Template:Overview/Cardiocondyla

Little is known about . Until further studies reveal more about this species we can infer that its natural history and biology should be similar to other Cardiocondyla. Seifert revised the holoarctic species of Cardiocondyla in 2003 and the following synopsis is based on his excellent treatment of the genus. References to other publications and more details about what is reported here be found in Seifert (2003).

Many species inhabit areas that experience frequent disturbance and/or are quite open. These may be human altered areas, where a number of Cardiocondyla tramp species thrive, but also semi deserts and steppes, immature soils at rivers, lakes, and sea shores and to a lesser extent forest margins or burned-down woodland patches. In contrast to this open-land group, the original habitats of many tropical species are primary rain forests.

Nests are typically in soil and sometimes under stones. Two species are known to nest in vegetation but this is unusual for the genus. The single nest entrances is small (1-1.5 mm) and inconspicuous. In the desert nests can be relatively deep (> 1m) and have many chambers but in areas where conditions are less extreme there is generally a single chamber (15-20 mm diameter and 3-4 mm height) that is not far below the ground surface (2-15 cm).

Cardiocondyla tramp species (Cardiocondyla wroughtonii, Cardiocondyla obscurior, Cardiocondyla mauritanica, Cardiocondyla emeryi and Cardiocondyla minutior) are known to be polygynous, whole some other species are known to be monogynous.

Cardiocondyla ants are omnivorous. Zoophagy (zoo necrophagy and killing of small weakly sclerotised arthropods), granivory, and nectarivory have also been noted. Tandem running has been observed as a method of recruitment to food sources in a few species.

An unusual feature of many Cardiocondyla species is the occurrence of ergatiod males. These males have been shown to fight with other males within their natal nest. Dominant males are able to mate with virgin queens within their colony, with intranidal mating being the norm for most species. Additional morphological modifications that enhance the fighting abilities of males seem to be common, e.g., modified mandibles well suited to fighting and increased mesosomal size for better protection against attacks.

Some species are known to produce different queen morphs. This presumably facilitates there being a longer range dispersal form and a shorter or non-dispersing form of queen. Gyne polymorphism appears to be an adaptation for species inhabiting continental desert or semi desert habitats. The cosmopolitan tramp species, on the other hand, do not exhibit this gyne polymorphism.