates. Each female emerges from her natal nest carrying a mealybug between her
322:, presumably to act as a parent of the mealybug herd in the nest she will found. The flying ants hover in a swarm and copulate in mid-air. The females return to the ground after their
587:
613:
561:
250:. However, there are differences in the extensions to the penis valves that make it likely that the three are in fact separate species. The head of
600:
677:
269:
in
Arizona at elevations of between 1,050 and 1,700 metres (3,440 and 5,580 ft) and its range probably extends southwards into the
672:
273:
in Mexico. Because there is no sign of the nest above ground, this ant may be under recorded. It is generally found in woodland of
605:
522:
476:
618:
53:
32:
374:
LaPolla, John S.; Cover, Stefan P.; Mueller, Ulrich G. (2002). "Natural
History of the Mealybug-Tending Ant,
270:
254:
is smaller than that of the other two species. The total length of a worker is 1.75 mm (0.07 in).
210:
222:
490:
302:. This underground sap-sucking insect feeds on the roots of plants and the ants herd them and feed on the
527:
158:
236:
548:
303:
266:
242:
198:
667:
202:
387:
48:
592:
639:
535:
449:
644:
439:
431:
626:
444:
411:
323:
661:
295:
174:
540:
574:
105:
513:
194:
125:
307:
passages excavated by the ants. Many of the ants are infested with parasitic
85:
65:
453:
631:
471:
346:
507:
435:
319:
206:
135:
391:
579:
566:
274:
95:
75:
484:
315:
221:
410:
Smith, Chris R.; Oettler, Jan; Kay, Adam; Deans, Carrie (2007).
308:
553:
488:
278:
190:
115:
497:
412:"First Recorded Mating Flight of the Hypogeic Ant,
378:, with Descriptions of the Male and Queen Castes".
380:Transactions of the American Entomological Society
8:
485:
197:. It lives permanently underground in the
31:
20:
443:
341:
339:
416:, with its Obligate Mutualist Mealybug,
405:
403:
401:
335:
314:Flights of winged reproductive ants (
7:
246:and may be a northern population of
14:
271:Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains
470:
298:relationship with the mealybug,
52:
1:
694:
678:Taxa named by Julius Roger
673:Insects described in 1862
424:Journal of Insect Science
164:
157:
49:Scientific classification
47:
39:
30:
23:
201:in Arizona and forms a
418:Rhizoecus colombiensis
300:Rhizoecus colombiensis
227:
211:Rhizoecus colombiensis
225:
205:association with the
481:at Wikimedia Commons
436:10.1673/031.007.1101
267:Chiricahua Mountains
199:Chiricahua Mountains
228:
655:
654:
640:Open Tree of Life
491:Taxon identifiers
475:Media related to
193:in the subfamily
182:
181:
685:
648:
647:
635:
634:
622:
621:
609:
608:
596:
595:
583:
582:
570:
569:
557:
556:
544:
543:
531:
530:
518:
517:
516:
499:Acropyga epedana
486:
478:Acropyga epedana
474:
458:
457:
447:
414:Acropyga epedana
407:
396:
395:
376:Acropyga epedana
371:
365:
364:
362:
361:
349:Acropyga epedana
343:
291:Acropyga epedana
265:is found in the
263:Acropyga epedana
252:Acropyga epedana
237:Acropyga goeldii
231:Acropyga epedana
186:Acropyga epedana
170:
168:Acropyga epedana
57:
56:
41:Acropyga epedana
35:
25:Acropyga epedana
21:
693:
692:
688:
687:
686:
684:
683:
682:
658:
657:
656:
651:
643:
638:
630:
627:Observation.org
625:
617:
612:
604:
599:
591:
586:
578:
573:
565:
560:
552:
547:
539:
534:
526:
521:
512:
511:
506:
493:
467:
462:
461:
409:
408:
399:
373:
372:
368:
359:
357:
345:
344:
337:
332:
324:nuptial flights
287:
260:
243:Acropyga palaga
220:
178:
172:
166:
153:
150:A. epedana
51:
17:
12:
11:
5:
691:
689:
681:
680:
675:
670:
660:
659:
653:
652:
650:
649:
636:
623:
610:
597:
584:
571:
558:
545:
532:
519:
503:
501:
495:
494:
489:
483:
482:
466:
465:External links
463:
460:
459:
397:
386:(4): 367–376.
