#antstodon — Public Fediverse posts

Anyway,

> We show that the two wingless morphs occurring during the root-dwelling phase of the life cycle of the aphid _Paracletus cimiciformis_ follow distinct strategies that entail disparate relationships with ants. On the one hand, the round morph exhibits the plant sap-sucking feeding behavior characteristic of aphids and establishes a typical mutualistic trophobiotic relationship with ants. On the other hand, aphids of the flat morph, although able to feed on plants, are brought inside the ant brood chamber where they are cared for by the ants. Our results show that the latter strategy is accomplished by flat morph aphids by mimicking ant larvae chemical signals and that, besides obtaining ant care, aphids in the brood chamber actively suck hemolymph from ant larvae.
>
> […] By being transported by the ants deep into their brood chambers, aphids of the flat morph would be safe from temperature extremes experienced by other root-dwelling aphids that stay closer to the roots to feed. We suggest that lack of access to plants in the brood chamber may have driven the evolution of the ability to use a different food resource (i.e., hemolymph of ant larvae), at least temporarily. The fact that flat morph aphids inside ant nests give rise, when harsh conditions are over, to four morphs representing life history strategies adapted to different temporal and spatial uncertainties…suggests that the flat morph is at the center of a diversified strategy for survival and recolonization of the aphid host plants.

A. Salazar, B. Fürstenau, C. Quero, N. Pérez-Hidalgo, P. Carazo, E. Font, & D. Martínez-Torres, Aggressive mimicry coexists with mutualism in an aphid, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112 (4) 1101-1106, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1414061112 (2015). :OpenAccess:

#entomology #insects #ants #aphids #antstodon #bugstodon #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #Hemiptera #Aphididae

Anyway,

> We show that the two wingless morphs occurring during the root-dwelling phase of the life cycle of the aphid _Paracletus cimiciformis_ follow distinct strategies that entail disparate relationships with ants. On the one hand, the round morph exhibits the plant sap-sucking feeding behavior characteristic of aphids and establishes a typical mutualistic trophobiotic relationship with ants. On the other hand, aphids of the flat morph, although able to feed on plants, are brought inside the ant brood chamber where they are cared for by the ants. Our results show that the latter strategy is accomplished by flat morph aphids by mimicking ant larvae chemical signals and that, besides obtaining ant care, aphids in the brood chamber actively suck hemolymph from ant larvae.
>
> […] By being transported by the ants deep into their brood chambers, aphids of the flat morph would be safe from temperature extremes experienced by other root-dwelling aphids that stay closer to the roots to feed. We suggest that lack of access to plants in the brood chamber may have driven the evolution of the ability to use a different food resource (i.e., hemolymph of ant larvae), at least temporarily. The fact that flat morph aphids inside ant nests give rise, when harsh conditions are over, to four morphs representing life history strategies adapted to different temporal and spatial uncertainties…suggests that the flat morph is at the center of a diversified strategy for survival and recolonization of the aphid host plants.

A. Salazar, B. Fürstenau, C. Quero, N. Pérez-Hidalgo, P. Carazo, E. Font, & D. Martínez-Torres, Aggressive mimicry coexists with mutualism in an aphid, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112 (4) 1101-1106, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1414061112 (2015). :OpenAccess:

#entomology #insects #ants #aphids #antstodon #bugstodon #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #Hemiptera #Aphididae

Anyway,

> We show that the two wingless morphs occurring during the root-dwelling phase of the life cycle of the aphid _Paracletus cimiciformis_ follow distinct strategies that entail disparate relationships with ants. On the one hand, the round morph exhibits the plant sap-sucking feeding behavior characteristic of aphids and establishes a typical mutualistic trophobiotic relationship with ants. On the other hand, aphids of the flat morph, although able to feed on plants, are brought inside the ant brood chamber where they are cared for by the ants. Our results show that the latter strategy is accomplished by flat morph aphids by mimicking ant larvae chemical signals and that, besides obtaining ant care, aphids in the brood chamber actively suck hemolymph from ant larvae.
>
> […] By being transported by the ants deep into their brood chambers, aphids of the flat morph would be safe from temperature extremes experienced by other root-dwelling aphids that stay closer to the roots to feed. We suggest that lack of access to plants in the brood chamber may have driven the evolution of the ability to use a different food resource (i.e., hemolymph of ant larvae), at least temporarily. The fact that flat morph aphids inside ant nests give rise, when harsh conditions are over, to four morphs representing life history strategies adapted to different temporal and spatial uncertainties…suggests that the flat morph is at the center of a diversified strategy for survival and recolonization of the aphid host plants.

