Hamaguchi et al., Current Biology, 2026
T. kinomurai ants
The newly discovered species survives through invasion and parasitization of established colonies of the T. makora species.
Scientists have identified a rare species of ant in Japan which appears to be composed entirely of queens, with no males or workers.
The species, Temnothorax kinomurai, lives as a social parasite inside the nests of a closely related ant, Temnothorax makora. Unlike most ants, which maintain complex colonies with distinct functions for queens, workers and males, this recently studied species reproduces asexually and produces only cloned queens.
The findings, out Feb. 23 in the journal Current Biology, represent the first documented case from a species of ants made up exclusively of queens, according to co-author Jürgen Heinze, a biologist at the University of Regensburg in Germany.
Most ant societies operate through sexual reproduction. Queens store sperm from nuptial flights and use them selectively to produce fertilized eggs, which become workers or queens, and unfertilized eggs, which develop into short-lived males. The workers then forage, care for the young and defend the colony.
In contrast, T. kinomurai queens invade established T. makora colonies. During these hostile invasions, the invading queen stings the resident queen and aggressive workers. If successful, the host colony’s surviving workers continue to forage and raise the parasite queen’s offspring.
To better understand the species, the main researcher Keiko Hamaguchiof the Kansai Research Center in Kyoto, and his team collected six queen-led colonies of T. kinomurai from nine known sites in Japan. In laboratory nest boxes, the colonies produced 43 offspring — all queens. No males or workers were observed, says the .
The researchers then introduced some of the unmated queens into new T. makora colonies. Seven of them successfully infiltrated and took control of the host nests, producing 57 more offspring.
Although it is known that some ant species reproduce through parthenogenesis, or asexual cloning, and others through social parasitism, scientists say this is the first confirmed example that combines both strategies. Evolutionary biologist Jonathan Romiguier of the University of Montpellier, who was not involved in the study, considered the discovery unusual, given the more than 15 thousand species of ants known throughout the world.
Experts say the species’ unique lifestyle could explain the evolutionary change. Because T. kinomurai no longer produces workers, it does not rely on genetically diverse offspring for colony tasks such as disease resistance or division of labor. This could favor asexual reproduction and completely eliminate the need for males.
