Animalia: Arthropoda: Insecta: Lepidoptera: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Myrmica: Myrmica quebecensis (Francoeur 1981)

The ant species Myrmica quebecensis is a species endemic to Canada with an interesting biology. Rather than sustaining their own colonies, these ants are social parasites that rely on the colonies of another ant species to survive. They live within the colony of their host species, Myrmica alaskensis, where they produce hormones to influence their host queen to develop her eggs into workers. These hormones also direct the host ants to raise the sexual, reproductive parasite ants and allows the parasite colony to grow using the resources acquired by the host colony. There are only four ant specimens of this species with barcodes on BOLD! #Canada150 #Biodiversity150

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID: BBFOB282-10

nucleotide sequence

AATTTTATATTTTATCTTTGCTATTTGAGCTGGGATAATTGGATCTTCTATAAGTATAATTATTCGTTTAGAATTAGGATCTTGCAATCCCCTAATTAATAATGACCAAATTTATAATACTTTAGTGACTAGTCACGCATTTATTATAATTTTTTTCATAGTTATGCCTTTTATAATTGGAGGATTCGGAAATTTTCTAATTCCTTTAATATTAGGGTCCCCTGACATAGCTTACCCTCGAATAAATAACATAAGGTTTTGACTCCTCCCCCCTTCAATTATATTATTAATATTAAGAAACTTTTTAAGGAATGGAGTAGGAACAGGATGAACTATTTACCCCCCCTTAGCCTCTAATATTTTCCATAGGGGCCCCTCAATTGATATATCTATTTTTTCTCTTCATATAGCCGGAATATCCTCAATTTTAGGAGCAATCAATTTTATTTCTACAATTATTAATATAAACCACAAATCTATTTCTATAGATAAAATCCCTCTAATAGTATGATCAATTTTAATTACCGCTGTTTTACTTCTTCTTTCCCTCCCGGTATTAGCTGGAGCTATTACTATATTATTAACAGATCGAAATTTAAATACTTCTTTTTTTGATCCTTCTGGGGGAGGAGATCCTATTTTATACCAACATTTATTT

amino acid sequence

ILYFIFAIWAGMIGSSMSMIIRLELGSCNPLINNDQIYNTLVTSHAFIMIFFMVMPFMIGGFGNFLIPLMLGSPDMAYPRMNNMSFWLLPPSIMLLMLSNFLSNGVGTGWTIYPPLASNIFHSGPSIDMSIFSLHMAGMSSILGAINFISTIINMNHKSISMDKIPLMVWSILITAVLLLLSLPVLAGAITMLLTDRNLNTSFFDPSGGGDPILYQHLF

Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:AAA1845