Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their geniculate (elbowed) antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists.
Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic flowering plants in the family Rafflesiaceae. The species have enormous flowers, the buds rising from the ground or directly from the lower stems of their host plants; one species has the largest flower in the world. Plants of the World Online lists up to 41 species from this genus, all of them are found throughout Southeast Asia.
Formica is a genus of ants of the family Formicidae, commonly known as wood ants, mound ants, thatching ants, and field ants. Formica is the type genus of the Formicidae, and of the subfamily Formicinae. The type species of genus Formica is the European red wood ant Formica rufa. Ants of this genus tend to be between 4 and 8 mm long. Ants belonging to the Formica genus possess a single knob or bump located between their thorax and abdomen. These ants primarily feed on honeydew, a sugary liquid produced by aphids. Interestingly, Formica ants appear to take on a shepherding role with smaller aphids, relocating them to different parts of plants to ensure a continuous food source for the aphids. By doing so, the ants can establish a relatively sustainable honeydew supply for both themselves and their colony.
Carpenter ants are large ants indigenous to many forested parts of the world.
Anonychomyrma is a genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae.
Dipterocarpus is a genus of flowering plants and the type genus of family Dipterocarpaceae.
Hanguana is a genus of flowering plants with a dozen known species. It is the only genus in the family Hanguanaceae.
Dinomyrmex is a monotypic genus of ant containing the species Dinomyrmex gigas or giant forest ant. D. gigas is a large species of ant, native to Southeast Asian forests. It is one of the largest ants in existence, measuring in at 20.9 mm (0.82 in) for normal workers, and 28.1 mm (1.11 in) for the soldiers. Honeydew makes up 90% of their diet, but they will also consume insects and bird droppings. The ant is an effective forager, utilizing both efficient communication and recruitment. A handful of these ants may meet at night to engage in what has been observed to be ritual battle. These fights can continue for several months.
Iridomyrmex is a genus of ants called rainbow ants first described by Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr in 1862. He placed the genus in the subfamily Dolichoderinae of the family Formicidae. It has 79 described species and five fossil species. Most of these ants are native to Australia; others are found in Asia and Oceania, and they have been introduced to Brazil, New Zealand, and the United Arab Emirates. Fossil species are known from China, France, and the United States.
Barringtonia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lecythidaceae first described as a genus with this name in 1775. It is native to Africa, southern Asia, Australia, and various islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The genus name commemorates Daines Barrington.
Myrialepis is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the palm family, the single species, Myrialepis paradoxa, native to Southeast Asia. The genus name is a combination of the Greek words meaning "innumerable" and "scale", a description of the fruit, and the epithet is Latin for "paradox".
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.
The Federal Land Development Authority is a Malaysian government agency that was founded to handle the resettlement of rural poor into newly developed areas and to organize smallholder farms growing cash crops.
Euprenolepis procera is a species of ant found in the rainforests of South East Asia. It was first described by Carlo Emery, an Italian entomologist, in 1900. In 2008, Witte & Maschwitz discovered that E. procera specialises in harvesting mushrooms in the rainforest for food, representing a new, previously unreported feeding strategy in ants.
Xenococcus annandalei is a species of mealybug in the family Pseudococcidae that infests the roots of certain species of trees.
Jala is a traditional kuih from Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia and Brunei. In Sarawak, it is known as the traditional snack called the "sarang semut" for the Iban people. It is very different from the roti jala in Peninsular Malaysia.
Anomalomyrma is an Asian genus of ants in the subfamily Leptanillinae. The genus was originally described in 1990 with the type species Anomalomyrma taylori, based on a single dealate queen from Borneo. Workers were unknown until 2011, when two new species were described from Peninsular Malaysia and the Philippines.
Protanilla is a genus of subterranean ants in the subfamily Leptanillinae. Known from the Indomalayan realm, the genus contains about thirteen species. The genus was erected by Taylor (1990) for the type species P. rafflesi, described from workers from Peninsular Malaysia. Species in this genus have long and downcurved mandibles with peg-like tooth on the inner margins. Four species are known from China, one from Taiwan, one from Sri Lanka and a couple from India.
Tyrannomyrmex is a rare tropical genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Three similar species, only known from workers, are recognized and share small eyes and edentate mandibles.
Dischidia astephana is a species of plant in the genus Dischidia native to Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. A vining epiphyte that can cover an entire tree branch in dense leaves, it is often found growing near other Dischidia including D. albida,D. parvifolia, and D. vadosa. Its leaves are shaped like flat rings or domes, some of which will be tightly appressed to the surface of the tree where it grows. It lives symbiotically with ants of the Crematogaster genus on trees, with the roots growing inside ant nests and using debris for nutrients.
