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Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Ectomomyrmex leeuwenhoeki

Ectomomyrmex leeuwenhoeki is a medium size species. This rather 'fat' looking ant has tiny eyes and are mostly subterranean. This species is a specialist termite predator. Specialist termites hunters tackle their favorite termite prey in a different manner from non specialist termite hunter ants. In specialist termites hunters when they encounter termites they kill as many as they can and pile them up before transporting them back to their nest.

Ectomomyrmex leeuwenhoeki is polygynous and like most species of this genus is monomorphic.

Like many species of this genus this ant is mostly a subterranean hunter tunneling their way underground to hunt their main prey - termites. As a major decompositor of the forest floor, termites are the main target prey for many forest ants as well as other forest predators and their are contributory to the richness in species biodiversity of invertebrates (especially ants) in the Tropical Rainforest.

Workers, drone (male) and pupae of Ectomomyrmex leeuwenhoeki

A worker of Ectomomyrmex leeuwenhoeki 
A worker of Pachycondyla havilandi

A worker of Ectomomyrmex leeuwenhoeki .
A worker of Pachycondyla havilandi

 Workers of Ectomomyrmex leeuwenhoeki  with some larvae.
Workers of Pachycondyla havilandi with some larvae

A worker of Ectomomyrmex leeuwenhoeki  with a small larva.
worker of Pachycondyla havilandi

A worker of Ectomomyrmex leeuwenhoeki with some larvae.
worker of Pachycondyla havilandi







Taxonomy
No rank: cellular organisms 131567
Superkingdom (Domain): Eukaryota 2759
No rank: Opisthokonta 33154
Kingdom: Metazoa 33208
No rank: Eumetazoa 6072
No rank (Subkingdom): Bilateria 33213
No rank (Branch): Protostomia 33317
No rank (Infrakingdom): Ecdysozoa
No rank (Superphylum): Panarthropoda 88770
Phylum: Arthropoda 6656
No rank (Subphylum): Mandibulata 197563
No rank: Pancrustacea 197562
Subphylum (Epiclass): Hexapoda 6960
Class: Insecta 50557
No rank (Subclass): Dicondylia 85512
Subclass (Infraclass): Pterygota 7496
Infraclass: Neoptera 33340
Cohort: Holometabola
Order: Hymenoptera 7399
Suborder Apocrita 7400
Infraorder: Aculeata 7434
Superfamily: Formicoidea
Family: Formicidae 36668
Subfamily: Ponerinae 43085
Tribe: Ponerini 141711
Genus: Ectomomyrmex 2233918
Species: leeuwenhoeki 2233919


Last Updated: 2021 07 21
First Posted: 2012 11 17
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