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Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius, 1775)

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Higher taxa:  Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Formicidae   Oecophylla   Global map IDnature guides: Ants_Cambodia, Ants_India, Ants_Philippines, Ants_Thailand, Formicidae We parsed the following live from the Web into this page. Such content is managed by its original site and not cached on Discover Life. Please send feedback and corrections directly to the source. See original regarding copyrights and terms of use. CalPhotos

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© Alex Wild, myrmecos.net, 2004 Oecophylla smaragdina	© Alex Wild, myrmecos.net, 2004 Oecophylla smaragdina
© Copyright Gary Alpert, 2005-2008 Oecophylla smaragdina, worker, head	© Copyright Gary Alpert, 2005-2008 Oecophylla smaragdina, worker, side
© Copyright Gary Alpert, 2005-2008 Oecophylla smaragdina, worker, top

Overview

The brood of this species is eaten as a delicacy by the people of northern Luzon.

Names

Scientific source:       Integrated Taxonomic Information System Abu-os in Ilokano dialect Tigasaw in Tagalog dialect

Geographic distribution

Widespread throughout the Philippines.

Natural history

This large, aggressive formicine ant builds arboreal nests. They use their larvae as living spindles to weave silk to connect the leaves. They form very large colonies, often covering several adjacent trees.

How to encounter

Look for large, yellowish to greenish guard ants on the trunks of trees. Overhead, you'll find the leaf nests in the foliage.

References

Holldobler, B. and E.O. Wilson 1990. The Ants. Belknap Press of the Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass. 732 pp.