• ATemnothorax kinomuraiqueen antK. • Kinomura ATemnothorax kinomuraiqueen ant K. • Kinomura A parasitic species of ant from Japan is the first ever found to have done away with both males and female workers - instead, every individual is a queen that tries to take over the nests of other species. • Typically, ant colonies consist of a queen, female workers and short-lived males that die after mating. • Read moreThe long-overlooked insects that could save our crops Read more The long-overlooked insects that could save our crops Advertisement For more than 40 years, researchers have suspected that the rare parasitic antTemnothorax kinomuraionly produces queens, but until now there has been no definitive proof. • Young queens of this parasitic species take over the nests of a related species,Temnothorax makora, killing the host queen and some workers by stinging them.

Article Summaries:

  • A Japanese parasitic ant, Temnothorax kinomurai, has been confirmed to lack both males and worker ants, with every individual functioning as a queen. Researchers from the University of Regensburg collected six colonies and raised 43 queen offspring in laboratory nests, verifying the absence of males through genital examination. The queens invade nests of the related Temnothorax makora, killing the host queen and some workers, then reproduce asexually via parthenogenesis, producing cloned queen offspring. Of the 43 queens tested, seven successfully took over host colonies and produced 57 all‑queen progeny. The study illustrates a novel form of social parasitism and the potential evolutionary advantages of parthenogenetic reproduction.
  • A parasitic species of ant from Japan is the first ever found to have done away with both males and female workers - instead, every individual is a queen that tries to take over the nests of other species. Typically, ant colonies consist of a queen, female workers and short-lived males that die after mating. Advertisement For more than 40 years, researchers have suspected that the rare parasitic ant Temnothorax kinomurai only produces queens, but until now there has been no definitive proof. Young queens of this parasitic species take over the nests of a related species, Temnothorax makora, ki

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