Harpegnathos saltator
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Harpegnathos saltator, sometimes called Jerdon's jumping ant, is a species of ant found in India. They have long mandibles and have the ability to leap.
Unlike other ants, they are seen singly or in small groups and their colonies consist of very small numbers of individuals. They are also interesting among ants in that the queen-worker difference is very limited and some workers can mate and lay fertilized eggs just like the queen. These workers are termed gamergates. New colonies are founded independently by single queens, and on aging they are replaced by several gamergates. The gamergates copulate with males from their own colonies and being inbred are related to the original founding queen. Colonies being very small, they never undergo fission to form new colonies.
The workers control the number of reproductives in the colony and will kill some of the gamergates (as in taxobox image). (Liebig et al., 1999)
Original description
The following is the original description by T. C. Jerdon.Worker, head long, granulated; jaws with a strong tooth near the base pointing downwards and inwards, and these gradually tapering to the tip, and finely serrated, 1-6th of an inch long; thorax barely grooved; abdominal pedicle small, low, ovate; abdomen very long; string large; head and abdomen blackish brown, thorax and legs rufous - Length 3/4 of an inch.I have not seen this remarkable Ant in the Carnatic. I first saw it at Tellicherry, and subsequently in other parts of Malabar. It is also found in the Mysore country as I learn from Mr. Hamilton, a most talented and industrious Amateur Entomologist.
I have given it the name of saltator from its power of making most surprising jumps which it does when alarmed or disturbed. It is very pugnacious, and bites, and stings very severely. It makes the most under ground, generally about the roots of some plant. Its society does not consist of many individuals. It appears to feed on insects, which it often seizes alive.
References
- Baroni Urbani C., Boyan G.S., Blarer A., Billen J. & Musthak Ali T.M. (1994) A novel mechanism for jumping in the Indian ant Harpegnathos saltator (Jerdon) (Formicidae, Ponerinae). Experientia 50: 63-71.
- Jerdon, T.C. (1851) A catalogue of the species of ants found in southern India. Madras J. Lit. Sci. 17:103-127 [PDF]
- Liebig J. and H.J. Poethke(2004) Queen lifespan and colony longevity in the ant Harpegnathos saltator . Ecological Entomology 29:203–207 [PDF]
- Liebig, J., Peeters, C. and Bert Holldobler (1999) Woler policing limits the number of reproductives in a ponerine ant. Proc. R. Soc. London 266:1865-1870 [PDF]
- do Nascimento R.R., Billen J. & Morgan E.D. (1993) The exocrine secretions of the jumping ant Harpegnathos saltator. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 104B: 505-508.[PDF]
- Peeters, C., Liebig, J. and B. Hölldobler (2000) Sexual reproduction by both queens and workers in the ponerine ant Harpegnathos saltator. Insectes Sociaux 47:325–332 [PDF]
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