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Image CC-BY-NC-SA © Jim Webber Via Flickr Observer Cards Ants Ants www.eol.org Image CC-BY-NC-SA © Jim Webber via Flickr Adam Lazarus, Consult Ants Edited by Jeff Holmes, EOL, Harvard University About Observer Cards EOL Observer Cards Observer cards are designed to foster the art and science of observing nature. Each set provides information about key traits and techniques necessary to make accurate and useful scientific observations. The cards are not designed to identify species but rather to encourage detailed observations. Take a journal or notebook along with you on your next nature walk and use these cards to guide your explorations. Observing Ants Ants are some of the most fascinating creatures in nature and can be observed almost everywhere! There are approximately 15,000 described species of ants (and perhaps 10,000 not yet described) with endless variations and adaptations to their environment. Use these cards to help you focus on the key traits and behaviors that make different ant species unique. Drawings and photographs are a great way to supplement your field notes as you explore the tiny world of these amazing animals. Icon Legend: = Observable by eye = Magnification necessary Author: Adam Lazarus, Consult Ants. Editor: Jeff Holmes, EOL, Harvard University. Created by the Encyclopedia of Life - www.eol.org Content Licensed Under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Table of Contents Anatomy Diet Associations Body Shape Carnivory Visible Symbiosis Body Color Herbivory Hidden Symbiosis Eyes Diet Specialists Mites Mandibles Mimicry Organization Antennae Inquilines Worker Castes Thorax Human Impact Communication Petiole Segments Nest Location Pilosity (Hair) Life Cycle Ants in Groups Tip of Gaster Development Stages Wings Behavior Techniques Body Specialists Behavior Specialists Photography Ants at a Glance Perception Collecting Scientific Records Body Shape Ants 1 Anatomy 2 3 4 Body Shape EOL Observer Cards Many ants have tell-tale body shapes. Guides and keys often begin with a few words about overall shape and include terms such as compact, cyclindrical, or flattened. You might also note out-standing physical features such as a flattened head or long spines. Supplemental Notes An ant’s body shape may say a lot about its livelihood. For example slender, gracile (delicately built) ants tend to be fast. But cylindrical ants usually live in long, thin tunnels. Images: 1. Orectognathus clarki © servitude via Flickr; 2. Cephalotes sp. © Ricardo Solar via Flickr; 3. Solenopsis invicta (Red Fire Ant) © AntWeb.org; 4. Pseudomyrmex apache © Jen Fogarty via AntWeb.org. Author: Adam Lazarus, Consult Ants. Editor: Jeff Holmes, EOL, Harvard University. Created by the Encyclopedia of Life - www.eol.org Content Licensed Under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Body Color Ants 1 2 3 4 5 Anatomy 6 7 8 9 Body Color EOL Observer Cards Record the overall body color but keep in mind that a single species may come in a variety of colors. Ants come in a huge range of colors but the most common are red, brown and black. If you see a white ant, chances are it has just completed its change (metamorphosis) from a wormlike larva to an adult ant. In some species, it takes a few days for the adult pigments to fully develop. Supplemental Notes Color has no bearing on how dangerous an ant species is. There are harmless red ants, and black ants with very powerful stings. Some ant species have names that reflect their color, such as Rhytidoponera metallica, or Tapinoma melanocephalum (not pictured). Images: 1. © Gary Alpert; 2. Messor angularis, © April Nobile via Antweb; 3. Rhytidoponera metallica, © April Nobile via Antweb; 5. Oecophylla smaragdina, © April Nobile via Antweb; 6.© Adam Lazarus & Christopher Rieken; 7. Myrmecia gulosa, John Tann via Flickr; 8 © Adam Lazarus & Christopher Rieken; 9. © April Nobile via Antweb. Author: Adam Lazarus, Consult Ants. Editor: Jeff Holmes, EOL, Harvard University. Created by the Encyclopedia of Life - www.eol.org Content Licensed Under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Eyes Ants Anatomy 1 2 3 4 Eyes EOL Observer Cards Note the presence, number and size of eyes, and whether the eyes extend outside the outer margin of a frontal view of the face. Ants can have two, five or zero eyes. On some ants you can observe microscopic hairs growing within the compound eye. Supplemental Notes Some ants have acute vision, while others are totally blind. Most have two compound eyes. These faceted organs are composed of fixed-angle, hexagonal eyelets called “ommatidia”. The ant’s brain assembles the visual inputs from each ommatidium into a single image. Many species also have three additional eyelets arranged in a triangle on the top of the head. These “ocelli” are believed to be especially light sensitive. Sometimes only queens & males have ocelli, while the worker caste does not. Images: 1-3. © April Nobile via Antweb; 1. Camponotus anthrax showing two eyes; 2. Formica xerophila - the circle highlights three