Dinoponera longipes
| Dinoponera longipes | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Dinoponera longipes | ||||||||||||
| Emery , 1901 |
Dinoponera longipes is an ant from the subfamily of the ancient ants (Ponerinae). The animals are among the largest ants in the world.
features
The workers of Dinoponera longipes are about three centimeters long. This makes them easy to see in the insectariums of zoological gardens , and many studies have been made of their behavior and reproduction. Only different Myrmecia and Paraponera species reach a similar size. The female workers of Camponotus gigas found on Borneo are even bigger.
The animals have a well-trained sting . The poison bladder produces a potent poison that primarily affects the nervous system of insects. The active ingredient poneratoxin prevents the conduction of excitation in the nerve tracts and thereby paralyzes the victim. However, the poison can also be effective in vertebrates. In humans, the extremely painful sting can cause fever, cold sweats, and abnormal heart rhythms .
distribution
Like the other species of the genus Dinoponera , the species is native to the Neotropics , the tropical regions of South America. Here she lives mainly in the rainforests of the highlands of Peru .
Way of life
The ants live in only very small states with about 100 animals in a hill. It mostly hunts larger insects . But also small frogs and mice are on their menu. In captivity, in the insectarium of the Cincinnati zoo , where the 24-hour ant is also kept, it was shown that very young mice can be hunted independently. She cuts larger animals as carrion with her toothed mandibles , which she uses like a saw.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Randy C. Morgan: Giant Peruvian Dinosaur Ant. Biology, Husbandry and Display. Proceedings of the Invertebrates in Captivity Conference SASI-ITAG 1993 Online ( Memento of the original from June 26, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Randy C. Morgan: Natural History Notes and Husbandry of the Peruvian Giant Ant Dinoponera longipes. Proceedings of the Invertebrates in Captivity Conference SASI-ITAG 1993 Online ( Memento of the original dated November 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Vidal Haddad Junior, João Luiz Costa Cardoso, Roberto Henrique Pinto Moraes: Description of an injury in a human caused by a false tocandira (Dinoponera gigantea, Perty, 1833) with a revision on folkloric, pharmacological and clinical aspects of the giant ants of the genera Paraponera and Dinoponera (sub-family Ponerinae). Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo 47, 4, 2005 Online
Web links
Tree of Life pictures of Dinoponera longipes