Ergatoid
An ergatoid (from Greek ergat-, "worker" + -oid, "like") is a wingless reproductive adult ant, anatomically intermediate in form between workers and winged queens or males. The related term ergatogyne, formerly often used interchangeably to refer to ergatoid queens (gynes), denotes any intercaste female morphologically intermediate between workers and winged queens, but is not restricted to the reproductive caste. Most intercastes cannot reproduce, while ergatoids are the reproductive caste in the colony.[1]
Ergatoid queens have replaced winged queens in many species, most notably in the subfamily Ponerinae, but ergatoids also occur in other subfamilies.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Peeters, C. P. (1991). "Ergatoid queens and intercastes in ants: Two distinct adult forms which look morphologically intermediate between workers and winged queens". Insectes Sociaux. 38 (1): 1–15. doi:10.1007/BF01242708.
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