ocelli; 3. Dorylus affinis: a blind species; 4. Magnified view of a compound eye showing interfacetal hairs © David Graham & James Style, Marine Biological Lab. Author: Adam Lazarus, Consult Ants. Editor: Jeff Holmes, EOL, Harvard University. Created by the Encyclopedia of Life - www.eol.org Content Licensed Under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Mandibles Ants 1 4 Anatomy 2 3 5 6 Mandibles EOL Observer Cards The mandibles (or jaws) come in many styles and their structure can say a lot about the lifestyle of an ant. There may also be teeth present on the mandibles that may require a microscope to be seen. Supplemental Notes Perhaps the most widespread mandible type is some variation of that on the Carpenter Ant at center. The short teeth and short mandible length are ideal for digging, cutting and prey capture, as well as manipulating delicate objects like eggs and larvae. However, many ant species have modified mandibles to suit specialized lifestyles. Jaws that are sharply hooked help some ants hold onto live, struggling victims. Blunt jaws attached to a large head may be characteristic of a seed crusher. Lengthy and serrated mandibles are probably used for sawing through leaves or prey. For catching fast prey, some ants even have mandibles that snap shut by reflex when special trigger hairs are touched. Images: 1-3,5-6 © April Nobile via AntWeb; 1. Odontomachus troglodytes; 2. Atta mexicana; 3. Gigantiops destructor; 4. Myrmecia rubripes. © Jean and Fred Hort via Flickr; 5. Amblyopone australis; 6. Eciton vagans Author: Adam Lazarus, Consult Ants. Editor: Jeff Holmes, EOL, Harvard University. Created by the Encyclopedia of Life - www.eol.org Content Licensed Under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Antennae 1 2 3 Ants Anatomy 4 5 Antennae EOL Observer Cards Antennae vary widely across ant species in their shape, number of segments, and sensitivity. Some antennae end in a swollen “club”, while others can be drawn into specialized grooves called scrobes for protection. Supplemental Notes The antenna is an ant’s single most important tool for interacting with the environment. It is used for smell, touch, spatial perception, and even as an aid in manipulating small, delicate objects. If an ant is born without functional antennae or loses them in a fight, it is totally helpless. Colony members often reject or cannibalise such individuals. Some ants use their antennae with utmost care, tapping lightly, cleaning them fastidiously, and holding them protectively against the body at the slightest sign of danger. Others drag these appendages along the ground, and seem less perceptive of the surrounding landscape. Images: 1) Scanning electron micrograph of Tetraponera aethiops face, highlighting antennal anatomy. © Roberto Keller Perez/AMNH; 2 - 5) A comparison of antennal variability in ants. © April Nobile & Eli M. Sarnat via Antweb. Author: Adam Lazarus, Consult Ants. Editor: Jeff Holmes, EOL, Harvard University. Created by the Encyclopedia of Life - www.eol.org Content Licensed Under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Thorax Ants 1 2 4 Anatomy 3 5 Thorax EOL Observer Cards Most accurately called the alitrunk in ants, the middle section of an ant’s body is a trove of identifying features. The metapleural gland is present in many species, but conspicuously absent from others. The presence and shape of spines is important, as are the grooves and other sculpturing on the integument. Sometimes it is easiest to identify a queen from a mass of seething workers by the hump and wing scars on her alitrunk. Supplemental Notes Mesosoma is a general term for the middle section of an insect. In ants, the first abdomenal segment is fused to the thoracic segments and is part of the mesosoma. Alitrunk is the term used for this special arrangement. Images: 1) Aphaenogaster © Kim Fleming via Flickr; 2) A scanning electron micrograph of Tapinoma simrothi shows the location of the metapleural gland. © Roberto Keller/AMNH; 3) Polyrhachis bihamata is adorned with elaborate spines. © April Nobile via AntWeb; 4) © Ratabago via Flickr; 5) Queen carpenter ant showing wing scar on thorax. © Silversyrpher via Flickr. Author: Adam Lazarus, Consult Ants. Editor: Jeff Holmes, EOL, Harvard University. Created by the Encyclopedia of Life - www.eol.org Content Licensed Under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Petiole Segments 1 4 Ants 2 5 Anatomy 3 Petiole Segments EOL Observer Cards The petiole (waist) is a pinched abdominal segment common to all ants, and is sometimes followed by another pinched segment called the postpetiole. Be aware that the petiole may be hidden by other abdominal segments or adorned with elaborate spines. The postpetiole is a major diagnostic tool for species determination. It is absent from some ant subfamilies, and fused to the rest of the abdomen (gaster) in others. Supplemental Notes The petiole imparts tremendous flexibility. In combat, ants thrust the abdomen forward to sting or spray defensive chemicals.
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