Morphology and Terminology
Information on morphology and terminology can be found on the following pages.
- Worker Morphology (Morphological Terms, from Bolton, 1994, in part)
- Queen and Male Morphology (Boudinot, 2015)
- Mandibles (Morphological and Functional Diversity of Ant Mandibles)
- Trap-jaw mechanisms (Dacetine trap-jaws)
- Male Genitalia (see Boudinot, 2013; Boudinot, 2018; Tozetto & Lattke, 2020.)
- Hymenoptera Anatomy Ontology Portal (Hymenoptera-wide homology concepts)
- Digestive tract
- Thoracic crop (see Petersen-Braun, M.; Buschinger, A. 1975: Entstehung und Funktion eines thorakalen Kropfes bei Formiciden-Königinnen. Insectes Sociaux 22: 51-66 (Development and function of a thoracic crop in ant queens); Casadei-Ferreira, A., Fischer, G., Economo, E.P. 2020. Evidence for a thoracic crop in the workers of some Neotropical Pheidole species (Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Arthropod Structure, Development 59, 100977 (doi:10.1016/J.ASD.2020.100977)
During independent, claustral colony foundation of ant queens the flight muscles degenerate. The then „empty“ space within the thorax can be filled with a considerable swelling of the esophagus, which may serve as a „thoracic crop“, in addition to the usual crop in the gaster. Hölldobler & Wilson 1990, p.157: „More recently, it has been found that the esophagus of the queen expands into a "thoracic crop" in which the converted tissues are temporarily held in liquid form. In Pharaoh's ant (Monomorium pharaonis), the esophagus diameter widens from 7-10 micrometers to 265 micrometers. The thoracic crop has been demonstrated in five genera of Myrmicinae and Formicinae so far (Petersen-Braun and Buschinger, 1975).“
Life History Strategies
- Terminology Descriptions of life history strategies used throughout AntWiki.
X-ray micro-CT scan 3D model of Proceratium sp. (worker) prepared by the Economo lab at OIST.
X-ray micro-CT scan 3D model of Melissotarsus (worker) prepared by the Economo lab at OIST.