Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Psyche: A Journal of Entomology
Abstract
The ant Formica talhotae Wilson is a workerless social parasite of the microgrna group, which forms mixed colonies with the host ant Formica ohscuripes Fore!. Queens produce males and females only and there is also no worker brood of F. obscuripes in the parasitized colonies. The small alates have a long flight period stretching from mid-June to late September, with flights taking place on every suitable morning when the temperature is above 71° and rising, when the sun is shining, and when there is no appreciable wind. Flights are best between 78° and 83° F. Once up on plants, alates are reluctant to return to the nest so some flights, under poor conditions, are long drawn out. Flights are sparse, usually only 10 to 75 alates taking off in a day. Sometimes there is a small swarming reaction, with females loitering on plants above the nest while males fly about until they find them and mate.
Publication Date
9-1976
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Talbot, Mary, "The natural history of the workerless ant parasite, Formica talbotae" (1976). Faculty Scholarship. 311.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/faculty-research-papers/311