Yesterday I talked a bit about Adetomyrma venatrix, a fascinating ant species best known for its cannibalistic behavior of drinking the blood of its youngs.
Today I have another fascinating ant species but this one doesn't indulge in some weird behavior. It just looks..weird 😂
Just look at this fella
No, this is not an ant with some short of congenital issue. There is a reason it looks like that.
These ants are actually the ant version of Hodor, and they have one simple task. To hold the door. Actually, to be the door.
This is an ant cast that has developed in various species independently, and they are called Door Head Ants.
Naturally, their role is defensive and all they do is keep tunnels and holes shut from invaders, parasites or whatever with their flat,saucer shaped heads.
There is actually a name for this evolutionary trait called phragmosis. Here's a list of ants exhibiting it:
Phragmosis in ants has evolved independently in the diverse ant genera Camponotus Mayr (Hypercolobopsis), Colobopsis Mayr, Cephalotes Latreille, Colobostruma Wheeler (C. leae), Crematogaster Lund (Colobocrema), Pheidole Westwood (P. colobopsis, P. lamia), but also in other genera, such as Blepharidatta Smith, (B. conops), Tetraponera Smith (T. phrag- motica) and Carebara Westwood. source
However, phragmosis doesn't appear only in ants. Spiders, aphids, frogs and other animals have evolved to use their body as a barrier.
Here's a link to Wikipedia with countless examples of phragmosis if you fancy a long read.
I will just mention the one I think is the coolest example of the phenomenon, the Hourglass Spider, scientifically described as Cyclocosmia ricketti.
Just look at this beautiful.... door
Looks like an alien coin if you ask me 😂
Ok friends, this is it for today. See you soon with more weird ants
