Monomorium santschii
Encyclopedia
Monomorium santschii is a species of ant
that is native to Tunisia
.
It is a parasitic ant that has no worker caste. The queen enters the colony of a different species and, probably by employing a pheromone
, she forces the host workers to kill their queen. She then uses these workers as slaves to bring up her own offspring.
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
that is native to Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
.
It is a parasitic ant that has no worker caste. The queen enters the colony of a different species and, probably by employing a pheromone
Pheromone
A pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual...
, she forces the host workers to kill their queen. She then uses these workers as slaves to bring up her own offspring.