26 
THE ARGENTINE ANT. 
called attention to the scarcity of the common ' ' chiggers ' ' or so-called 
"red bugs" in parks and yards heavily infested by the ant, and this 
latter observation has been verified by the junior author in the case 
of Audubon Park, New Orleans. At Baton Rouge, however, the 
senior author found the "chiggers" very abundant in premises heav- 
ily infested by the ants. The manner in which these ants destroy 
the sorghum midge is described on following pages. 
SYSTEMATIC POSITION. 
According to the classification adopted by Dr. W. M. Wheeler, 1 
the Argentine ant is placed in the subfamily Dolichoderinse, which 
Fig. 5.— Covering constructed by the Argentine ant to protect the mealy-bugs. (Original.) 
is one of the five main subdivisions of the family Formicidse. The 
Dolichoderinae are characterized by the cloacal orifice being slit- 
shaped and ventrally located instead of being circular and termi- 
nally located, as in the camponotine ants, by vestigial sting, by 
single-segmented abdominal pedicel, by a much shortened or bell- 
shaped gizzard (proventriculus), by the pupaB being always naked 
(not inclosed in cocoons), and usually by anal glands which produce 
a secretion having a very offensive odor. In the case of the Argen- 
tine ant, however, this odor is entirely lacking. 
1 "Ants, their structure, development, and behavior," 1910. 
