“Harpegnathos Venator” These ants additionally possess a sting for immobilizing their prey

Posted on July 15, 2022July 15, 2022 by Newsdesk

Throughout the Harpegnathos species, solely two have been researched. Saltator with 90% of the entire analysis and venator with the remaining 10%.

From my analysis and on this article, I’m assuming that a lot of the behaviors and traits present in one species will translate into comparable behaviors to the others as effectively.

The genus Harpegnathos belongs to the Ponerinae subfamily, which is notable for being totally different from different subfamilies of ants as a result of they’re thought of to be extra primitive, which means they’ve extra widespread traits with their wasp ancestors.

They’re additionally recognized for combining easy social group with a excessive variety of morphological and behavioral traits.

– DISTRIBUTION –

This ant genus consists of 9 species, or 13 in case you depend the subspecies.

They’re solely present in Asia. Within the following nations: India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and China.

– MORPHOLOGY –

Harpegnathos although they’re continuously in comparison with Myrmecia species from Australia are simply identifiable.

Their lengthy upward curved mandibles, and remarkably massive and outstanding eyes, with their elongated thorax immediately determine them.

These ants additionally possess a sting, which they use for immobilizing their prey or on you in case you ever try to choose them up.

Their sting has been described as an acute and localized ache, adopted by redness and swelling across the sting space which tends to fade away after half-hour.

– SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS (VISUAL ACUITY AND JUMPING ABILITY) –

Imaginative and prescient is essential on this genus. Harpegnathos optic lobes quantity is barely second to Gigantops destructor (a South American species), each recognized to forage throughout the day time and catch their prey by associating imaginative and prescient and a leaping capability.

The power to leap has been reported for less than only a few ants species, and of those, the harpegnathos saltator was most likely the primary documented case.

General leaping capability has been reported as excessive as 2 cm and as much as 10 cm lengthy jumps.

3 sorts of jumps have been recognized within the Harpegnathos case.

Leaping as an escape response provoked by threatening conditions, additionally known as the escape jumps.

Leaping as a function to catching prey or additionally known as the looking jumps and eventually the group jumps, the place all of the ants begin leaping, with a speculated function of parasite avoidance.

One other very typical attribute Harpegnathos conduct, is the vibrating gaster, a sequence of brief, fast, lateral actions of the gaster, the place the ants are believed to be assessing the load distribution throughout its legs in case a soar proves needed.

– FEEDING –

Harpegnathos primitive traits are additionally proven within the feeding mechanism.

Harpegnathos is a very predatory ant, with employees feeding solely on the haemolymph of the arthropod prey gadgets,

and at all times refusing any sort of sugar or nectar food plan, as we all know that sort of food plan solely advanced later within the greater ant species.

Larvae are extremely cellular and are able to tearing up the prey with out the help of the grownup ants.

Grownup employees of this genus don’t interact in trophallaxis with their larvae, a trait shared by different Ponerine species.

– LIFE CYCLE –

The life cycle of Harpegnathos from egg to grownup takes round 82 days at 25C.

Relying on the colony stage, eggs could take as much as 30 days to hatch, larvae take about 19 days to pupate, and pupae take about 33 days to emerge into grownup ants.

For the colonies first employees, it could take between 3 to 4 months for them to reach however by the sixth month the colony ought to have 10 employees already.

Concerning their life spans, it may possibly additionally range. Grownup employees can dwell as much as 1 yr, gamergates can dwell from 1 to 2 years, whereas queens can dwell from 3 to five years. This variance displays the wild vs laboratory circumstances.