Myrmica tahoensis

Weber, 1948

A facultatively polygynous in the Myrmica, native to the Rocky Mountain region of North America. -level sex ratios show pronounced temporal variation across years, with female-biased sexual production in odd-numbered years and male-biased production in even-numbered years. Individual colonies tend to maintain consistent sex ratio patterns across consecutive years. The species has been studied primarily at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado.

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Pronunciation

How to pronounce Myrmica tahoensis: //mɪrˈmaɪkə tæˈhoʊˌɛnsɪs//

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Images

Distribution

Rocky Mountain region, USA; documented from the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory near Crested Butte, Colorado

Seasonality

Sexual production observed across six seasons from 1990 to 1995; -level sex ratios alternate between female-biased (odd years: 1991, 1993, 1995) and male-biased (even years) production

Behavior

Colonies exhibit facultative with multiple queens possible. Sex allocation varies temporally with a pattern. Individual colonies show year-to-year consistency in whether they produce male sexuals, female sexuals, or both. Within-colony genetic relatedness correlates with sex ratios within years but does not explain between-year variation, suggesting extrinsic factors limit female sexual production in some years.