Kingdom animalia
Phylum arthropod
Class Insecta
Order Hymenoptera
Family Anticide
Ants are insects belonging to the Order Hymenoptera and the Formicity Family. These animals appeared on our planet between 80 and 140 million years ago. There are approximately 10,000 species found throughout the world, except at the poles; and about 2500 in Brazil alone. They have a pair of compound eyes, a pair of elbow-shaped antennae, a pair of jaws, a waist and, in some individuals, wings.
Like termites, they are considered social insects, as they are organized in groups, with different castes, and there is a division of tasks between individuals. So there are workers, one or more queens and males. The last two groups are responsible for the reproduction of new individuals; and the first, for the maintenance of the anthill, including cleaning and feeding its members. In some species there are different workers, called soldiers, responsible for protecting the anthill and its members. Ants communicate by chemical signals, through the release of pheromones.
During the reproductive phase, queens and males copulate in mid-flight. After this moment, the queen burrows into the ground or lodges inside logs, crevices and even environments such as bricks and cement floors. There, it sheds its wings, forms a nest and releases its eggs. From them, larvae develop, passing through stages (instars) until they become pupae; and later these develop into adult ants. What will determine whether a female ant will be a worker or a queen is its food.
The functions they perform in the environment and their food sources depend on the species. Some can help seed dispersal and germination, soil aeration, predation of other invertebrates, etc. Others are considered pests: those of the Atta and Acromyrmex genus, popularly called saúvas or, more generally, leaf-cutting ants, being responsible for agricultural damage; and house ants, such as the ghost ant (Tapinoma melanocephalum), crazy ant (Paratrechina longicornis), foot washing ant (Genus Solenopsis), loggerhead ant (Genus Pheidole), carpenter ant (Genus Camponotus), acrobatic ant (Genus Crematogaster), Argentine ant (Linepithema humile), little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata) and pharaoh's ant (Monomorium pharaonis).
House ants can be vectors of diseases, as they can come into contact with unsanitary environments, such as sewage and garbage – including hospitals – and later, with our food. Therefore, sealing gaps, keeping environments clean and storing food correctly are excellent measures to prevent this problem.
Due mainly to the destruction of habitats and the abusive use of agricultural inputs, some species are threatened with extinction, although many are harmless to man and his activities. robust atta, Acromyrmex diasi, Lucid Dinoponera and Simopelta minima are examples.
By Mariana Araguaia
Graduated in Biology
