3 replies to this topic

[futurebird]

Why do some species of ants, such as spiny weaver ants, and Camponotus nicobarensis like to stand around like this with their legs out in a circle and their gaster tucked under?

 

 

I think it's about being ready to spray formic acid maybe?

 

Then there are ants like regular weaver ants, and creamatogaster who do this:

 

 

 

What determines which way they bend the gaster?

 

And why do some ants like Leptomyrmex and Cataglyphis lutea walk around like this:

 

 

 

 

[Ernteameise]

I know that E.O. Wilson explains some of these in his books.

Not sure if you are familiar with them?

 

First picture- yes, this is the "getting the mortar ready to shoot" stance, German wood ants do this too.

The Crematogaster do this to threaten and to also alert their sisters- there usually is a tiny droplet of poison on the stinger on the raised abdomen- there are schematic drawings of this in a variety of ant books.

Other ants do some kind of ritual dance- again, many nice drawings and explanations in a variety of the books I have here.

 

Check out "The Ants", "Journey to the Ants", "The Superorganism" to name a few. These are all by E.O. Wilson.

Mark Moffet also describes his encounters in "Adventures among Ants".

I also have a couple of older entomology teaching books here (German titles, not sure they even exist in English). This is the major draw when you live next to the town with the university where one of the ant popes (Bert Hölldobler) has been teaching for decades (and I skipped school in my youth to see his lectures, and bought the books in the university book shop).

Edited by Ernteameise, April 25 2024 - 1:38 PM.

[futurebird]

That all makes sense, thanks. But the ants in the last two photos aren't on high alert... they just walk around like that perfectly calm. I think it could be about being a mimic of a spider? Though I've never seen spiders from their regions that match. 

[Ernteameise]

One would probably have to go through some scientific papers.

Pretty sure some doctoral student will have had a look at this.

It is too peculiar to not have been described.