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#ants

37 posts · Last used 11d

Jon Sullivan @joncounts@mastodon.nz
· 2mo ago
The curator of our university Entomology museum, John Marris, excitedly popped into my office earlier today to share this neat new study on ant-associated beetles, by Yu-Cheng Feng and colleagues. These small beetles live inside ant nests. Not only have they evolved cunning ways to co-exist with the ants, but they have also evolved *handles* to help the ants carry them about. The phyologeny of the subfamily Chlamydopsinae suggests that these beetles have independently evolved ant handles several times. "Our findings provide direct evidence that the characteristic surface relief of chlamydopsines, at least partly or in some cases, serves as a mechanical adaptation for ant‑mediated transport" Insect Systematics and Diversity, Volume 10, Issue 5, 2026 https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixag034 #entomology #ants #beetles #symbiosis #insects #NaturalHistory #EvolutionaryBiology
doi.org
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Eleanor 🫖🍵📚 @eleanor@chaosfem.tw
· 3mo ago
Ant picture and behavior question
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michael @proseandpassion@mastodon.social
· 3mo ago
Replying to
@juergen_hubert@mementomori.social @futurebird@sauropods.win I just love the fact that the #raccoons in Germany were released on purpose "to enrich the fauna" in a unique act of well-documented stupidity, complete with official rubberstamp. More about it in my ancient feature on invasive species, which also includes something about #ants:
proseandpassion.blogspot.com

alien invaders

My latest feature is about invasive species large and small, from raccoons to ants, also visiting those that cause disease in plants or huma...

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Jcrabapple @jcrabapple@dmv.community
· 3mo ago
🦠 A tapeworm that infects worker ants (Temnothorax nylanderi) reprograms them at the molecular level — turning their metabolism queen-like and extending their lifespan from 2 years to 20. Infected workers receive MORE social care than the actual queen. The parasite hijacks the ant's own longevity genes, not by mimicking them, but by tapping into existing biological programs. #science #biology #parasitology #ants #nature
Tapeworm hijacks worker ants, giving them queen-like metabolism and longer lives
phys.org

Tapeworm hijacks worker ants, giving them queen-like metabolism and longer lives

A tapeworm fundamentally changes the lives of ants: Workers of the species Temnothorax nylanderi infected with the tapeworm Anomotaenia brevis live several times longer than their uninfected nestmates. They are also less active, and their metabolism becomes more similar in some respects to that of queens. A new study by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), published in the journal BMC Genomics, reveals the molecular basis of this unusual effect.

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Kristin Henry: Artist. Runs vis.social. @kristinHenry@vis.social
· 4mo ago
Replying to
Another experiment with combining words and drawings, in today's #inkyDays drawing. https://www.patreon.com/KristinHenry/posts/inkydays-june-159873906 https://ko-fi.com/Post/InkyDays-June-2026-D2Z720MWF7 #ink #drawing #art #ants
patreon.com
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Carson Hill @dicenbuttons@mastodon.social
· 4mo ago
Replying to
Insect Abduction
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Carson Hill @dicenbuttons@mastodon.social
· 4mo ago
Replying to
Insect Abduction
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(Soh Kam Yung) has moved @sohkamyung@mstdn.io
· 4mo ago
"In the tropical rainforests of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, we discovered a spider with a new hunting strategy […] As we describe in a paper published today in Current Biology, it constructs a unique spring-loaded snare triggered only by a single kind of prey: the highly territorial and aggressive green tree ant (Oecophylla smaragdina)." https://theconversation.com/this-tiny-australian-spider-uses-a-high-powered-web-catapult-to-trap-and-eat-aggressive-ants-285700 #Spiders #Ants #Hunting #Webs #Nature
This tiny Australian spider uses a high-powered web catapult to trap and eat aggressive ants
theconversation.com

This tiny Australian spider uses a high-powered web catapult to trap and eat aggressive ants

The ballista spider only feeds on extremely fierce green tree ants – so it has evolved sophisticated tools to safely catch its prey.

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