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The mystery of the "Purple Light" of the flesh ant: Why does its body shine?
Iridomyrmex purpureus, also known as rock ant or southern meat ant, is an ant native to Australia.As a member of the Iridomyrmex genus Dolichoderinae subfamily, it was first described by British entomologist Frederick Smith in 1858.Meat ants have many different common names because of their appearance, nesting behavior and quantity, and their proper name purpureus refers to their color.This kind of ant is very famous in Australia, and is spread throughout almost all states and regions, except Tasmania.Due to its huge distribution range, aggressiveness and ecological importance, this ant has become the dominant species in its habitat.
The body of the flesh ant has obvious dark blue and red characteristics, and carries the ability to emit light in specific light.
The flesh ant is a medium to large ant with a body length of between 6 and 12 mm.Workers' ants are about 6 to 7 mm in size, males are about 8 mm, while queens are the largest, about 12.7 mm, usually in almost all black colors.The luster of worker ants ranges from green or blue to pure green and purple, so their different body parts and genders vary.
The "purple light" characteristics of meat ants have great advantages for their survival and reproduction because they can attract similar species and resist predators.
Flesh ants are not just beautiful creatures, they also play an important role in the ecosystem.The nests of meat ants are usually located in open and warm areas, with large oval shapes and many inlet holes.These soil areas are always cleaned without plant coverage and covered with gravel, pebbles and rotten plant materials.This allows their living environment to be optimized.
These ants are structurally multi-nested, meaning that a community may consist of multiple satellite nests connected by clear paths and small paths.This layout allows workers to effectively utilize valuable food sources nearby.
These insects have a unique social structure, with queen ants usually mate with a female partner, and the community may have multiple queens, until the worker ants appear, there will be hostility between them.
The activity time of meat ants is mainly concentrated during the day, especially when the weather is warm. In order to forage, they can even look for honeydew and nectar in the trees, hunt insects or collect animal remains.Many predators feed on fleshy ants, including short-beaked platypus, a variety of birds, blind snakes and spiders.But these ants are also competitors of belt sugar ants.
The flesh ants will establish territorial boundaries with neighboring ants and resolve disputes through ritualized battles.They play an important role in the environment and in human life.A single nest is able to spread more than 300,000 plant seeds, and meat ants also form symbiotic relationships with numerous insects.
Meat ants may serve as a pest control method to eliminate invading sugar cane toads.
The scientific classification history of meat ants is quite tortuous. It was first described by Smith in 1858 and was reclassified to the genus Iridomyrmex by Austrian entomologist Gustav Meier in 1862.Since then, the classification of meat ants has undergone several adjustments and controversy, but the currently generally accepted name remains Iridomyrmex purpureus.
The purple light characteristics of flesh ants mainly come from structural changes in their bodies.This luminescence phenomenon can attract other identical species to gather and strengthen the strength of their groups to resist foreign enemies.But what kind of biological mechanism drives meat ants to possess this unique characteristic?
