86 ANERGATES. 



The genus Anergates was discovered by Sehenk,* 

 who found a small community consisting of males, 

 females and workers, which he naturally supposed to 

 belong to one species. Mayr, however, pointed out^ 

 that the workers were in fact workers of Tetramorium 

 coespitum ; and it would appear that while in Strongy- 

 lognathus the workers are comparatively few, Aner- 

 gates differs from all other ants in having no workers 

 at all. The males and females live with Tetrartioriuni 

 ccespituTYi, and are in several respects very peculiar, — 

 for instance, the male is wingless. One might consider 

 it rather a case of parasitism than of slavery, but the 

 difficulty is that in these mixed nests there are no males, 

 females, or young of Tetramorium. As to this all ob- 

 servers are agreed. It seems quite clear that Aner- 

 gates cannot procure its slaves, if such they are, by 

 marauding expeditions like those of Polyergus ; in the 

 first place, because the Anergates are too few, and 

 secondly, because they are too weak. The whole ques- 

 tion is rendered still more difficult by the fact that 

 neither Von Hagens^ nor Forel ever found either larvae 

 or pupae of TetramoriuTn in the mixed nests. The com- 

 munity consisted of males and females of Anergates, 

 accompanied and tended by workers of TetramoriuTn 

 ccespitum. The Anergates are absolutely dependent 



' ' Die Nassauischen Ameisen-Species,' Stettin Eiit. Zeit. 1853, 

 p. 186. 



* Europ. Formiddep, p. 56. 



* Verfi. des uVatur. Vereines der Preuss. Hheinlande vnd Wcst- 

 IpTialcns, 1867, p. 53. See also V. Hagens. Berl. Ent.Zeit. 1867, p. 102, 



