Social Parasitism

Social parasitism is the coexistence of two or more ant species in one nest or colony. It involves a parasitic species which is dependent on one or several host species. The relationship can be obligatory or facultative, permanent or temporary. These relationships can take many forms and have been classified in various ways.

Holldobler & Wilson (1990), following a suggestion of Wasmann (1891), distinguished between "compound nests" and "mixed colonies". Compound nests (xenobiosis) involve two species of ants living together in the same nest but keeping their broods separate. It includes casual or regular nesting in close vicinity (plesiobiosis), stealing food from other species (cleptobiosis), stealing brood (lestobiosis) and sharing nests and trails (parabiosis). Mixed colonies comprise temporary parasites, slave-makers (dulosis) and inquilines, where the host workers care for the parasite brood, at least temporarily.

As an alternative, Buschinger (2009), in his review of social parasitism, proposed the following classification:
 * Xenobiosis (guest ants, sometimes called cleptobiosis or kleptobiosis) - The biology of Formicoxenus nitidulus provides natural history information about one representative guest ant.
 * Temporary parasitism (occurring together only during colony foundation) - The biology of Lasius umbratus provides natural history information about one representative temporarily parasitic ant.
 * Permanent parasitism with slavery (dulosis) - The biology of Temnothorax muellerianus provides a representative account of dulosis.
 * Permanent parasitism without slavery (inquilinism) - The biology of Tetramorium inquilinum (as Teleutomyrmex schneideri) provides natural history information about one representative inquiline ant.

Parasitic Ant Species
This information has been modified from [http://www.myrmecologicalnews.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=315:myrmecol-news-12-219-235-online-earlier&Itemid=81&layout=default Buschinger, A. (2009) Social parasitism among ants: a review. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 12: 219-235.] Please cite the original publication as the source for this data.

Names, taxonomy, type of parasitism, and species range.

dDul = degenerate dulosis; Dul = dulosis, slave-maker; In = inquilinism; Tp = temporary parasitism; Xen = xenobiosis, guest ant.