A. Salazar, B. Fürstenau, C. Quero, N. Pérez-Hidalgo, P. Carazo, E. Font, & D. Martínez-Torres, Aggressive mimicry coexists with mutualism in an aphid, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112 (4) 1101-1106, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1414061112 (2015). :OpenAccess:

#entomology #insects #ants #aphids #antstodon #bugstodon #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #Hemiptera #Aphididae

Anyway,

> We show that the two wingless morphs occurring during the root-dwelling phase of the life cycle of the aphid _Paracletus cimiciformis_ follow distinct strategies that entail disparate relationships with ants. On the one hand, the round morph exhibits the plant sap-sucking feeding behavior characteristic of aphids and establishes a typical mutualistic trophobiotic relationship with ants. On the other hand, aphids of the flat morph, although able to feed on plants, are brought inside the ant brood chamber where they are cared for by the ants. Our results show that the latter strategy is accomplished by flat morph aphids by mimicking ant larvae chemical signals and that, besides obtaining ant care, aphids in the brood chamber actively suck hemolymph from ant larvae.
>
> […] By being transported by the ants deep into their brood chambers, aphids of the flat morph would be safe from temperature extremes experienced by other root-dwelling aphids that stay closer to the roots to feed. We suggest that lack of access to plants in the brood chamber may have driven the evolution of the ability to use a different food resource (i.e., hemolymph of ant larvae), at least temporarily. The fact that flat morph aphids inside ant nests give rise, when harsh conditions are over, to four morphs representing life history strategies adapted to different temporal and spatial uncertainties…suggests that the flat morph is at the center of a diversified strategy for survival and recolonization of the aphid host plants.

A. Salazar, B. Fürstenau, C. Quero, N. Pérez-Hidalgo, P. Carazo, E. Font, & D. Martínez-Torres, Aggressive mimicry coexists with mutualism in an aphid, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112 (4) 1101-1106, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1414061112 (2015). :OpenAccess:

#entomology #insects #ants #aphids #antstodon #bugstodon #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #Hemiptera #Aphididae

#BREAKING: _Prenolepis imparis_ nuptial flight day in the garden! I had gone out there to pick up litter and had to return with my phone and lenses.

#bugstodon #antstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

#BREAKING: _Prenolepis imparis_ nuptial flight day in the garden! I had gone out there to pick up litter and had to return with my phone and lenses.

#bugstodon #antstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

#BREAKING: _Prenolepis imparis_ nuptial flight day in the garden! I had gone out there to pick up litter and had to return with my phone and lenses.

#bugstodon #antstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

#BREAKING: _Prenolepis imparis_ nuptial flight day in the garden! I had gone out there to pick up litter and had to return with my phone and lenses.

#bugstodon #antstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

Ants & lichen, also from yesterday. I think these are _Prenolepis imparis_, a cold-hardy ant.

#bugstodon #antstodon #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #LichenSubscribe

Ants & lichen, also from yesterday. I think these are _Prenolepis imparis_, a cold-hardy ant.

#bugstodon #antstodon #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #LichenSubscribe

Ants & lichen, also from yesterday. I think these are _Prenolepis imparis_, a cold-hardy ant.

#bugstodon #antstodon #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #LichenSubscribe

Ants & lichen, also from yesterday. I think these are _Prenolepis imparis_, a cold-hardy ant.

#bugstodon #antstodon #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #LichenSubscribe

I believe this is, according to Australia standards for weights and measures, a metric shit tonne of ants.

Maybe two shit tonnes.

#Ants #Antstodon

Oh no, they're back! Or, more likely, never really left. The brood is now one shelf further up the linen press.

Clearly more drastic action is needed in order to make this cupboard unappealing to them. At a minimum I'm going to have to take out all the towels and linen for a while. Bare shelves in an open cupboard will, hopefully, be too exposed to be considered a suitable nesting site.

Urban legend has it that wiping surfaces with a little diluted vinegar acts as at least a temporary house ant repellent, I may give that a go too.

#Ants #Antstodon

The laundry ant colony has at least given me something interesting to point my cheapo USB microscope at.

Lots of workers looking after the larvae, some callows, and a few alates.

The bright light from the USB microscope clearly agitated them, which suggests to me I might be able to persuade them to move the brood out of the linen press by opening the doors, taking out the linen, and thereby denying them the darkness that they need to feel that the brood is safe. I'm sure they'd only move as far as the nearest dark nook or cranny, but that would still be a move in the right direction.

#Ants #Antstodon

Ladies, I generally don't mind having a few ants around the house, but I really don't think a shelf in our laundry press is a good place to keep your brood.

#Antstodon #Ants

One for @futurebird :

https://spectrum.ieee.org/3d-scanning-particle-accelerator-antscan

#antstodon

@futurebird The board game designers have your back.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/416079/march-of-the-ants-evolved-edition

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/446699/ants

(I have not played either of these games ... yet.)

