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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) » Myrmicinae » Attini » Big-headed Ants (Pheidole)
Photo#672904
tiny ant winged and workers - Pheidole - male - female
Copyright © 2012 Arlon

tiny ant winged and workers - Pheidole - Male Female
Midland, Midland County, Texas, USA
July 11, 2012
Size: 1.2mm for workers
After a brief shower, winged ants were emerging and there were also some much larger ants with them. I've not seen the really big "bruiser" mixed in with the workers and winged ants before. The workers were very aggressive and attacked a passing harvester ant. I assume this aggression was for the protection of the winged ants.

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tiny ant winged and workers - Pheidole - male - female tiny ant winged and workers - Pheidole tiny ant winged and workers - Pheidole
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Contributed by Arlon on 12 July, 2012 - 10:20pm
Last updated 14 July, 2012 - 3:32pm

Moved
Moved from Ants.
… Ken Wolgemuth, 14 July, 2012 - 3:32pm login or register to post comments

Pheidole sp. - minor workers, "soldiers" and males
Male reproductives are the winged ones. The "big headed" workers are the so-called "soldiers" (but as can be clearly seen on the pic showing the aggression against the unfortunate Pogonomyrmex, actually minor workers do most of the fighting in this genus).
One of the species showing a sharp color dimorphism within the worker caste, the minor workers being darker than the reddish soldiers. This should rule out the widespread P. dentata.
… Richard Vernier, 14 July, 2012 - 10:53am login or register to post comments

Moved for expert attention
Moved from ID Request.
… Ken Wolgemuth, 12 July, 2012 - 10:35pm login or register to post comments

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