Tetramorium inquilinum

Kutter described the species in 1950, naming it Teleutomyrmex schneideri and designating it the type species of its newly-circumscribed genus. He named it after his teacher and friend Otto Schneider-Orelli. Kutter discovered the holotype himself; the species's type locality is Saas-Fee, Valais, Switzerland. ==Distribution==

This species has been found in the Swiss Alps, the French Alps, the French Pyrenees, Spain, and Turkmenistan. ==Morphology==

The body shape of Tetramorium inquilinum is specifically adapted. The queens average 2.5 mm in length, and have a concave form and large pads and claws. Tetramorium inquilinum is frail and unable to care for itself: its mandibles are too small and weak to handle anything but liquid food, its sting and poison glands are small, and glands that produce food for larvae and protection against bacteria are completely absent. Its exoskeleton is thin and its brain and central nerve cord are small and simplified. ==Behavior==

Tetramorium inquilinum constantly sends chemical signals that trick host ants into accepting them as full members of the colony. Being ectoparasitic, Tetramorium inquilinum spends most of its adult life clinging to the backs of its hosts, especially queens. As many as eight have been observed piggy-backing onto a single host queen, leaving her immobile. ==Diet==

Tetramorium inquilinum lives entirely on food regurgitated by its hosts, even the liquid meant for the host queen. ==Reproduction==

Nourished and nurtured well by its hosts, Tetramorium inquilinum has high fecundity. Older individuals lay an average of two eggs every minute. ==References==