#BoardGames #ants #antstodon

Anyway here's the ant nuptial flights I found. The workers are tiny, like, 1mm or something. I think they are the same species? They resemble citronella ants, but much smaller and not as yellow. *Lasius*? *Brachymyrmex*?

I did also see another kind of alate so multiple species are likely having mating flights right now.

#antstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

_Lasius_ nuptial flight day!!! _L. neoniger_, I'm pretty sure. These are some of the most common ants I see, but I'd never seen a nuptial flight till now.

I found an alate the moment after she detached her wings!

#bugstodon #antstodon #insects #ants • #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #Lasius

Hi, @futurebird! What do you think of the cutest flatmates I ever had? They are around 1.5mm long and help me clean the kitchen every day... could you help in determining their species?

#antsOfMastodon #ants #antstodon #nature

Hi, @futurebird! What do you think of the cutest flatmates I ever had? They are around 1.5mm long and help me clean the kitchen every day... could you help in determining their species?

#antsOfMastodon #ants #antstodon #nature

Hi, @futurebird! What do you think of the cutest flatmates I ever had? They are around 1.5mm long and help me clean the kitchen every day... could you help in determining their species?

#antsOfMastodon #ants #antstodon #nature

Hi, @futurebird! What do you think of the cutest flatmates I ever had? They are around 1.5mm long and help me clean the kitchen every day... could you help in determining their species?

#antsOfMastodon #ants #antstodon #nature

Hi, @futurebird! What do you think of the cutest flatmates I ever had? They are around 1.5mm long and help me clean the kitchen every day... could you help in determining their species?

#antsOfMastodon #ants #antstodon #nature

Pilifera-group big-headed ant (Complex Pheidole pilifera). Lakeview Mountains, yesterday.

#nature #NaturePhotography #bugs #insects #ants #antstodon #hymenoptera #bugstodon #SouthernCalifornia #insektenSamstag

_Lasius_ nuptial flight in High Park the other day! The small bright yellow workers solicitously coax the winged reproductives out of the nest so they can take flight, mate, and found nests of their own.

These yellow ants have always creeped me out a bit. Their holes are very large, big enough to put your finger into, but the ants never seem to go in and out; they sit clustered just inside the entrance.

Apparently many _Lasius_ species live entirely underground tending root-feeding aphids and are only seen at the surface for nuptial flights. Maybe that's what I've been seeing—the workers waiting to escort the alates out.

#bugstodon #antstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #macro 🐜

Ant nuptial flight time! Golden-brown female alates and darker males about half the size, on my windowsill and a few getting into the apartment. No time for a photoshoot sadly.

#insects #ants #antstodon #Hymenoptera #Formicidae 🐜

Fun fact - the nests, which are constructed from chewed up bark, and leaves, mixed with mud, are waterproof.

That's right. Bugs invented paper, cardboard and waterproofing way before us.

#antstodon #ants #AntsOfMastodon #biologymastodon #wildlife #naturalhistory #invertebrates #entomology #myrmecology #naturephotography #nature #mumbai #MumbaiUnseen #mumbaimangroves #BombayMeriJaan #IITBombay #powai

Fun fact - the nests, which are constructed from chewed up bark, and leaves, mixed with mud, are waterproof.

That's right. Bugs invented paper, cardboard and waterproofing way before us.

#antstodon #ants #AntsOfMastodon #biologymastodon #wildlife #naturalhistory #invertebrates #entomology #myrmecology #naturephotography #nature #mumbai #MumbaiUnseen #mumbaimangroves #BombayMeriJaan #IITBombay #powai

Fun fact - the nests, which are constructed from chewed up bark, and leaves, mixed with mud, are waterproof.

That's right. Bugs invented paper, cardboard and waterproofing way before us.

#antstodon #ants #AntsOfMastodon #biologymastodon #wildlife #naturalhistory #invertebrates #entomology #myrmecology #naturephotography #nature #mumbai #MumbaiUnseen #mumbaimangroves #BombayMeriJaan #IITBombay #powai

Fun fact - the nests, which are constructed from chewed up bark, and leaves, mixed with mud, are waterproof.

That's right. Bugs invented paper, cardboard and waterproofing way before us.

#antstodon #ants #AntsOfMastodon #biologymastodon #wildlife #naturalhistory #invertebrates #entomology #myrmecology #naturephotography #nature #mumbai #MumbaiUnseen #mumbaimangroves #BombayMeriJaan #IITBombay #powai

Fun fact - the nests, which are constructed from chewed up bark, and leaves, mixed with mud, are waterproof.

That's right. Bugs invented paper, cardboard and waterproofing way before us.

