Monomorium santschii

Monomorium santschii
Conservation status
	; Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
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 genus Monomorium 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". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996: e.T13715A4354217. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T13715A4354217.en. Retrieved 9 January 2018. Listed as Vulnerable (VU D2 v2.3)

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