Tetramorium bicarinatum

Tetramorium bicarinatum, is a species of ant of the family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera that originated in South East Asia.[1]

Tetramorium bicarinatum
Tetramorium bicarinatum worker
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Genus: Tetramorium
Species:
T. bicarinatum
Binomial name
Tetramorium bicarinatum
(Nylander, 1846)

Morphology

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It is a reddish headed medium-sized ant, with mesosoma and waist contrasting with a dark gaster.[2]

Habitat

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The species can adversely affect native biodiversity.[2] It is also said to be a common tramp species which is usually found inside of houses, in greenhouses and shade houses, or in landscaped areas near houses.[3]

Venom

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The Tetramorium bicarinatum's venom arrangement shows potential for a new pharmacologically active substance, bicarinalin. This antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anti-infective compound could potentially be chemically synthesized to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens by means of drug therapy.[4][5][6]

References

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  1. ^ "Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2013)". Species: Tetramorium (bicarinatum) bicarinatum, AntWeb.
  2. ^ a b "Tetramorium bicarinatum". PIAkey.
  3. ^ "Ants of Costa Rica". John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College.
  4. ^ Bouzid, W.; Klopp, C.; Vétillard, A. (December 2013). "Transcriptome analysis of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from the venom glands of the ant species Tetramorium bicarinatum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Toxicon. 75: 210–211. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2013.08.018.
  5. ^ Rifflet, Aline; Gavalda, Sabine; Téné, Nathan; Orivel, Jérôme; Leprince, Jérôme; Guilhaudis, Laure; Génin, Eric; Vétillard, Angélique; Treilhou, Michel (December 2012). "Identification and characterization of a novel antimicrobial peptide from the venom of the ant Tetramorium bicarinatum". Peptides. 38 (2): 363–370. doi:10.1016/j.peptides.2012.08.018. PMID 22960382.
  6. ^ Bouzid, Wafa; Klopp, Christophe; Verdenaud, Marion; Ducancel, Frédéric; Vétillard, Angélique (August 2013). "Profiling the venom gland transcriptome of Tetramorium bicarinatum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): The first transcriptome analysis of an ant species". Toxicon. 70: 70–81. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2013.03.010. PMID 23584016.

Further reading

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  • Wetterer, James K. "Worldwide spread of the penny ant, Tetramorium bicarinatum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Sociobiology 54.3 (2009): 811–830.
  • Astruc, Cyril, Christian Malosse, and Christine Errard. "Lack of intraspecific aggression in the ant Tetramorium bicarinatum: a chemical hypothesis." Journal of Chemical Ecology 27.6 (2001): 1229–1248.
  • de Biseau, J. C., et al. "Respective contributions of leader and trail during recruitment to food inTetramorium bicarinatum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Insectes sociaux 41.3 (1994): 241–254.
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