Caste Terminology

Dichthadiiform
The special form of ergatoid queen peculiar to army ants, always wingless and with very large gaster to accommodate massive egg production.

Gamergate
In many ponerine ants, fertilized, ovipositing worker that assumes the reproductive function of the queen caste.

Major worker
The largest subcaste of worker ants; sometimes also referred to as a "soldier" because often specialized for defense, but may also be specialized to crush seeds, as in species of Pheidole.

Minor worker
A member of the smallest of the worker subcaste.

Monomorphic
The worker caste occurring in only a single morphological form or size class.

Polymorphic
Refers to the coexistence of two or more subcastes within the same caste, often serving different functions, and connected through a gradual series of intermediates in a nonisometric growth curve; individuals of distinctly different proportions occur at the extreme ends of the variation range.

Replete
A worker ant whose crop is greatly distended with liquid food and functioning as a living reservoir; this food is made available to other colony members by regurgitation.

Soldier
A worker subcaste specialized for colony defense, often with enlarged head and/or mandibles. May also be specialized for crushing seeds.