Slave-making-ant-host
Guides
Formica gnava
Formica gnava is a species of ant in the genus Formica, family Formicidae. It serves as a host species for the obligatory slave-making ant Polyergus breviceps, with its workers being enslaved to rear Polyergus offspring in mixed-species nests. The species exhibits strong nestmate recognition, with workers preferentially adopting conspecific pupae and rejecting or consuming pupae of other host species. Free-living workers show lower adoption rates of parasite pupae compared to enslaved workers.
Formica incerta
Uncertain Field Ant
Formica incerta is a common ant species of eastern North America, often the most abundant Formica in its range. It constructs underground nests with inconspicuous entrance holes and no surface mound. Workers forage diurnally for nectar and honeydew, and the species serves as the primary host for the slave-making ant Polyergus lucidus. First described by Carlo Emery in 1893, its specific epithet reflects historical taxonomic uncertainty and identification challenges.
Formica occulta
Formica occulta is a species of ant in the genus Formica, described by Francoeur in 1973. It is known primarily as a host species for the obligatory slave-making ant Polyergus breviceps, which usurps F. occulta nests and enslaves its workers. Enslaved workers rear P. breviceps offspring alongside their own species' brood. The species has been studied in the context of host-parasite coevolutionary dynamics and brood adoption behaviors.
Formica pallidefulva
field ant
Formica pallidefulva is a medium-sized field ant native to North America, ranging from reddish-gold in the southern United States to dark brown-black in Canada. Workers measure approximately 5–6 mm and are notably glossy compared to related species. The species excavates underground nests with horizontal and vertical galleries, typically without surface mounds. It serves as a primary host for multiple slave-making ants, including Polyergus lucidus and Formica pergandei, which raid its colonies for brood. Colonies are monogyne, diurnal, and forage solitarily while recruiting nestmates to larger food sources.
Temnothorax longispinosus
Long-spined Acorn Ant
Temnothorax longispinosus is a small North American ant species, measuring 2–2.5 mm in length, commonly known as the Long-spined Acorn Ant. It inhabits forest environments and nests primarily in preformed cavities within leaf litter, including hollow nuts and acorns. The species exhibits remarkable queen polymorphism with three distinct morphs associated with alternative nest-founding strategies: small queens with reduced flight capacity that practice dependent colony founding by returning to natal nests; large queens with low fat reserves that found colonies via pleometrosis (cooperative founding with multiple queens); and large queens with high fat reserves that practice haplometrosis (solitary founding). This species serves as a host for the slave-making ant Protomognathus americanus and has been extensively studied for its genomic adaptations to climate variation and parasite pressure.