last updated 21.July.2007

The wasp ancestry of ants is readily apparent in the appearance of male ants.  Males are usually produced by ant colonies only at particular times of the year, and their primary function is to spread a colony's genes by mating with young queens from other nests.  Males of most species are adapted for winged dispersal and consequently have well-developed wings, flight muscles, and disproportionately large eyes.  A few species, such as the Formicoxenus pictured below, have wingless worker-like males.