#antstodon #ants #AntsOfMastodon #biologymastodon #wildlife #naturalhistory #invertebrates #entomology #myrmecology #naturephotography #nature #mumbai #MumbaiUnseen #mumbaimangroves #BombayMeriJaan #IITBombay #powai

Found in forests, woodland, and scrub jungles, but also in the parks and gardens of urban Mumbai, their large pagoda style nests are not only hard to miss, but also earn them the 'pagoda' moniker.

#antstodon #ants #AntsOfMastodon #biologymastodon #wildlife #naturalhistory #invertebrates #entomology #myrmecology #naturephotography #nature #mumbai #MumbaiUnseen #mumbaimangroves #BombayMeriJaan

Found in forests, woodland, and scrub jungles, but also in the parks and gardens of urban Mumbai, their large pagoda style nests are not only hard to miss, but also earn them the 'pagoda' moniker.

#antstodon #ants #AntsOfMastodon #biologymastodon #wildlife #naturalhistory #invertebrates #entomology #myrmecology #naturephotography #nature #mumbai #MumbaiUnseen #mumbaimangroves #BombayMeriJaan

Today, on cool critters which share our planet, but which we seldom notice, let's meet the Pagoda ant (Crematogaster sp.).

These tree-dwelling ants are amongst those bugs which have pioneered the making of cardboard (much like the 'paper' wasps which build papery nests from chewed-up plant fiber).

#antstodon #ants #AntsOfMastodon #biologymastodon #wildlife #naturalhistory #invertebrates #entomology #myrmecology #naturephotography #nature

I wonder what got this tetramorium colony so excited. They were spread like this down a considerable section of sidewalk. 🐜🐜🐜 #antstodon #ants

I shot this quite pretty ant today.
And a part of me reaaaaally want to go back where I saw it to take one individual and try to identify it to species. It's really impossible to be sure without it.
But a part of me knows it's already nice to be at subgenus level.
I still don't know what part I'll listen to.
#ants #antstodon #nature #insects #cityWildLife

four genera of ants I've met recently:

- _Prenolepis imparis_
- _Camponotus_ sp.
- _Lasius_ sp.
- _Myrmica rubra_?

(cc @futurebird @alexwild 🐜)

#ArthroBeauty #antstodon #arthropods #insects #ants #Formicidae #macro

And again this morning, the Prenolepis golden girls are getting to the sky. And on my arm. #ants #insects #nature #antstodon

#Antstodon, who's this alate I found in the bathroom sink just now? About 1 cm long, Toronto, Canada.

If my kitchen ants are having nuptial flights I swear to God… ⁦ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ⁩

@bugid #ants #insects #entomology

Which ant has the coolest sounding scientific name? #ant #ants #antstodon #antpoll #antclub

She’s into books #ants #antstodon #antphoto #camponotus

Ants have excellent mental maps of their nest and territory. When a previously open passage becomes blocked they are very persistent about working to get it open again.

Let's hope these carpenter proof nylon caps hold!

(I think the caps that they chewed through were cheap ones off of ali-express. I've never had this issue with plastic caps before, they *feel* softer than other caps I've used. Lesson Learned!)
#ants, #antstodon #antsofmastodon #badants #camponotus
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9VpUxJtP53I

These girls love their sugar water. Watch how their little gasters expand in this timelapse. I think the feeder will be empty by morning!

(with narration)

#ants #antstodon #antsofmastodon #antkeeping #camponotus #camponotusdiscolor #video #antvideo

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OfQXYZkYeq4

These girls love their sugar water. Watch how their little gasters expand in this timelapse. I think the feeder will be empty by morning!

(with narration)

#ants #antstodon #antsofmastodon #antkeeping #camponotus #camponotusdiscolor #video #antvideo

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OfQXYZkYeq4

These girls love their sugar water. Watch how their little gasters expand in this timelapse. I think the feeder will be empty by morning!

(with narration)

#ants #antstodon #antsofmastodon #antkeeping #camponotus #camponotusdiscolor #video #antvideo

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OfQXYZkYeq4

These girls love their sugar water. Watch how their little gasters expand in this timelapse. I think the feeder will be empty by morning!

(with narration)

#ants #antstodon #antsofmastodon #antkeeping #camponotus #camponotusdiscolor #video #antvideo

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OfQXYZkYeq4

These girls love their sugar water. Watch how their little gasters expand in this timelapse. I think the feeder will be empty by morning!

(with narration)

#ants #antstodon #antsofmastodon #antkeeping #camponotus #camponotusdiscolor #video #antvideo

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OfQXYZkYeq4

“cone ants” or “pyramid ants” live in the southern US hence they are active all winter. Most people think they are named because they make little cone shaped sand piles at their nest entrance— but the real reason is morphology. They have a little cone on their back. Aren’t the newly eclosed workers lovely? Like they are made of glass. They seem very hearty and always have lots of brood. #ants #antcolony #antstodon

https://youtu.be/1NYTN3sfX24