The Japanese queenless ant is a tiny brown ant, about 0.1 in (2.5 mm) long, from East and Southeast Asia, and it has no queens at all. Young workers lay eggs without mating, and those eggs hatch into more workers that are near-copies of their mothers. It is not known to live wild in the United States.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A small ant about 0.1 in (2.5 mm) long. The head and thorax are dull brown with a fine net-like texture, and the round abdomen is shiny blackish brown. A pair of sharp spines points backward from the rear of the thorax.
Where it lives
- Range
- Native to East and Southeast Asia, including Japan and Korea. It is especially common in Japan.
- Preferred conditions
- Colonies hide in groups under stones, in rotting logs, or under fallen leaves. They have no permanent home; in Japan, they spend the winter in holes deep in the soil around trees.
Behavior
- Diet
- Workers prefer sweet foods such as tree sap and fruit over animal food.
- Activity
- Colonies move often, marching in long lines and carrying their eggs, larvae, and pupae one by one to a new spot.
- Social life
- Every colony is made only of workers. Young workers stay inside and lay a few eggs; as they age, they stop laying and take on outdoor jobs.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- Because workers reproduce by , many colonies are genetically almost identical. Some colonies, though, contain several genetic strains.
Name and classification
- About the name
- In older Japanese research, this ant was often called Pristomyrmex pungens. In 2003, that name was treated as the same species as P. punctatus.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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