Kinds of ants. The most common type of ants in Russia. How many species of ants in the world?

Ants are one of the most common insects in the world. According to some estimates, this family includes just over 12,400 species, with more than 4,500 subspecies. But this figure is not final and is constantly growing. Considering how many species of ants exist on the whole earth, many are interested to know which ones are found on the territory of Russia.

General acquaintance with ants

From the biological point of view, ants belong to Hymenoptera. Their size varies, depending on the species. These are social insects that live in colonies. They build their anthills from small particles in the soil or in the wood. These families are well organized and have high-quality communication systems so that all their activities are coordinated. Interestingly, some species of ants communicate in their own language, through which they transmit complex information. Most of them have a symbiotic relationship with some insects, plants, fungi and bacteria.

Each member of the colony knows its place and clearly fulfills the role assigned to it.

1. Females. They are the founders of an anthill. In most colonies, the female is only one. She lays eggs so that her anthill constantly grows and replenishes.
2. Males. They are needed for the fertilization of females.
3. Workers. Thanks to them, the anthill lives. They build a house, guard it, clean it, supply all the inhabitants with food, take care of the larvae.

It is worth noting that males and females are supplied with wings, and workers ants do not. Also some kinds of ants have a sting.

Lifestyle

After the female has been fertilized, she loses her wings and goes in search of a place where she will lay the foundation of her anthill from several rooms and lay eggs there. The male never survives. Uterus feeds the larvae with the help of saliva. The first "party" of the released workers begins to engage in the construction and production of food. After enough working ants appear, the female is only laying eggs, and the colony takes care of the larvae (white helpless worms). Five pupae are formed pupae, which cease to feed. Out of them come adult females and working individuals. This process lasts the whole vegetation period. Males are reborn only in the spring.

The main diet is the juice of plants from the aphid discharge. But at the moment when they care about the larvae, the ants feed on other insects.

Ants: Species in Russia and their features

It is known that these insects are able to adapt to different conditions and populate any landscape. But each separate species has its own characteristics, and this is due not only to external characteristics. Each of them has its own differences in behavior and way of life. Therefore, if we learn more about these insects, even those that inhabit our territory, they may seem to us no less interesting than those that live only in the tropics. It has already been mentioned how many species of ants in the world, so it should be noted that of them more than 125 species are in Russia. But in different sources this figure varies and sometimes reaches 300. The most familiar of them are red forest, meadow, pharaoh, domestic, termites, leaf cutters and others. Consider some species of ants. A photo of some insects will be attached.

Red Forest

This species chooses mixed, coniferous and deciduous forests for its habitat, which are more than 40 years old. Female and workers differ in red-brown color. Their length is about 7-14 mm. The head of this ant has an elongated shape, and the body is dense. Males are black, with reddish or yellowish paws. Their families are single, divided into three castes. One nest can number from 800 thousand to 1 million individuals. From May to the end of June, departures for mating begin. Surprisingly, only eggs or working individuals, or males or females, come out of the eggs. Everything depends on the needs of the family.

This kind of ants can damage fruit trees due to the fact that they plant aphids. But they also benefit the gardens. These insects destroy many pests that damage crop plants. In this case, particular attention is paid to the ants who are in the process of mass reproduction. It was estimated that in a large anthill these insects could bring up to 21,000 pupae of pests in one day. Therefore, one such anthill is able to protect about a hectare of coniferous forest.

Meadow ant

Another species, common in Russia, is meadow. The size of this insect varies between 5-11 mm. In meadow ants the body is covered with villi, and in front on the breast there is a dark speck. For the construction of the house they choose meadows, open fringes and glades. This species also breeds aphids. From the anthill to their "pastures" are laid deep tracks, over which the awnings are made. Ants go by these ways for years. In addition to the aphid discharge, these species of ants feed on dead insects. Very rarely eat live.

After winter, as soon as the air warms up to +10 degrees, they crawl out of the anthill. At a temperature of +30, insects do not leave their homes. Above it was described how many species of ants in the world, but of all of them only these make trips for breeding twice a season. They fall out in May and August.

Pharaohs ant

This representative refers to the smallest ants. Their total length is 2-4 mm. They were first discovered in Egypt in tombs on mummies. Then Karl Linnaeus described them and gave them a name. This happened in 1758. Small sizes helped these babies to spread all over the earth. In Russia they were seen in 1889. So these kinds of ants have become known. In the world they are found in almost every corner where there are people.

