Abstract
In the North American harvester ant Ephebomyrmex imberbiculus, in addition to dealate queens, wingless female reproductives occur that have greatly reduced ocelli and thoracic sutures (intermorphic queens). Both queen types are equivalent in function, and do not differ in ovarian morphology. Colonies may contain several inseminated and egg-laying intermorphic queens. We discuss queen polymorphism in respect to the biology of this desert-dwelling species.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 267-273 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Insectes Sociaux |
Volume | 39 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 1992 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Ephebomyrmex
- Pogonomyrmex
- harvester ants
- queen polymorphism
- wing reduction
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Insect Science