inquilinus

Inquilinus is a term rooted in Latin, derived from inquilinus meaning tenant. In biological and ecological usage, the word is related to inquiline, which describes an organism that lives within the nest or dwelling of another species, often by exploiting the host’s resources. The Latin form appears in historical and some scholarly writings, while modern English-language usage typically uses the term inquiline or inquilines to refer to such organisms.

Scope and concepts

Inquilines inhabit the nests, domiciles, or territories of host species rather than constructing their own. The nature of their relationship with the host ranges from loose, non-harmful association to more constraining, parasitic interactions. In many contexts, inquilines are considered social parasites, relying on the host for care, provisioning, or shelter without providing equivalent benefits in return. Some inquilines are obligate, meaning they require the host environment to complete their life cycle, while others are facultative and can utilize a host habitat when available but do not depend on it exclusively.

Typical domains of inquilines

Inquilines are found across various animal groups. In social insects, many arthropod species parasitize ant or termite colonies by living in the nest and exploiting host workers. In birds, brood parasites lay eggs in the nests of other species and rely on the host to raise their young. Inquilines can influence host behavior, nest architecture, and colony dynamics, and they are often a focus of studies on coevolution, host defenses, and niche specialization.

See also

Inquiline, brood parasite, myrmecophily, social parasitism.