Oecophylla smaragdina (orange gaster)
Oecophylla smaragdina (from India)
Though I have already written about Oecophylla smaragdina ants, I thought these ants deserve another note here because of the geographical variation they exhibit. I took some of these pictures during my recent trip to South India. The last picture is one from my old archives, shot on a SLR Nikon FM 10; Sigma 105 mm.
Workers of Weaver ants, hold each other to form chains and pull leaves together to aid in nest building.
Workers of Oecophylla clearing up debris from their nest
Oecophylla female workers trying to restrain the males from flying out of their nest
Queen of the the ant Oecophylla smaragdina. (photographed by my colleague Karthikeyan)
Queen of the the ant Oecophylla smaragdina.Collected:
posted by Ajay Narendra @ 7:45 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
i just found this blog while surfing through the net.
Here in Malaysia, the Smaragdina is known as the Kerengga. Its quite aggressive but useful to keep fruits protected from pests.
i have to say that I am quite impressed with the species. The Queen is beautiful. Looks like a piece of jewelery crafted into the shape of an ant. With an emerald for a gaster.
im gonna get a link to your blog,BTW.
is it known that oecophylla ants are used as biocontrol agent in India?
Zen: The queens are certainly gorgeous. rave: yup, they are used in orchards in South India (Kerala) as biocontrol agents.
are the queens different looking from the males? or do they both look the same?
Hi, a great blog. I'm just back from Uttara Kannada, and saw these all over the places - on the river beds and forest floors. I thought they'd be strictly arboreal. Thank you for the information!
Hi,nice photographs,i am a research student of nagpur university and i am working on the queens of this ants but yet not successful in catching one of them, can you please tell me exactly where this queen can be located in the colony.
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