Myrmecology Dies in Darkness
On Monday, a neat new study was published in Myrmecological News. This study, by Dr. Eduardo Gonçalves Paterson Fox and colleagues, tracked the development of trap-jaw ants and produced some sweet SEM images of the ant babies.
One of the authors, Dr. Adrian Smith, also produced a nice video where he explains this study to teenagers. Enjoy!
Has he done any studies on ant baby daddies?
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You know, I don’t think so! Studies of males in ant species are notoriously difficult, given that males are often produced only during a specific time of year for the nuptial flight (mating event with potential queens). You may have observed this yourself when your house is invaded by “flying ants” for about a day or two.
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Ho-lee topical reply! We literally just had an infestation of flying ants! So those are males? Also, i was in panic mode and going to call an exterminator, but they seem to have left. So that is really a thing?
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Haha yes, it’s really a thing! Those are either potential queens, males, or both.
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[…] and lichen, spiny ant bacteria, invasive plant and native ants, fungus-farming ants, ant homes, ant babies, ant decoders, ants and plant wounds, ant lovin’, ant smells, ant architecture, […]
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[…] Daily Ant may remember that earlier this year, we featured myrmecologist Dr. Adrian Smith and his work on ant babies. Such readers may also remember our coverage of the Field Museum AntLab’s Dr. Shauna Price […]
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