| Forelius pusillus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Forelius pusillus worker | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dolichoderinae |
| Genus: | Forelius |
| Species: | F. pusillus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Forelius pusillus Santschi, 1922
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Forelius pusillus is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by Santschi in 1922, the species is endemic to South America.[1]
Behaviour[edit]
Forelius pusillus is noted to perform "pre-emptive defensive self-sacrifice", where a group of ants leave the security of the nest after sealing the entrance from the outside each evening.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ Cuezzo, F. 2000. Revisión del género Forelius (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae). Sociobiology 35: 197-275 (page 263, Raised to species and senior synonym of tucumanus)
- ^ Tofilski, Adam; Couvillon, Margaret J.; Evison, Sophie E. F.; Helanterä, Heikki; Robinson, Elva J. H.; Ratnieks, Francis L. W. (2008-11-01). "Preemptive Defensive Self‐Sacrifice by Ant Workers". The American Naturalist. 172 (5): E239–E243. doi:10.1086/591688. ISSN 0003-0147. PMID 18928332. S2CID 7052340.
External links[edit]
Media related to Forelius pusillus at Wikimedia Commons
