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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) » breviceps species group (Polyergus breviceps species group) » Western Amazon ant (Polyergus mexicanus)
Photo#249765
Red Ants - Polyergus rufescens - Polyergus mexicanus
Copyright © 2009 Algidus

Red Ants - Polyergus rufescens - Polyergus mexicanus
Cache National Forest County, Utah, USA
July 20, 2008
These red ants are just leaving the nest of a black ant species with their stolen goods. The red ants formed a trail about 15 feet long, up the side of a steep slope. At one end was the black ants' nest, and at the other the red ants' nest. Some of the black ants followed the red ants to their colony, entered it and successfully got their larvae back. The only problem is they took it back into the red ant colony. It was the first time I'd watched a battle like this, very interesting.

Images of this individual: tag all
Red Ants - Polyergus rufescens - Polyergus mexicanus Red Ants - Polyergus? - Polyergus mexicanus
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Contributed by Algidus on 20 January, 2009 - 2:20pm
Last updated 8 March, 2012 - 7:28am

Moved
Moved from Polyergus breviceps.
… James C. Trager, 8 March, 2012 - 7:28am login or register to post comments

P. rufescens is Eurasian, but
this is a member of the American P. breviceps complex, currently under revision, so best not to give a particular species name, even if it could be determined from the photo, but definitely not rufescens.
… James C. Trager, 7 September, 2009 - 3:03pm login or register to post comments

Identified!
ID was incorrect, first thought to be Polyergus rufescens, but apparently that was wrong.
… Algidus, 23 January, 2009 - 1:27pm login or register to post comments

Polyergus
I don't know the species but these are defiantly a Polyergus.

They are a slave making ant, specifically of the genus Formica. In the summer time they raid colonies of Formica, mostly running past the guards and getting out as fast as they can. They steal the pupa and cocoons to the Formica and let them be born in their own nest (the Polyergus). The newborn workers hatch out and become members of the Polyergus nest.

Polyergus ants actually can't do any nest work. Even their new queens have to locate colonies of Formica and assassinate it's queen in order to start a colony of her own.

One of the experts on here might know the species.
… MrILoveTheAnts, 20 January, 2009 - 2:33pm login or register to post comments

 
ID to species level...
Should be difficult from pics alone, because Polyergus is a quite homogenous genus whose all species look alike - just like their victims, i.e. the Formica of the fusca-group. But maybe distributional clues will help Gordon Snelling.
I can only agree with Eric: that's wonderful to watch such good pictures of "Amazon Ants" (as we name them in French) on BG. First worker from left is carrying a pupa, the second one a larva, and the third a callow worker, exemplifying the typical Polyergus raiding behavior. By contrast, Formica slave-makers rob virtually only pupae.
… Richard Vernier, 21 January, 2009 - 9:08am login or register to post comments

 
woah!
All that going on right in the backyard, amazing! Thanks
… Algidus, 20 January, 2009 - 2:36pm login or register to post comments

 
Thank YOU!
Even witnessing one of these raids is pretty rare, let alone documenting it with nice images. Thanks so much for sharing.
… Eric R. Eaton, 20 January, 2009 - 2:42pm login or register to post comments

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