Ant Terminology

May 2, 2022 | Updated May 3, 2022

A dictionary of ant-related terms, in alphabetical order.

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A

• acrobat ant – a type of ant, belonging to the genus Crematogaster, which can raise its heart-shaped gaster up and over its own body.
• alate – a winged reproductive adult ant.
• arboreal ant – any type of ant that nests in trees.
• army ant – a type of ant which engages in predatory group foraging (raids).

B

• big-headed ant – a type of ant, belonging to the genus Pheidole, whose soldier caste has disproportionately large heads.
• bivouac – a temporary nest constructed out of living army ants.
• brood – young, developing ants in the form of eggs, larvae, and pupae.
• bull ant – a type of ant, belonging to the genus Myrmecia, characterized by its large size, excellent vision, aggressive behavior, and painful sting.

C

• callow – a newly-eclosed ant whose exoskeleton has not yet fully hardened and is lighter in color.
• carpenter ant – a type of ant, belonging to the genus Camponotus, which often builds nests inside wood.
• cocoon – a pupal casing spun from silk by the larvae of some ant species.
• compound eye – a multifaceted eye made up of ommatidia, present in most ants.
• crop – the pouch in an ants gaster, also known as a social stomach, which stores food prior to digestion. Food stored in the crop can be shared with other ants through trophallaxis.

D

• dealate – a reproductive adult ant that has shed its wings.
• dichthadiigyne – an ergatoid queen with a very large gaster well-developed ovaries, found in some army ants.
• dimorphic – describes an ant species in which there are two distinct variations, in body size or shape, within the worker caste.
• dinergate – an ant caste, in polymorphic ants, consisting of infertile females that are distinct from ergates and usually specialize in colony defense. Also known as a soldier.
• drone – a reproductive adult male ant.

E

• eclose – the act of emerging as an adult ant from the pupa.
• ergate – an ant caste consisting of the infertile females which form the majority of a colony’s population and perform a wide range of tasks. Also known as a worker.
• ergatoid – a reproductive adult ant that does not develop wings.

F

• fission – the process of a single ant colony splitting into two or more colonies.
• formic acid – an acid secreted by some types of ants for attacking and defense.

G

• gamergate – a mated worker ant that can function as a queen by laying fertilized eggs.
• gaster – the bulbous hind part of an ant, part of the abdomen.
• gyne – an adult reproductive female ant, also known as a queen.

H

• harvester ant – a type of ant which collects and stores seeds.
• hell ant – a type of extinct trap-jaw ant, belonging to the subfamily †Haidomyrmecinae, which had mandibles that opened vertically rather than horizontally.
• honeypot ant – a type of ant known for its repletes, which have rotund, swollen gasters filled with food.

I

• inquiline – a permanent parasite of ants, without slavery, that lives in the nest of a host ant species.
• instar – a developmental stage of ant larvae between molts. Ants have three to five larval instar stages before pupation.

J

K

L

• larva – the immature, worm-like form of an ant which has hatched from its egg but has not yet pupated.
• leaf-cutter ant – a type of ant which farms fungus by cutting up plant matter and feeding it to the fungus housed within its nest.

M

• major – a worker subcaste, in polymorphic ants, that is larger than typical workers.
• meconium – waste produced by ant larvae which can be seen inside the larvae or at the end of a pupal cocoon.
• media – a worker subcaste, in polymorphic ants, that is representative of typical workers.
• minor – a worker subcaste, in polymorphic ants, that is smaller than typical workers.
• monogynous – describes an ant colony which has only one queen.
• monomorphic – describes an ant species in which there is no distinct variation, in body size or shape, within the worker caste.
• myrmecologist – someone who studies ants.
• myrmecology – the study of ants.
• myrmecophile – an organism which has a symbiotic relationship with ants.

N

• nanitic – a worker ant from a queen’s first batch of eggs. Nanitics are usually smaller than typical workers.
• nuptial flight – the period when alates take flight in search of a mate.

O

• ocellus – a simple eye, found on the heads of most queens and males, and on some workers and soldiers. Ocelli are known to assist alates in flight and navigation.
• ommatidium – a single photoreception unit in a compound eye.
• Ophiocordyceps unilateralis – a species of parasitic fungus, also known as the zombie-ant fungus that infects ants and alters their behavior, ultimately killing the ants and spreading fungal spores.

P

• pheromone – a chemical signal used by ants to communicate.
• phragmosis – a defensive technique wherein ants used specially adapted body structures to block nest entrances.
• polygynous – describes an ant colony that has more than one queen.
• polymorphic – describes an ant species in which there is clear variation, in body size or shape, within the worker caste.
• princess – a female alate.
• pupa – the final, immature form of an ant before it develops into an adult. The larvae of some ants construct protective cocoons prior to pupation.
• pupate – the act of a larva developing into a pupa.

Q

• queen – an adult reproductive female ant, also known as a gyne.

R

• replete – an adult worker ant with a swollen gaster that functions as a living storage vessel, filling its crop with food.

S

• social stomach – the pouch in an ants gaster, also known as a crop, which stores food prior to digestion. Food stored in the social stomach can be shared with other ants through trophallaxis.
• soldier – an ant caste, in polymorphic ants, consisting of infertile females that are distinct from workers and usually specialize in colony defense. Also known as a dinergate.
• submajor – a worker subcaste, in polymorphic ants, that is larger than a media worker but smaller than a major worker.
• supercolony – a polygynous ant colony that consists of numerous connected nests spread over a large area.
• supermajor – a worker subcaste, in polymorphic ants, that is larger than a typical major worker.

T

• trap-jaw ant – a type of ant which can open its mandibles wide and snap them shut, similar to a bear trap.
• trophallaxis – the transfer of food between two ants via mouth-to-mouth regurgitation of food stored in the crop.
• trophic egg – a nonviable egg, produced for the purpose of consumption.
• turtle ant – a type of ant, belonging to the genus Cephalotes, whose soldier caste can plug nest entrances with their large, phragmotic heads.

U

V

W

• weaver ant – a type of ant, belonging to the genus Oecophylla, which weaves arboreal nests by binding leaves together with silk produced by their larvae.
• worker – an ant caste consisting of the infertile females which form the majority of a colony’s population and perform a wide range of tasks. Also known as an ergate.

X

Y

Z

• zombie-ant fungus – the common name for Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, a species of parasitic fungus that infects ants and alters their behavior, ultimately killing the ants and spreading fungal spores.