Argentine Ant
Distinctive Qualities
- One node with sharp pointed peak
- One size worker :1/8 inch (2.5 to 3mm) in length
- Uneven thorax
- 12 antennal segments, no club
- No circle of hairs on abdomen
- Brown color; some appear light brown
Tip: Body hairs are sparse, no circle of hairs on tip of
abdomen.
Description
The worker ants are about
3 millimeters ( .12 in) long and can easily squeeze through cracks and holes no
more than 1 millimetre (0.039 in) in size. Queens are two to four times the
length of workers. These ants will set up quarters in the ground, in
cracks in concrete walls, in spaces between boards and timbers, even among
belongings in human dwellings. In natural areas, they generally nest shallowly
in loose leaf litter or beneath small stones, due to their poor ability to dig
deeper nests. However, if a deeper nesting ant species abandons their
nest, Argentine ant colonies will readily take over the space.
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom |
Animalia |
| Phylum |
Arthropoda |
| Class |
Insecta |
| Order |
Family |
| Subfamily |
Dolichoderinae |
| Tribe |
Dolichoderini |
| Genus |
Linepithema |
| Species |
L.humile |
|
