Jumping ants

From Wild India

Worker Herpegnathos saltator killing the Queen
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Worker Herpegnathos saltator killing the Queen

Harpegnathos saltator, sometimes called Jerdon's jumping ant is a species of primitive ant found in South India. They have long mandibles and have the ability to leap almost a feet up in the air to catch insects or escape. Unlike other ants, they are seen single or in small groups and their colonies consist of very small numbers of individuals. They are also rather interesting among ants in that the workers can mate and lay fertilized eggs just like the queen and technically termed as gamergates. New colonies are founded independently by single queens, and on aging they are replaced by several gamergates.

These ants are considered primitive because they form relatively small colonies, they have a relatively simple nest structure and exhibit little or no worker specialization as in the other ant communities. Nests of these ants contain only one or two queens. Queens look very similar to the workers in morphology.


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Jerdon's Notes

The following is the reference of this ant from "Jerdon, T. C. 1851. A catalogue of the species of ants found in southern India. Madras J. Lit. Sci. 17: 103-127."

Worker, head long, granulated; jaws with a strong tooth near the base pointing downwards and inwards, and these gradually tapering to the tip, and finely serrated, 1-6th of an inch long; thorax barely grooved; abdominal pedicle small, low, ovate; abdomen very long; string large; head and abdomen blackish brown, thorax and legs rufous - Length 3/4 of an inch.

I have not seen this remarkable Ant in the Carnatic. I first saw it at Tellicherry, and subsequently in other parts of Malabar.It is also found in the Mysore country as I learn from Mr. Hamilton, a most talented and industrious Amateru Entomologist.

I have given it the name of 'Saltator' from its power of making most surprising jumps which it does when alarmed or disturbed. It is very pugnacious, and bites, and stings very severely. It makes the most under ground, generally about the roots of some plant. Its society does not consist of many individuals. It appears to feed on insects, which it often seizes alive.


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References

  • Peeters, C., Liebig, J. and B. Hölldobler (2000) Sexual reproduction by both queens and workers in the ponerine ant Harpegnathos saltator. Insectes Sociaux 47:325–332 PDF (http://www.antbase.de/literature-pdf/peters-et-al-2000.pdf)
  • Baroni Urbani C., Boyan G.S., Blarer A., Billen J. & Musthak Ali T.M. (1994) A novel mechanism for jumping in the Indian ant Harpegnathos saltator (Jerdon) (Formicidae, Ponerinae). Experientia 50: 63-71.
  • do Nascimento R.R., Billen J. & Morgan E.D. (1993) The exocrine secretions of the jumping ant Harpegnathos saltator. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 104B: 505-508.PDF (http://bio.kuleuven.be/ento/pdfs/donascimento_etal_compbiochem_1993_exocrine_secretions_harpegnathos.pdf)
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