Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
The life of an ant starts from an egg; if the egg is fertilised, the progeny will be female diploid, if not, it will be male haploid. Ants develop by complete metamorphosis with the larva stages passing through a pupal stage before emerging as an adult. The larva is largely immobile and is fed and cared for by workers.
A queen ant (formally known as a gyne) is an adult, reproducing female ant in an ant colony; she is usually the mother of all the other ants in that colony. Some female ants, such as the Cataglyphis , do not need to mate to produce offspring, reproducing through asexual parthenogenesis or cloning , and all of those offspring will be female. [ 1 ]
Like most wasp species, velvet ants live solitary lives. Males take to the air to detect pheromones released by females. Males will fly towards female stridulation sounds as well. [12] Once a receptive female is located, the male will carry the female in his mandibles and move her to a place he deems "safe" to mate.
A female of Nemka viduata viduata (Pallas, 1773) looks for a nest of Bembix oculata to deposit her eggs. Male mutillids fly in search of females; after mating, the female enters a host insect nest, typically a ground-nesting bee or wasp burrow, and deposits one egg near each larva or pupa.
In these species, haploids are male and diploids heterozygous at the sex locus are female, but occasionally a diploid will be homozygous at the sex locus and develop as a male, instead. This is especially likely to occur in an individual whose parents were siblings or other close relatives. Diploid males are known to be produced by inbreeding ...
It was female ants observed doing this behavior. "All worker ants are female. Males play only a minor role in ant colonies - mate once with the queen and then die," Frank said.
Male and female yellow meadow ants preparing for their nuptial flight. A mature ant colony seasonally produces winged virgin queens and males, called alates. Unfertilized eggs develop into males. Fertilized eggs usually develop into wingless, sterile workers, but may develop into virgin queens if the larvae receive special attention.
In ants, conflicts exist even at the larval stage. [1] In certain ant species, male and female larvae tend to cannibalize other larvae. [1] This behavior increases their own chances of survival and is generally more prevalent among male larvae, who try to enhance their growth and survival prospects. [1]