LIFE HISTORY. 



35 



These phenomena are very highly developed in the ants, in most 

 species of which a winged male and female, and a wingless worker 

 are present in a very few cases only, the worker class is wanting. 



These three normal forms are again split up into further " phases," 

 which however are neither as constant, nor as important as the 

 primary ones. 



Wheeler has constructed a most valuable table to illustrate the 

 series of different phases known to occur among ants. This table 

 is reproduced here (with a few additions), as although some of the 

 phases have not yet occurred in Britain, and others are peculiar to 



Micraner 



Phtft/isaner 

 Mermithaner 

 Ergataner 



Macraner 



Dorylanfr 



Gynaecaner 



/ \ 



Ergatandromorph Gynandromorph 



Micrergato 



Worker 



(Ergates) 



/ V 



Phthisergate \ 



Pterergate 



M ermithergate 



Plerergate 



Macrergate 



Gynaecoid 

 Dichthadiigyne 



Ergatogyne 



Mermithogyne 

 Microgyne 



Pseudogyne 



Phthisogyne 



Desmergate 



\ 



Dinergate 



tropical and non-British ants, the table is of so much interest that 

 it would be a pity not to give it in toto. 



" The three typical phases are placed at the angles of an isosceles 

 triangle, the excess developments being placed to the right, the 

 defect developments to the left, of a vertical line passing through 

 the middle of the diagram. The arrows indicate the directions of 

 the affinities of the secondary phases and suggest that those on the 

 sides of the triangle are annectant, whereas those which radiate 

 outward from its angles represent the new departures with excess 

 and defect characters." 



The typical and atypical phases are printed in Roman type, the 

 pathological phases in italics. 



1. The male (aner) is the most fixed of the three primary phases. 



