Honeypot ant

A replete worker ant stores liquid food in an enlarged abdomen and later regurgitates it to feed nestmates. This storage role occurs in several ant genera.

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Trophallaxis: The transfer of liquid food between social insects, usually by regurgitation from one individual to another. Repletes feed hungry nestmates by regurgitating stored liquid through this exchange.
Ant colony: A social unit of ants organized around a nest and cooperative reproduction, brood care, and resource gathering. Repletes store food for the needs of their colony, not for solitary use.
Myrmecocystus: A genus of ants native to arid regions of North America, including species with replete workers. Several iconic North American honeypot ants belong to this genus.
Mutualism: An interaction between species in which both participants benefit. Some honeypot ant species exchange protection for food with plants or other organisms.
Division of labor in ants: The allocation of tasks among ant workers, influenced by age, physiology, and colony needs. Repletes concentrate a colony task in workers whose bodies become living storage vessels.
Social stomach: A functional crop in social insects that stores liquid food for later transfer to other colony members. The replete's distended abdomen holds food in its crop rather than digesting it immediately.
Worker ant: A usually nonreproductive female ant that performs tasks such as foraging, brood care, and nest maintenance. Repletes are specialized workers within the colony's broader labor force.
Camponotus inflatus: An Australian carpenter ant species whose colonies include replete workers that store liquid food. It is a well-studied Australian example of honeypot-ant specialization.
Seed dispersal by ants: The movement of seeds by ants, often after ants carry seeds bearing nutritious appendages. Ant-mediated seed movement is one ecological role associated with desert ant communities.
Colony resilience: A colony's capacity to withstand disturbances and maintain essential functions over time. Stored liquid can help colonies persist when external food becomes temporarily scarce.