Forelius pusillus
{{short description|Species of ant}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Forelius pusillus casent0173739 profile 1.jpg
|image_caption = Forelius pusillus worker
|taxon = Forelius pusillus
|authority = Santschi, 1922
|synonyms =
- Neoforelius tucumanus Kusnezov, 1953
}}
Forelius pusillus is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by Santschi in 1922, the species is endemic to South America.Cuezzo, F. 2000. Revisión del género Forelius (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae). Sociobiology 35: 197-275 (page 263, Raised to species and senior synonym of tucumanus)
Behaviour
Forelius pusillus is noted to perform "pre-emptive defensive self-sacrifice", where a group of ants leave the security of the nest after sealing the entrance from the outside each evening.{{Cite journal |last1=Tofilski |first1=Adam |last2=Couvillon |first2=Margaret J. |last3=Evison |first3=Sophie E. F. |last4=Helanterä |first4=Heikki |last5=Robinson |first5=Elva J. H. |last6=Ratnieks |first6=Francis L. W. |date=2008-11-01 |title=Preemptive Defensive Self‐Sacrifice by Ant Workers. |journal=The American Naturalist |volume=172 |issue=5 |pages=E239–E243 |doi=10.1086/591688 |pmid=18928332 |s2cid=7052340 |issn=0003-0147}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{commonscat-inline|Forelius pusillus|Forelius pusillus}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q13636858}}
Category:Hymenoptera of South America
Category:Insects described in 1922
{{Dolichoderinae-stub}}