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Mrówka messor barbarus. Mrówka messor barbarus. Open gallery (1)

Messor barbarus

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Description

Messor barbarus - Easy-to-Breed Ants from Southern Europe

Species Description

Messor barbarus are very easy to breed, very large, and beautiful ants originating from Southern Europe, including Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France. We recommend them to beginner breeders because they are an ideal combination of affordable, easy-to-breed, and interesting ants.

Variety in Size and Castes

These ants are highly diverse in terms of worker sizes within a single colony. They have a distinct caste system. The smallest ants in the colony are nurses, sometimes only 3 millimeters long, while the largest, soldiers, can reach 14 millimeters or even more according to some sources. Soldiers have huge heads. Occasionally, a head is significantly larger than other soldiers' and even the queen's, often referred to as supermajors, although opinions vary, with some ant keepers believing they are simply large soldiers and do not necessitate a separate caste. Soldiers can easily crush large seeds.

Environmental Conditions

This species prefers relatively low humidity and high sunlight, along with diverse vegetation around the nest. They typically nest under rocks, logs, or tree branches.

Behavior and Defense

Soldiers primarily function as seed crushers, but in case of danger, they secrete a special fluid to combat opponents and release pheromones that quickly summon more soldiers. Colonies are said to be monogynous (having one queen), but there are many instances where multiple colonies or queens have escaped and formed a joint colony. Such colonies often reach tens of thousands of workers, and the additional queens are not killed, suggesting polygynous colonies may occur in nature. This is hard to confirm as queens usually reside about 50 cm underground. Messor barbarus can create trails up to 40-70 meters long, with various sources reporting different data.

Diet and Nutrition

The Messor genus (including Messor barbarus) is notable for their diet primarily consisting of seeds. Many ant species occasionally consume seeds (e.g., Pheidole pallidula or Polish Tetramorium caespitum), but for most ants, seeds are a dietary supplement, mainly small and oily seeds. However, Messor ants' diet largely depends on seeds. They consume almost any seed that fits into their mandibles, a strong reason for many breeders to keep at least one species of this genus, often choosing Messor barbarus due to their low cost, high availability, and abundant knowledge sources.

This seed-based diet also simplifies breeding - a large Messor colony can survive several weeks without care, whereas honey-eating ants would die or suffer significant colony reduction. Messor ants simply access their seed bank and consume reserves. In terms of seeds, these ants select the most appealing seeds from a mix, eating them first. The nest contains special chambers for seed storage. The ants secrete a milky white substance with high antifungal properties, protecting seeds from mold and other fungi in case of excess moisture. Soldiers crush the seeds, and smaller ants grind them into "ant bread" consumed by the entire colony, including the queen.

Interesting Facts

An interesting fact is that Messor ants do not practice trophallaxis.

Another interesting fact about the Messor genus is the mutualism between ants and plants. Many seeds have elaiosomes (ant bodies or fat bodies), nutritious appendages that ants eat while dispersing seeds. This mutualistic relationship allows plants to spread over large distances at a low cost and provides ants with easy food. The term for seed dispersal by ants is myrmecochory, or seed dispersal by animals is zoochory. This mutualism is crucial for plants in many parts of the world, with over 35% of certain plant species in Southern Africa being ant-dispersed. In Europe, at least 150 plant species have seeds regularly transported by ants up to 50 meters. Ants may gather seeds from the ground or fruits, sometimes transporting entire fruits to the nest. Some insect eggs resemble seeds and have nutritious capitula, mimicking elaiosomes, tricking ants into transporting them to nests where they can safely hatch.

Color Variants

Available color variants of queens include standard and redhead (more expensive). Some variants have multiple queens that will cooperate for faster colony development.

Messor barbarus Subspecies

According to Wikipedia, the following subspecies of Messor barbarus exist:

  • Messor barbarus barbarus
  • Messor barbarus gallaoides
  • Messor barbarus mediosanguineus
  • Messor barbarus nigricans
  • Messor barbarus politus
  • Messor barbarus sahlbergi
  • Messor barbarus santschii

Specifications

  • Species: Messor barbarus
  • Difficulty: Very low
  • Soldiers: Yes
  • Size: Queen 13-16 mm, Worker 3-14 mm
  • Coloration: Black
  • Distribution: Southern Europe
  • Diet: Seeds and feeder insects, larger colonies will also eat fruit
  • Hibernation: Yes, 10-15 degrees Celsius
  • Temperature: 23-26 degrees Celsius
  • Recommended Formicarium: Acrylic, concrete, soil, 3D-printed

Reviews

Number of ratings: 123
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hienoze

i bought this and its awsome

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