Dulotic-ant
Guides
Polyergus lucidus
Shining Slave-Making Ant, Shining Amazon Ant, Lucidus-group Amazon Ant
Polyergus lucidus is an obligatory social parasite and slave-making ant endemic to the eastern United States. Workers are incapable of feeding themselves or rearing their own brood, relying entirely on captured host ants to perform these tasks. The species conducts organized raids on nests of Formica ants, primarily Formica incerta, capturing pupae that mature into functional workers in the parasite colony. P. lucidus exhibits strong host specificity, with colonies typically containing only one slave species despite multiple potential hosts being available in the same habitat.
Polyergus vinosus
Wine-red Amazon Ant
Polyergus vinosus is a species of slave-making ant in the genus Polyergus, described in 2013 as part of a global revision of the genus. It belongs to the rufescens group, informally known as the breviceps complex, and is one of five new species described in that revision. Like all Polyergus species, it is an obligatory social parasite that relies on host colonies of Formica ants for survival, as it cannot feed itself or excavate nests.