Replete

Definition

A specialized worker ant in certain ant colonies whose abdomen becomes greatly distended through physogastry to store liquid food reserves, serving as a living food reservoir for the colony. Repletes hang immobile in the nest and regurgitate stored honeydew or nectar to nestmates via trophallaxis during times of scarcity.

Etymology

From Latin repletus, past participle of replere 'to fill again, fill up,' referring to the engorged state of the abdomen.

Example

In Myrmecocystus honeypot ants, repletes may swell to the size of grapes, their translucent abdomens revealing amber-colored stored liquid, and remain suspended from the nest ceiling until solicited by hungry workers.

Synonyms

• plerergate
• rotund

Related Terms

• Physogastry
• Trophallaxis
• Caste
• Worker
• honeypot ant
• myrmecophagy

Usage Notes

Replete is a functional caste designation, not a formal taxonomic rank. The term is most strongly associated with honeypot ants (Myrmecocystus, Camponotus inflatus, and related species), though analogous storage morphs occur in other social insects. Contrast with typical forager or nurse workers, which maintain slender abdomens. Specialists sometimes distinguish 'replete' (the engorged individual) from 'repleteness' (the physiological condition). Not all swollen ants are repletes—some may be physogastric queens or infected individuals.