Monomorium santschii

Monomorium santschii
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Solenopsidini
Genus:	Monomorium
Species:	M. santschii
Binomial name
Monomorium santschii (Forel, 1905)
Synonyms
Wheeleriella adulatrix Santschi, 1913 Wheeleriella santschii insidiosa Santschi, 1926 Wheeleriella santschii rufescens Santschi, 1926

Monomorium santschii is a species of ant that is native to Tunisia. The most famous species in the Monomorium genus is the highly invasive pharaoh ant, Monomorium pharaonis.

It is a parasitic ant that has no worker caste. The queen enters the colony of a different species and, probably by employing a pheromone, she forces the host workers to kill their queen. She then uses these workers as slaves to bring up her own offspring.

References

• Social Insects Specialist Group (1996). Monomorium santschii. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU D2 v2.3)