366:
334:
333:
331:
328:
286:
283:
259:
256:
226:Head of worker
219:
216:
180:
179:
173:
162:
161:
155:
154:
147:
145:
141:
140:
133:
129:
128:
123:
119:
118:
113:
109:
108:
103:
99:
98:
93:
89:
88:
83:
79:
78:
73:
69:
68:
63:
59:
58:
45:
44:
37:
36:
28:
27:
16:Species of ant
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
690:
679:
676:
674:
671:
669:
666:
665:
663:
646:
641:
637:
633:
628:
624:
620:
615:
611:
607:
602:
598:
594:
589:
585:
581:
576:
572:
568:
563:
559:
555:
550:
546:
542:
537:
533:
529:
524:
520:
515:
509:
505:
504:
502:
500:
496:
492:
487:
480:
479:
473:
469:
468:
464:
455:
451:
446:
441:
437:
433:
429:
425:
421:
419:
415:
406:
404:
402:
398:
393:
389:
385:
381:
377:
370:
367:
356:
352:
350:
342:
340:
336:
329:
327:
325:
321:
317:
312:
310:
305:
301:
297:
292:
284:
282:
280:
276:
272:
268:
264:
257:
255:
253:
249:
245:
244:
239:
238:
232:
224:
217:
215:
213:
212:
208:
204:
200:
196:
192:
188:
187:
176:
171:
169:
163:
160:
159:Binomial name
156:
152:
151:
146:
143:
142:
139:
138:
134:
131:
130:
127:
124:
121:
120:
117:
114:
111:
110:
107:
104:
101:
100:
97:
94:
91:
90:
87:
84:
81:
80:
77:
74:
71:
70:
67:
64:
61:
60:
55:
50:
46:
42:
38:
34:
29:
26:
22:
19:
498:
477:
427:
423:
417:
413:
383:
379:
375:
369:
358:. Retrieved
354:
348:
313:
299:
296:trophobiotic
290:
289:Colonies of
288:
262:
261:
258:Distribution
251:
247:
241:
235:
230:
229:
209:
185:
184:
183:
167:
165:
149:
148:
136:
40:
24:
18:
575:iNaturalist
218:Description
203:mutualistic
122:Subfamily:
106:Hymenoptera
668:Formicinae
662:Categories
360:2013-11-27
330:References
195:Formicinae
126:Formicinae
116:Formicidae
86:Arthropoda
430:(11): 1.
320:mandibles
248:A. goeldi
144:Species:
72:Kingdom:
66:Eukaryota
593:10880952
514:Q3652217
508:Wikidata
454:20233070
392:25078787
304:honeydew
207:mealybug
137:Acropyga
112:Family:
82:Phylum:
76:Animalia
62:Domain:
580:1026865
567:1316572
445:2999416
355:AntWiki
285:Biology
275:juniper
132:Genus:
102:Order:
96:Insecta
92:Class:
43:worker
645:301913
632:806772
619:354294
606:575471
554:398108
452:
442:
390:
316:alates
189:is an
177:, 1862
588:IRMNG
528:80904
388:JSTOR
309:mites
175:Roger
614:NCBI
601:ITIS
562:GBIF
541:9PDS
523:BOLD
450:PMID
277:and
240:and
549:EoL
536:CoL
440:PMC
432:doi
384:128
279:oak
191:ant
664::
642::
629::
616::
603::
590::
577::
564::
551::
538::
525::
510::
448:.
438:.
426:.
422:.
400:^
382:.
353:.
338:^
311:.
281:.
214:.
456:.
434::
428:7
420:"
394:.
363:.
351:"
347:"
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
