Myrmecology

basic unit around which ants organize their lifecycle

thumb|Meat ant (Meat ant|Iridomyrmex purpureus) feeding on honey

species of fungus

phenomenon in which a group of ants march in a continuously rotating circle

thumb |Myrmecophilous aphids being tended by ants

thumb|300x300px|Formicarium made of plaster and an effective escape barrier A formicarium (: formicaria or formicariums) or ant farm is a vivarium which is designed primarily for the study of ant colonies and how ants behave and for the enjoyment of ants as pets. Those who study ant behavior are known as myrmecologists.

Afzelia africana seeds bearing [[elaiosomes|right|thumb]] thumb|right|alt=Chelidonium majus diaspores consisting of hard-coated seeds and attached elaiosomes.|Chelidonium majus diaspores consisting of hard-coated seeds and attached elaiosomes

mating flight of eusocial insects

animals evolving to resemble ants

thumb|Microdon eggeri, larva, third instar Hover flies (family Syrphidae) of the genus Microdon are unusual among the Diptera. Like other members of the subfamily, they are myrmecophiles, meaning they inhabit the nests of ants.

A domatium (plural: domatia, from the Latin "domus", meaning home) is a tiny chamber produced by a plant that may be occupied by arthropods.

stand of trees in the Amazon Rainforest consisting of a single species, Duroia hirsuta

The subfamily Microdontinae contains slightly more than 400 species of hoverflies (family Syrphidae) and, while diverse, these species share several characteristics by which they differ from other syrphids. The Microdontinae are myrmecophiles, meaning they live in the nests of ants. Larval Microdontinae are scavengers or predators in ant nests, and, in contrast to other syrphid larvae, have no readily apparent body segmentation. Some species also do not exhibit the typical adult flower-visiting behaviour of other hoverflies, but instead remain near their larval host colonies (some of these spe

AntWeb is the leading online database on ants: storing specimens images and records, and natural history information, and documenting over 490,000 specimens across over 35,000 taxa of ants in its open source and community driven repository . It was set up by Brian L. Fisher in 2002, and cost US$30,000 to build.

thumb|Acropyga glaesaria and [[Electromyrmococcus abductus]]

ant nest formed by the ants' bodies

Escovopsis is a genus of seven formally acknowledged parasitic microfungus species that rely on other fungi to be their hosts. This genus formally circumscribed with a single identified species in 1990; in 2013 three other species were added.

thumb|right|Attaphila fungicola

thumb|Camponotus schmitzi in association with its [[myrmecophyte host, Nepenthes bicalcarata]]

thumb|An ergatoid queen of the species Myrmecia esuriens An ergatoid (from Greek ergat-, "worker" + -oid, "like") is a permanently wingless reproductive adult ant or termite. The similar but somewhat ambiguous term ergatogyne refers to any intermediate form between workers and standard gynes. Ergatoid queens are distinct from other ergatogyne individuals in that they are morphologically consistent within a species and are always capable of mating, whereas inter caste individuals, another class of ergatogynes, often are not. Ergatoids can exhibit wide morphological differences between species,

Poneratoxin is a paralyzing neurotoxic peptide made by the bullet ant Paraponera clavata. It prevents inactivation of voltage gated sodium channels and therefore blocks synaptic transmission in the central nervous system. Specifically, poneratoxin acts on voltage gated sodium channels in skeletal muscle fibers, causing paralysis, and nociceptive fibers, causing pain. It is rated as a 4 plus on the Schmidt sting pain index, the highest possible rating with that system, and its effects can cause waves of pain up to twelve hours after a single sting. It is additionally being studied for its uses