В Юго-Восточной Азии обнаружили муравьев, способных взрываться для защиты колонии

A small reddish ant living in the treetops of Southeast Asia has one of the most unusual defences in the animal world. When threatened, some workers of Colobopsis explodens can rupture their own bodies and release a sticky substance that can kill or repel an attacker. The behaviour is so extreme that these insects are known as exploding ants. The species was formally described in 2018 after researchers found that a population previously treated as a different type was actually a distinct species. According to research published in ZooKeys, titled ‘ Colobopsis explodens sp. n., model species for studies on ‘exploding ants’ (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with biological notes and first illustrations of males of the Colobopsis cylindrica group ’, the ant became an important model for studying this unusual form of self-sacrifice. How Borneo’s exploding ants are a distinct species Colobopsis explodens belongs to the Colobopsis cylindrica group of ants. The group is commonly known as the exploding ants because some of its workers can sacrifice themselves during territorial fights. The 2018 research formally described C. explodens as a new species and provided a detailed account of its different castes. The researchers examined ants from Borneo, Thailand, and Malaysia. Their work combined several types of evidence, including body measurements, ecological observations and molecular data. This approach is known as integrative taxonomy. It helped the researchers distinguish C. explodens from related ants within a group that has a complicated taxonomic history. The species had previously been confused with ants grouped under the name Colobopsis saundersi. The researchers found that the ants they were studying represented an undescribed species. Giving it the name Colobopsis explodens provided a valid scientific identity for future behavioural, chemical, microbiological and evolutionary studies. The species also became particularly useful to researchers because its unusual behaviour could be observed both in natural surroundings and under controlled conditions. A large colony at the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre in Brunei provided researchers with an especially valuable population for further study. PC: AI Generated How tiny insects sacrifice themselves to defend their colony The most striking feature of Colobopsis explodens is its ability to use autothysis, a form of self-sacrifice in which an ant ruptures its own body. The behaviour occurs during territorial combat and is used to kill or repel rivals. The process is not simply an ant dying after being attacked. It actively uses its body to release a defensive substance. When confronted by an enemy, the ant can latch onto it and position the rear part of its body towards the attacker. It then contracts its abdomen with enough force to rupture its own body. This releases the sticky contents of enlarged reservoirs associated with its mandibular glands. The substance can act against the attacker while the worker itself dies. The secretion has a striking yellow colour. This is why researchers had previously referred to the substance as yellow goo or YG before the species was formally described. The worker does not survive the rupture, yet the sacrifice can benefit the colony by helping repel an intruder or rival. This is particularly interesting because the exploding workers are not the larger reproductive members of the colony. The research found that minor ants are sterile females and are especially prone to self-sacrifice. Their behaviour can therefore protect other members of the colony while costing the individual worker its life. Why exploding ants sacrifice themselves to protect their colony The behaviour of Colobopsis explodens offers an unusual example of how social insects can protect the wider colony at the expense of individual members. Ant colonies function as highly organised societies in which different members perform different roles. When a threat becomes serious, some of these workers can use autothysis as a final defence. The researchers observed that the ants were particularly prone to self-sacrifice. This made the species especially valuable for behavioural experiments because its defensive response could be observed and studied.