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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Ants (Formicoidea) » Ants (Formicidae) » Formicinae » Formicini » Amazon Ants (Polyergus) » lucidus species group (Polyergus lucidus species group)

lucidus species group

Classification · Other Common Names · Pronunciation · Range · Habitat · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Internet References
Polyergus lucidus with Formica incerta - Polyergus lucidus Punishing an enslaver! - Polyergus montivagus - female Bilateral gynandromorph polyergus longicornis! - Polyergus longicornis Polyergus longicornis worker - Polyergus longicornis - female Polyergus montivagus worker - Polyergus montivagus Polyergus montivagus worker - Polyergus montivagus Polyergus lucidus and host Formica incerta - Polyergus lucidus - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps)
Superfamily Formicoidea (Ants)
Family Formicidae (Ants)
Subfamily Formicinae
Tribe Formicini
Genus Polyergus (Amazon Ants)
No Taxon lucidus species group
Other Common Names
Shining Amazon ant
Pronunciation
Anglicized -- polly-ERG-us LOOSE-id-us (Note "hard" G! The pronunciation "pollyERJiss" is heard occasionally, but is not justified orthographically or etymolologically)

Latinate -- pole-ee-EHR-goos LOO-kid-oos
Range
Temperate North America, including most of eastern US, southern Ontario, Canada, west to the southern Rocky Mountain States. Not yet collected, but should be sought in Texas, where several host species abound.
Habitat
(Usually open) woodlands and grassy areas, always in mixed colonies in which they are outnumbered by workers of a species of the Formica pallidefulva group.
Food
Polyergus do not feed themselves, and must rely on liquid food regurgitated to them by the host Formica workers.
Life Cycle
See genus Polyergus account.
Remarks
This species complex consists of several "host races" (each associated with a different Formica pallidefulva-group species) and some of which have had names proposed. The group is under revision, and there is hope the situation will be elucidated when that is complete.
Internet References
AntWeb Polyergus specimen images
Alex Wild's images of live Polyergus
Contributed by john and jane balaban on 7 July, 2008 - 9:50am
Additional contributions by James C. Trager
Last updated 26 November, 2013 - 1:26pm

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