Aphaenogaster senilis
Iberian rough-headed ant
Mediterranean generalist ant with small colonies and individual foraging behavior.
- Habitat
- Mediterranean shrublands, holm oak and pine forests with rich leaf litter.
- Behavior
- Solitary diurnal foraging; discreet nests under stones with multiple entrances.
- Distribution
- Iberian Peninsula and southern France; endemic to the western Mediterranean.
- Diet
- Omnivorous: seeds, dead insects, nectar and seed elaiosomes.
# Key Features
*Aphaenogaster senilis* is a key species in the dispersal of myrmecochorous seeds (with elaiosomes). Unlike harvester ants, it does not consume the seeds but only the nutritious elaiosome, depositing the intact seed away from the parent plant. This species shows high fidelity to its foraging territory and is sensitive to habitat fragmentation. Its workers are active even during the hottest hours of the day, when other species remain inactive.