Termites are a group of detritophagous eusocial insects which consume a variety of decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, and soil humus. They are distinguished by their moniliform antennae and the soft-bodied and often unpigmented worker caste for which they have been commonly termed "white ants"; however, they are not ants, to which they are only distantly related. About 2,972 extant species are currently described, 2,105 of which are members of the family Termitidae.
Autothysis or suicidal altruism is the process where an animal destroys itself via an internal rupturing or explosion of an organ which ruptures the skin. The term was proposed by Ulrich Maschwitz and Eleonore Maschwitz in 1974 to describe the defensive mechanism of Colobopsis saundersi, a species of ant. It is caused by a contraction of muscles around a large gland that leads to the breaking of the gland wall. Some termites release a sticky secretion by rupturing a gland near the skin of their neck, producing a tar effect in defense against ants.
Carpenter ants are large ants indigenous to many forested parts of the world.
Colobopsis saundersi, also called the Malaysian exploding ant, is a species of ant found in Malaysia and Brunei, belonging to the genus Colobopsis. A worker can explode suicidally and aggressively as an ultimate act of defense, an ability it has in common with several other species in this genus and a few other insects. The ant has an enormously enlarged mandibular gland, many times the size of other ants, which produces adhesive secretions for defense. According to a 2018 study, this species forms a species complex and is probably related to C. explodens, which is part of the C. cylindrica group.
The meat ant, also known as the gravel ant or southern meat ant, is a species of ant endemic to Australia. A member of the genus Iridomyrmex in the subfamily Dolichoderinae, it was described by British entomologist Frederick Smith in 1858. The meat ant is associated with many common names due to its appearance, nest-building behaviour and abundance, of which its specific name, purpureus, refers to its coloured appearance. It is among the best-known species of ant found throughout Australia; it occurs in almost all states and territories except for Tasmania. Its enormous distribution, aggression and ecological importance have made this ant a dominant species.
Colobopsis schmitzi, synonym Camponotus schmitzi, is a species of ant native to Borneo, which is commonly known as the diving ant, swimming ant or pitcher-plant ant, due to their habit of diving into the digestive fluids of their plant host Nepenthes bicalcarata. They are endemic to the island of Borneo.
Nasutitermes corniger is a species of arboreal termite that is endemic to the neotropics. It is very closely related to Nasutitermes ephratae. The species has been studied relatively intensively, particularly on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. These studies and others have shown that the termite interacts with many different organisms including a bat that roosts in its nest and various species of ants that cohabit with the termite.
Globitermes sulphureus is a species of termite that is very common in central and southern Vietnam and also present in other areas of South East Asia, including Cambodia, Thailand, and Peninsular Malaysia. They live in nests made of earth that can be up to 1.5 m tall and can contain tens of thousands of individuals. Between five and 10 per cent of the population are soldier termites which can be recognised by their yellow abdomen and two large, curved mandibles. The termites use autothysis as a defense mechanism.
Diaphoromyrma is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It contains the single species Diaphoromyrma sofiae, known only from workers from the type locality in Bahia, Brazil. The genus is apparently close to Allomerus and Diplomorium in the Solenopsidini, but its tribal attribution remains uncertain.
Cephalotes dieteri is an extinct species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae known from two Middle Miocene fossils found in amber on Hispaniola. At the time of description, C. dieteri was one of seven fossil ant species placed in the Cephalotescoffeae clade.
Polyrhachis is a genus of formicine ants found in the Old World with over 600 species. The genus is yet to be comprehensively resolved and contains many varied species including nest-weavers, swimming workers, soil and tree-dwellers. First fossil record of this genus was P. annosa from the Miocene.
Apterostigma is a genus of New World ants of the subfamily Myrmicinae. Two species have been described from fossils preserved in Dominican amber, while the others are extant. They are fungus-growing ants, though, unlike the majority of other species in Attini who grow Lepiotaceae, some species have begun cultivating Tricholomataceae.
Kollasmosoma sentum is a parasitoid wasp in the family Braconidae, which lays its eggs inside adult ants. It was featured as one of "the top 10 new species of 2012" in a list compiled by Conservationists at the Arizona State University International Institute for Species Exploration.
Tatuidris, or armadillo ant, is a rare genus of ants consisting of a single species, Tatuidris tatusia. The ants are small in size and inhabit the leaf litter of Neotropical forests in Central and South America, from Mexico to Brazil. Workers are ferruginous-colored to dark red and present a distinctive morphology, consisting of a shield-like head with a broad vertex, ventrally-turned heavy mandibles which do not overlap at full closure, and unique among ants – an antenna socket apparatus sitting upside-down. Little is known about the biology of the ants, but they are likely nocturnal and specialist predators.
Daceton armigerum is a Neotropical species of arboreal ants, distributed throughout northern South America. D. armigerum combines several traits generally noted in some other arboreal ants i.e., populous colonies, large and/or polydomous nests, intra- and interspecific aggressiveness, trophobiosis, and capturing prey by spread-eagling them.
Zigrasimecia is an extinct genus of ants which existed in the Cretaceous period approximately 98 million years ago. The first specimens were collected from Burmese amber in Kachin State, 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Myitkyina town in Myanmar. In 2013, palaeoentomologists Phillip Barden and David Grimaldi published a paper describing and naming Zigrasimecia tonsora. They described a dealate female with unusual features, notably the highly specialized mandibles. Other features include large ocelli, short scapes, 12 antennomeres, small eyes, and a clypeal margin that has a row of peg-like denticles. The genus Zigrasimecia was originally incertae sedis within Formicidae until a second species, Zigrasimecia ferox, was described in 2014, leading to its placement in the subfamily Sphecomyrminae. Later, it was considered to belong to the distinct subfamily Zigrasimeciinae.
Dorylus gribodoi is a West African species of army ants in the genus Dorylus.
Kempfidris is a Neotropical genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae containing the single species Kempfidris inusualis. Known from Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela, the species was originally described as Monomorium inusuale in 2007, but was reclassified as the type species for the new genus Kempfidris in 2014. The species is only known from workers and almost nothing is known about their natural history.
Bradoponera is an extinct genus of ant in the Formicidae subfamily Proceratiinae, and is one of four genera of the subfamily. The genus contains four described species Bradoponera electrina, Bradoponera meieri, Bradoponera similis, and Bradoponera wunderlichi. The species are known from several Middle Eocene amber fossils which were found in Europe.
Colobopsis is a genus of ant in the subfamily Formicinae. This genus was first described in 1861 by Mayr and contains 95 species. The type species is Colobopsis truncata.
Head of Colobopsis explodens worker
Colobopsis explodens worker
Colobopsis explodens worker. (a) vertex of major worker (paratype), (b) gastral tergite I, (c) gastral tergite IV of minor worker (holotype), (d) labels of holotype, minor worker
Colobopsis explodens soldier. (a) full-face view, (b) frontal shield (c) lateral view, (d) dorsal view
Colobopsis explodens queen. (a) full-face view, (b) frontal shield (c) lateral view, (d) dorsal view, (e) forewing with indicated measurements 2r and 4RsM
Colobopsis explodens male. (a) full-face view, (b) wings (c) lateral view, (d) dorsal view
Colobopsis explodens male reproductive system and genitals. (a) dorsal, (b) ventral (c) lateral view, (d) left penis valve, (e) right volsella and gonostylus
