Supergene
Guides
Formica neoclara
Bright Mound Ant
Formica neoclara is a socially polymorphic ant species distributed across western North America. The species exhibits alternative colony social structures—either single-queen (monogyne) or multiple-queen (polygyne)—controlled by a social supergene on chromosome 3. Polygyne colonies uniquely contain all three supergene genotypes, including workers homozygous for the monogyne-associated haplotype, a pattern not observed in other Formica species studied.