Plectroctena

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Plectroctena
Plectroctena sp ants.jpg
Two workers in Tanzania
Scientific classification
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Plectroctena

F.Smith, 1858
Type species
Plectroctena mandibularis
F.Smith, 1858
Diversity[1]
17 species
Synonyms

Cacopone Santschi, 1914

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Plectroctena is a Afrotropical genus of ants, with most species occurring in the rainforest zones of West and Central Africa.[2] Some species are cryptic or subterranean foragers,[2] while others forage in open grassland terrain. The workers forage singly[3] or in groups of 2 to 3.[4] They nest in the earth at varying depths, or in collapsed logs. They prey mainly on millipedes, including their young or eggs.[2]

Colony structure

A colony of P. lygaria (a small species of the mandibularis-group) may number in excess of 300 adults. An excavated colony in the Ivory Coast consisted of 277 workers, 8 alate queens, and 42 alate males. Consequently 15% of their number was allocated to reproductives at the specific time.[2] The colony size of P. mandibularis however, seldom exceeds 50 individuals.[2][3]

Nests

In a colony of P. lygaria, the nest chambers are located at shallow depth, in moist soil under dense leaf litter. The deepest chamber may be located about 7 cm below the surface, with each chamber up to 1 cm in height.[2] The chambers are specialized to house either brood or prey items. Nests of the widespread species P. mandibularis however, are composed of chambers typically located 2 feet or more below the surface, with entrances that are usually marked by large piles of earth.[3][2]

Diet

It is believed that millipede eggs may at times constitute the exclusive diet of P. lygaria,[2] while newly emerged millipede young may be an additional food source for the smaller Plectroctena species. Larger species like P. conjugata, P. mandibularis and P. minor specialize on adult millipedes.[2]

Species

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References

  1. Template:AntCat
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External links