Amazon ant is a 4-star species card from the Atomic Age. Amazon ants raid other colonies' pupae and raise them as their workers.
Bonus by grade
| Grade | Copies needed | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 0 | +10% expedition rewards |
| Uncommon | 2 | +18% expedition rewards |
| Rare | 5 | +30% expedition rewards |
| Epic | 10 | +45% expedition rewards |
| Legendary | 20 | +70% expedition rewards |
Duplicates raise the grade: Uncommon at 2, Rare at 5, Epic at 10, Legendary at 20.
Codex
- Common: Polyergus rufescens lives in Europe.
- Uncommon: Their sickle-shaped jaws are good for fighting and carrying pupae, but not for feeding themselves.
- Rare: Raised workers from other species (often Formica) do the colony's chores.
- Epic: Raids are fast and organised.
- Legendary: Scientists call this kind of behaviour social parasitism.
Field notes are reviewed regularly. Spot something wrong? Tell us.
Field guide
| Size | Workers about 5–7 mm long |
| Colony | Host Formica workers outnumber the Amazons at least five to one |
| Queens | One queen per colony |
| Nest | In soil or under stones, shared with host Formica ants |
| Diet | Fed by host workers; Amazons cannot feed themselves |
| Defence | Fights with sharp, sickle-shaped jaws during raids |
| Active | Raids late on hot, clear summer afternoons, about 4–6 pm |
| Lifespan | Not well known |
| Where it lives | Atlantic coast of Western Europe to western China; scattered in Central Europe |
Did you know?
- A new queen founds a colony by entering a host nest, killing the host queen and taking her place.
- Raiders mostly take worker pupae, plus some large larvae.
- A raid lasts about 50 minutes on average.
Sources: antstore.net, bugguide.net, sciences.ucf.edu, en.wikipedia.org, dictionnaire-amoureux-des-fourmis.fr
Codex sets
- Modern ants: Bulldog ant, Amazon ant, Turtle ant, Saharan silver ant, Dracula ant, Red wood ant, Marauder ant, American honeypot ant, Matabele ant, Asian needle ant, Red honey ant, Giant forest ant, Clonal raider ant
Queen affinity
- Black garden ant: ×1 chance
- Meat ant: ×0.5 chance
- Bull ant: ×0.5 chance