What Family Do Ants Belong To?
Wouterants are Hymenoptera, and are among the most diverse insects on Earth. They are also among the most efficient turners of the soil. Their ability to aerate soil also makes them vital to the cycling of nutrients.
The most common types of ants are omnivorous. They eat a variety of foods including vegetable matter, fruit, and insect eggs. In addition, some ants have a powerful sting at the tip of their abdomen. Some species of ants also develop close relationships with other species. In addition, some ants create nests in wood. These nests can be detrimental to structures.
The ant family is composed of two subfamilies, the Dolichoderinae and the Myrmicine. The former subfamily has a metapleural gland, which produces phenylacetic acid. This acid inhibits the growth of fungi and bacteria. In addition, the gland helps the ant maintain a slim waist.
The female ant has two sets of flight muscles. Its ovaries are larger than those of the worker. Its larvae are fed by trophallixis, which is the regurgitation of liquid food stored in the adult crop. The larvae molt for three weeks. They then go into the pupal stage. They are covered with a hard protective coating.
The extant subfamilies are clearly related. However, there are some uncertainties about the relationships between the Ponerinae and the rest of the family. These uncertainties are outside the scope of this study.
The fossil record of the Formicinae shows that basal ant lineages were condensed in the mid-Cretaceous. The fossil record also indicates that the Formicinae and the Sphecomyrma fossils are contemporaneous.
