Formica-host

Guides

• Polyergus montivagus

  Foothills Amazon Ant

  Polyergus montivagus is a dulotic (slave-making) ant in the lucidus group of the genus Polyergus, originally described from the foothills near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The species is an obligate social parasite that raids nests of Formica ants to capture pupae, which mature into enslaved workers that maintain the colony. Workers possess distinctive long, blackish legs and a non-pubescent, shiny gaster. Colony size averages 300-500 workers.

  slave-making-antduloticsocial-parasiteAmazon-antFormica-hostobligate-parasiteNearcticColorado-endemic