Jump to content

Solarium (myrmecology)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Yobot (talk | contribs) at 16:28, 28 March 2014 (WP:CHECKWIKI error fixes + other fixes using AWB (10065)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

A solarium is an earthen structure constructed by certain members of the Formicidae for the purpose of brood incubation. Solaria are usually dome-shaped and fashioned from a paper-thin layer of soil, connected to the main nest by way of subterranean runs.

Tapinoma erraticum is an example of a solaria-constructing species whose skill at so doing was noted by Horace Donisthorpe in the early 20th Century in his book British Ants, their Life Histories and Classification.