Yellow-brown ant - Yellow-brown ant

An insect belonging to the family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera. It is widely distributed in Europe, Asia, and North America, and is the most common in Japan. Workers are about 3 mm long, while queens are about 1 cm long. Their bodies are black-brown and covered entirely in fine hairs. Around July, several thousand winged ants emerge from each nest, and take off on their mating flight in the early morning. A closely related species, such as the brown-and-white ant Hayashi, takes off around sunset, and large swarms of them may arrive at lights. They build their nests in rotting parts of wood, where they protect aphids on trees and grass, and feed mainly on the nectar dripped from the aphids.

[Yamauchi Katsunori]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

昆虫綱膜翅(まくし)目アリ科に属する昆虫。ヨーロッパ、アジア、北アメリカに広く分布し、日本ではもっとも普通にみられる。体長は働きアリで約3ミリメートル、女王アリで約1センチメートル。体は黒褐色で、全体が微毛で覆われる。7月ごろ、1巣当り数千の羽アリが羽化し、早朝に結婚飛行に飛び立つ。近縁種のハヤシトビイロケアリなどは日没前後に飛び出し、灯火にその大群が飛来することがある。巣は材木の腐朽部などにつくり、樹木や草上のアブラムシを保護し、その蜜滴(みつてき)をおもな食料にしている。

［山内克典］

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