Slave-Maker Ant vs Little Tan Short-Horn Sedge

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Slave-Maker Ant Little Tan Short-Horn Sedge
Scientific Name Temnothorax americanus Glossosoma nigrior
Order Hymenoptera Trichoptera
Family Formicidae Glossosomatidae
Size 2-3 mm 5-8 mm
Habitat Farmland Rivers & Streams
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Eastern North America Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Slave-Maker Ant

A tiny North American slave-making ant that raids colonies of closely related Temnothorax species. Workers have saber-like mandibles used in raids. Enslaved workers eventually perform all domestic tasks while raiders focus solely on conducting new raids.

💡

Did You Know?

Enslaved Temnothorax workers sometimes rebel by destroying the slave-maker brood they are supposed to rear, reducing the raiding colony's future workforce.

Little Tan Short-Horn Sedge

A small, abundant caddisfly of eastern North American streams. Larvae build tortoise-shell-shaped cases of fine gravel and are important grazers.

💡

Did You Know?

Grazing by dense populations can visibly reduce algal cover on stream rocks.