Ant
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Incertae Sedis Subfamily: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The ants, one of the most successful groups of insects, are of particular interest because they form advanced colonies, and can constitute up to 15% of the total animal biomass of a tropical rainforest. They belong to the order Hymenoptera, and are close relatives of the vespoid wasps. Ants appear in amber, found in central New Jersey, believed to be from the Cretaceous period. It is thought that they evolved from the wasps that had appeared during the Jurassic period. They are morphologically distinguished mainly by having six legs, sharply elbowed antennae, wingless worker caste, the first abdominal segment being fused with the thorax (= alitrunk or mesosoma), a wasptail like constriction between the first and second abdominal segment, and by having one to two bead-like round to scale-shaped pedicel formed from the second and third abdominal segments respectively, which in wasps are joined to the gaster. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Ants are also the only animals that possess the metapleural gland. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ They can "hear" with organs on the legs, antenna, thorax and head which can detect sound vibrations moving through the ground. Also, they "talk" with chemicals, having at least 10?20 chemical "words". ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Most queens and males of ants have wings, which they lose after nuptial flight; however wingless queens (ergatoids) and males can occur. The currently known 11,836 (Aug. 29, 2005) ant species occur worldwide but are especially common in hot climates. 22,000 ant species are expected to live on planet Earth. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Colonies: REDIRECT Colony... Biomass: Biomass is organic non-fossil material, collectively. In other words, biomass comprises the mass of all biological organisms, dead or alive, excluding biological mass that has been transformed by geological processes into substances such as coal or petroleum.... Wasp: :Alternate meaning: Wasp (disambiguation)... Ant related Images and Photos (experimental) | ~ Table of Content ~
~ Related Subjects ~Pedicel (1) - Abdominal (1) - Jurassic (1) - Antennae (1) - Coal (1) - Petroleum (1) - Gaster (1) - Fossil (1) - Biomass (1) - Hymenoptera (1) - Insect (1) - Colonies (1) - New Jersey (1) - Cretaceous (1) - Wasp (1) -~ Community ~
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