#cataglyphis

Bilateral gynandromorph Ant (Cataglyphis ?) [x]

Cataglyphis lutea (UAE and parts of India) is a desert dwelling ant, the photos of this ant on iNaturalist caught my eye, since, like Leptomyrmex erythrocephalus (the Spider Ant of Australia), this these little ants fold their gasters over their mesonoma.

Very little is known about Cataglyphis lutea, shockingly little. I can't even find a mention of gaster folding in any of the brief descriptions of this ant.

*This* is why descriptions are not enough.

Yes we have identified thousands of species of ants, but for many all that means in a single dry sample in a museum drawer and five or six sentences describing the ant. We know nothing of the ants behavior, their interactions with other ants and arthropods, their role in the environment.

Leptomyrmex erythrocephalus, is called the "spider ant" but it's not even clear if this ant is trying to mimic a spider, or mimic anything at all. As for what C. lutea is doing? These are her mysteries.

(photos by Jonghyn Park and TimL)

I was able to find a paper about the genus Cataglyphis that uses some serious geometry to make the case that raising their gaster may improve mobility. But, this paper did not cover ants that fold the gaster all the way over as these ants do.

Cataglyphis Bombycina (Saharan silver ant)

Apparently I’m identifying insects from the Middle East too, now. Photo by Monica Kervin, who was at Wadi Rum in Jordan. 

Cataglyphis ants are most diverse in North Africa, but a few are found up in Eurasia as well. The Saharan species are especially well-tuned for life in a hot arid environment, to the point that at one species can survive temperatures of over 55C (131F), at noon day, when all other animals have fled for shelter. 

But even these guys have to hurry - at those temperatures they only have minutes to fan out, find other insects killed by the heat, and find their way back to the nest before they fry. And do this in a sandy, windy environment, where they can’t leave pheromone tracks.

I've said it before... Cataglyphis bombycina sounds like an ant made up by a 6-year old:

"they are the fastest ants in the whole world and and- " "they live in the desert and and and-" "they only go out when it's the hottest time of the day and and-" "they use the sun to tell where their home is like sailors and and-" "they are SILVER and shiny and and" "they have majors with the BIGGEST mandibles of all!"

Cataglyphis bombycina, the Saharan silver ant has majors with very long mandibles. I'm looking for the reason for these long rather wide mandibles, suspect it may be for grabbing larger dead creatures and draging them back to the nest…

Notably the majors do not forage at all in the species but they could be called to a bonanza of food and haul it back?

The majors also act as repletes holding food in their bodies and by laying trophic eggs.

The mandibles could also serve to intimidate vertebrates. (It'd work on me. )

They can run at two miles per hour… which for something this small is insane.

They leave the nest at the height of noon meandering and searching for food. As soon as they find food they are able to run directly back to the nest, no back-tracking. They use polarized light and landmarks to determine the direction of home.