Formicidae
E13817
Formicidae is the biological family comprising all ant species, known for their complex social organization and widespread ecological impact.
Statements (86)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
biological family
ⓘ
taxon ⓘ |
| biomassContribution | significant fraction of terrestrial animal biomass ⓘ |
| class | Insecta ⓘ |
| colonyFoundation |
budding from existing colonies
ⓘ
independent founding by single queen ⓘ |
| commonName | ants ⓘ |
| communicationMethod |
acoustic signals
ⓘ
pheromones ⓘ tactile signals ⓘ |
| containsSpecies |
Atta cephalotes
ⓘ
Camponotus pennsylvanicus ⓘ Formica rufa ⓘ Lasius niger ⓘ Linepithema humile ⓘ Solenopsis invicta ⓘ |
| containsSubtaxon |
Dolichoderinae
ⓘ
Dorylinae ⓘ Formicinae ⓘ Myrmeciinae ⓘ Myrmicinae ⓘ Ponerinae ⓘ |
| describedBy | Pierre André Latreille ⓘ |
| diet |
omnivorous
ⓘ
predatory ⓘ scavenging ⓘ |
| distribution | worldwide ⓘ |
| ecologicalRole |
decomposer
ⓘ
mutualist with aphids and other Hemiptera ⓘ mutualist with plants ⓘ predator of arthropods ⓘ seed disperser ⓘ soil aerator ⓘ |
| estimatedSpeciesCount |
many thousands of undescribed species
ⓘ
over 12000 described species ⓘ |
| foundOnContinent |
Africa
ⓘ
Antarctica coastal regions ⓘ Asia ⓘ Australia ⓘ Europe ⓘ North America ⓘ South America ⓘ |
| habitat |
deserts
ⓘ
forests ⓘ grasslands ⓘ terrestrial ecosystems ⓘ urban environments ⓘ |
| hasCaste |
alate male
ⓘ
nonreproductive worker ⓘ reproductive queen ⓘ soldier ⓘ |
| hasCharacteristic |
complex social organization
ⓘ
cooperative brood care ⓘ division of labor ⓘ eusocial behavior ⓘ metamorphosis with egg larva pupa adult stages ⓘ overlapping generations ⓘ |
| hasImpact |
agricultural pest in some species
ⓘ
beneficial biological control agent in some species ⓘ important ecosystem engineer ⓘ |
| higherClassification | Hymenoptera ⓘ |
| infraorder | Aculeata ⓘ |
| kingdom | Animalia ⓘ |
| morphologicalFeature |
chewing mouthparts
ⓘ
constricted waist with petiole ⓘ elbowed antennae ⓘ metapleural glands ⓘ often wingless workers ⓘ |
| notableBehavior |
cooperative foraging
ⓘ
nest building ⓘ territorial defense ⓘ trail following ⓘ |
| order | Hymenoptera ⓘ |
| phylum | Arthropoda ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Mutillidae
ⓘ
Vespidae ⓘ |
| reproduction |
mating of winged queens and males
ⓘ
nuptial flight ⓘ |
| suborder | Apocrita ⓘ |
| subphylum | Hexapoda ⓘ |
| superfamily | Vespoidea ⓘ |
| taxonRank | family ⓘ |
| typicalColonyMembers |
males
ⓘ
queen ⓘ workers ⓘ |
| yearDescribed | 1809 ⓘ |
Referenced by (17)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.