Bothriomyrmex corsicus

Bothriomyrmex corsicus

Bothriomyrmex corsicus is a small, yellow Dolichoderine ant native to the Mediterranean region and parts of Central Europe. Workers measure just 0.6mm and have a uniformly yellow coloration including the antennae and legs, making them appear almost translucent. The head is slightly elongated with a distinctive trapezoidal clypeus, and the eyes are relatively large for their size. This species is a temporary social parasite, the queen invades colonies of Tapinoma ants, kills the host queen, and uses the host workers to raise her own brood until the first Bothriomyrmex workers emerge. This parasitic lifestyle makes them exceptionally rare in ant collections and challenging to keep, as they cannot establish colonies without a host ^[1][2].

Quick Summary

• Difficulty: Expert
• Origin & Habitat: Mediterranean and Central Europe, found across southern France, Corsica, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Kosovo, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. In Greece, they occur at 210-850m elevation in pastures with shrubs and luminous deciduous forest, nesting under stones in warm, dry, open areas ^[1][2][3].
• Colony Type: Temporary social parasite of Tapinoma species. Colonies are monogynous (single queen) with several thousand workers once established. The queen must invade and take over a Tapinoma colony to found her own ^[4][5].
  • Colony: Monogyne
  • Queen: Socially parasitic, Temporary parasitic
• Size & Growth:
  • Queen: 0.69-0.76mm ^[2]
  • Worker: 0.59-0.65mm ^[1]
  • Colony: Several thousand workers in mature colonies ^[4]
  • Growth: Moderate, growth depends on host colony integration
  • Development: Unknown, development occurs within host colony after queen adoption (Direct development data unavailable. Unlike free-living species, this parasitic ant's development is tied to host colony resources after the queen takes over.)
• Antkeeping:
  • Temperature: Keep at 20-25°C, they are thermophilous and prefer warm conditions. In their native range, mean summer temperatures average 17-18°C, but they do well in heated setups ^[2].
  • Humidity: Low to moderate, they prefer dry, xerothermous conditions typical of Mediterranean karst regions. Avoid overly humid setups ^[2].
  • Diapause: Likely, as a Mediterranean species, they probably experience reduced activity in winter months, but specific diapause requirements are unconfirmed.
  • Nesting: In nature they nest under stones in warm, dry, open areas. In captivity, they would need to be introduced to an established Tapinoma colony. A naturalistic setup with a test tube connected to a formicarium works once parasitism is established.
• Behavior: Non-aggressive and docile by nature, they rely on host workers rather than developing their own foraging behavior initially. Workers are small and slow-moving. Escape risk is moderate due to their tiny size, use fine mesh barriers. They are rarely aggressive and pose no threat to humans ^[2].
• Common Issues: extreme difficulty establishing colonies, requires successful introduction to live Tapinoma host colony, queen adoption failure, host workers often reject or kill the invading queen, colony collapse if host Tapinoma colony dies or rejects the parasites, tiny size makes escape prevention challenging without proper barriers, virtually unavailable in the antkeeping hobby due to parasitic nature

Understanding Their Parasitic Lifestyle

Bothriomyrmex corsicus is what antkeepers call a 'temporary social parasite.' Unlike most ants where a queen founds a new colony alone, these ants require a host species to establish. The queen must find an established Tapinoma colony, infiltrate it, kill or replace the host queen, and then use the existing host workers to raise her own brood. This is a remarkable strategy, the queen doesn't need to lay eggs initially because she tricks the host workers into caring for her as if she were their own queen. Over time, the host workers die off and are replaced by her own Bothriomyrmex workers. This makes them one of the most challenging ants to keep, as you cannot simply set up a founding queen in a test tube ^[4][5].

Housing and Colony Establishment

Keeping Bothriomyrmex corsicus requires a completely different approach than typical ants. You cannot keep them in isolation, they need a functioning Tapinoma host colony to survive. The practical approach is to obtain an established Tapinoma colony and introduce the Bothriomyrmex queen, though success rates are low. Some keepers report better success by placing the parasite queen in a separate container with workers from the host colony for a period before combining them. Once established, the colony can be kept in a standard formicarium with proper escape prevention. The nest should be kept dry and warm, mimicking their Mediterranean habitat. They do best when connected to an outworld where they can forage alongside host workers ^[4].

Temperature and Care Requirements

As a Mediterranean species, Bothriomyrmex corsicus prefers warm conditions. Keep the nest area at 20-25°C, which is warmer than many temperate species prefer. They naturally occur in areas with mean summer temperatures around 17-18°C but do well in heated setups. A heating cable on one side of the nest can create the temperature gradient they prefer. Humidity should be low to moderate, these are ants of dry, xerothermous habitats and too much moisture will cause problems. Ensure good ventilation to prevent mold while maintaining these warm, dry conditions. Unlike many ants, they do not need constant access to water, the host colony typically handles moisture needs ^[2][6].

Behavior and Interactions

Once established within a host colony, Bothriomyrmex workers are docile and non-aggressive. They do not defend their colony aggressively because they rely on host workers for defense and foraging. Workers are small, slow-moving, and spend most of their time in the nest area. The parasitic relationship is fascinating to observe, you may see Bothriomyrmex workers being fed and tended by Tapinoma workers, a behavior called 'trophallaxis.' Over time, as the host workers die off, the colony transitions to being primarily Bothriomyrmex. They pose no sting risk to humans due to their tiny size and docile nature ^[2].

Why This Species Is So Rare in Captivity

Bothriomyrmex corsicus is virtually unavailable in the antkeeping hobby for several important reasons. First, they cannot be collected as founding colonies, you cannot find a queen and start a colony from scratch like you would with Lasius or Camponotus. Second, even if you find a queen and a Tapinoma colony, the introduction process has a very low success rate. Third, the entire established colony is fragile, if the host Tapinoma colony dies or rejects the parasites, your Bothriomyrmex colony collapses. For these reasons, even experienced antkeepers rarely attempt this species. If you're interested in parasitic ants, you may have better success with permanently parasitic genera like Teleutomyrmex or Anergates, though these are even more difficult to obtain ^[4][5].

Frequently Asked Questions

References