'' Polyrhachis sokolova'' is a species of
ant
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...
from Hong Kong that recently was discovered to be capable of surviving tidal inundations.
Researchers at the
James Cook University gained attention in
2006 after finding and reporting this behavior.
''Polyrhachis sokolova'' nests in mud in
mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...
swamps, regularly inundated by rising tides. They survive these inundations in pockets of air that are trapped within the nest. This lifestyle calls for regular moving of their eggs, larvae and cocoons to stay ahead of water trickling into the nest passages. A large amount of effort is expended on repairing water damage after each high tide.
The ants are able to move across large stretches of water by either running on the
surface tension skin or swimming with their legs below the surface. While swimming it has been documented that these ants are eaten by
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...
,
mud skipper
Mudskippers are any of the 23 extant species of amphibious fish from the subfamily Oxudercinae of the goby family Oxudercidae. They are known for their unusual body shapes, preferences for semiaquatic habitats, limited terrestrial locomotion a ...
s, and
crabs.
References
External links
Pictures of ''Polyrhachis sokolova''
Formicinae
Hymenoptera of Australia
Insects described in 1902
{{formicinae-stub