Solarium (myrmecology) explained

In myrmecology, a solarium is an above-ground earthen structure constructed by some ant species for the purpose of nest thermoregulation and brood incubation.^[1] Solaria are usually dome-shaped and fashioned from a paper-thin layer of soil, connected to the main nest by way of subterranean runs. Some species, such as Formica candida, construct solaria using plant materials.^[2]

Tapinoma erraticum is an example of a solaria-constructing species whose skill at so doing was noted by Horace Donisthorpe in the early 20th century in his book British Ants, their Life Histories and Classification.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Web site: 195-Beneficial Insect Series 1: Allegheny Mound Ant - Cooperative Extension: Maine Wild Blueberries - University of Maine Cooperative Extension . 2024-06-02 . Cooperative Extension: Maine Wild Blueberries . en-US.
2. Munns L. and Cantarello E., 2016. Survey of black bog ant (Formica candida) nests in the New Forest and at Roydon Woods, 2016. Report, May- October 2016. BUG2717. Higher Level Stewardship Agreement The Verderers of the New Forest AG00300016
3. Book: Donisthorpe, Horace St. John Kelly . British ants, their life-history and classification . Donisthorpe . Horace St John Kelly . 1915 . W. Brendon and Son, limited . Plymouth [Eng.] . 10.5962/bhl.title.17614.