Template:Overview/Myrafant-biology

Temnothorax is a diverse genus that has a moderately complex history of name changes. The subgenus Myrafant, now a junior synonym of Temnothorax, formed a group of species that largely shared a common set of biological characteristics. Workers and colonies are small. Nests tend to occur in small cavities and may be found in the soil, under or among stones or in small cavities in living or dead vegetation. Individual species show a tendency to utilize a single or small set of nesting locations e.g., there are species that favor nesting in small dead twigs of living trees. Nest entrances are often a cryptic, tiny hole that can only be found by observing a worker exiting or entering the nest.

A few common and abundant species are relatively well studied but the majority are rare or are rarely collected. The relative rarity of many species may ultimately prove to be explained by the combination of their small colony size, small workers, unaggressive behavior, and diminutive, inconspicuous nests.

In the few cases where we do know the diet of a species from this group it consists of sweet exudates, general scavenging of dead insect parts and other randomly encountered items. It is presumed most unstudied species have a similar diet. Aphid tending and preying upon small soil arthropods may also be a part of their foraging repertoire. For all the consistency of these characteristics, these ants collectively show a wide range of habitat affinities that range from cool, high latitude forests to hot desert regions. Individual species, on the other hand, tend to be found in a single or small subset of habitats.