This is a large Tetramorium species by the standards of the Tetramorium genus of this location. Tetramorium are typically small Myrmicinae ants, the largest sized species of this location is around the size of the minor workers of the equally common Solenopsis geminata. As typical of the Tetramorium genus this species is polygynous.
This species however is atypically aggressive, behaving more like Solenopsis geminata then a typical Tetramorium species. When the nest is disturbed the workers would rush out ready to sting. Atypically (for this location anyways) this species is dimorphic.
A major and a minor worker
Two smaller workers and one larger. Here as can be noted, two sizes of workers, the smaller at around 3 millimeters and the larger around 3.5 millimeters
Two sizes of workers are apparent, one is around 3 mm and the other around 3.5 mm. But Tetramorium (from this location) are generally monomorphic so I hesitate to classified this species as dimorphic.
Photo above shows pupa of major worker (right) and pupae of three minor workers of Tetramorium sp(26). But after observing them for some over two months and examining a few colonies, worker dimorphism is confirmed by examining the workers' pupae of the same age and noting that two size are apparent.
Tetramorium sp queen and workers
Tetramorium queen and workers
Drone (male) and female alate
with workers of Tetramorium sp(26)
This makes this the only species (from this location) where I have encountered dimorphism in the worker caste of Tetramorium.
Extra
Tetramorium mating during the (pre)nuptial flight. In polygynous species of ants, in many case (as in this example) when the colony release nuptial (as most species of polygynous also do) mating often take place before the nuptial swarm and the newly mated queen will then crawl away to start a new colony. In monogynous ants this (usually) does not happen as until the alates have taken flight they have no inclination to mate. The nuptial flight is the trigger they need before the desire to mate kicks in.
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: Myrmicinae 34695
Tribe: Tetramoriini
Genus: Tetramorium
Last Updated: 2022 06 27
First Posted: 2020 10 20
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