Usually they have a yellow color and a dark abdomen. Males are practically black and always winged. This species is very hardworking, and in the north they settle exclusively in the houses of a man. They prefer darkness and moisture, so they are more often found in the crevices of floors, walls and other voids. Because they are always warm, they do not hibernate and their colonies are constantly growing. Usually their number is several thousand. In addition, for reproduction, they do not have to fly out, and after fertilization, workers gnaw out the wings of the uterus. In just one year the family grows into two thousand inhabitants. The nest is divided, and so they spread throughout the area, growing into huge colonies. Fighting them is difficult, because in one place there may be more than one female. Interestingly, with these inmates can not get along bedbugs, because the acids that emanate from pharaoh ants are deadly to these bed pests.

House ant

These representatives also belong to the smallest, their size ranges from 1 to 3 mm. The female and the male are of a dark brown tone, and the workers are distinguished by a bright yellow color. These ants are called thieves. Their small size makes them almost invisible, and thanks to this they get along well with the anthills of other species. In doing so, they steal from them larvae and eggs in order to feed themselves. They can be found in the middle zone of Russia, as well as on the southern side of the European part of the country.

Black Ant

This species is also one of the most common and often settles in human homes. Their color is usually black, but can be dark brown. The whole body of insects is covered with small villi. Normally, anthills are built in the soil, and there is a mound of mud on top. They can also build their homes in wood and boulders. Sometimes you can find a black ant of a larger size - in this case you stumbled upon another representative, he is called a reaper. This species is known for its propensity for huge reserves in an anthill. They can collect about a kilogram of seeds and insects to successfully spend the winter. Interestingly, unlike other ants of their larvae, they are fed with plant food, and not insects.

But this sort of ants that are found in Russia, do not end there. For example, many woodwormers are known who run on branches and collect honey dew on leaves, and their colonies are grounded in stumps or under bark, gnawing through the passages. Also on the territory of the country there are some kinds of "Amazons" that do not give birth to working individuals, and they steal larvae from more peaceful ants. The newly born babies think that the Amazons are their parents and start to perform all the "black" work for them.

The most dangerous kinds of ants: names and description

There are two kinds of these insects, which give a special fear to a person. But they are not found in Russia. These are "bullet" and "soldier" ants (also known as nomadic ants). The first species is found in forests stretching from Paraguay to Nicaragua. The length of his body is 2.5 centimeters. He arranges his anthill on a tree. Passing under it, you can get caught by this ant, who bravely jumps down on a man to save his colony from the enemy. These insects know how to scream and, before attacking, he issues a call. It is called a "bullet" for a reason. His bite is also piercing and painful, like a bullet wound.

The ant-soldier

This is the second dangerous arthropod. Mostly it lives along the Amazon, but its families can be found in Asia and Africa. They are large specimens, reaching 1.5 cm. They are also equipped with large mandibles (approximately 7-8 mm). These ants do not have a permanent anthill. They always wander, arranging a halt only for that short period, while the queen lays eggs. At this time, the soldiers are in search of food. When the larvae appear, the ants raise them and continue the path. The most terrible thing is that they on their way destroy all living things - insects, small and large animals - all those who did not want to hide or fell asleep. An imprudent victim, like a wave, is covered by hundreds of thousands of powerful soldiers. These ants are absolutely blind, that's why everyone regards them as a threat to their colony. That's why they do not fear the size of the animals.

These ants are an unusually cohesive people. If necessary, they can create from their bodies absolutely any shape. For example, they make bridges so that the colony overcomes an obstacle, or walls from the weather. To do this, they firmly cling to each other.

Enemies of ants

As we have seen, different kinds of ants have their own internal structure, which protects them and allows the existence of colonies. But these insects also have enemies who like to eat them. One of the largest ant pests is the bear. He regularly ravages anthills, dropping his paws. Their ants "obleplyivaet", and the bear lick off the delicacy. Also like to eat these insects bugs and moles, which will not miss the child running past. In addition, many know the animal, which is called "anteater". He has a specially adapted muzzle in order to get into the dwellings of insects. In addition, he does not fear their bites, because the wool is so stiff and thick that even small ants can not get through it. The meat of this animal smells very much of these insects and is black. But these are not the only enemies of the ants, as they are hunted not only by mammals, but by birds and even by fish.