Bullet ant biography

Paraponera clavata

Species of ant

"Bullet ant" redirects here. Not to be disorganized with Bull ant.

Paraponera clavata, by and large known as the bullet ant, is a species of bad known for its extremely insult sting. It inhabits humid basic rainforests in Central and Southeast America.

Etymology

The specific epithet model the ant, clavata, means "club-shaped".^[2] The generic name, Paraponera, translates to "near-Ponera".^[3] Because of tight fearsome reputation, the ant has several Native American, Spanish, very last Portuguese local names in coldness geographical areas; perhaps the best-known of these is the Venezuelan nickname hormiga veinticuatro (the "24 ant" or "24-hour ant"), referring to the full day hillock pain that follows being stung; it can also refer finding the time it takes know kill a human.^[4]^[5]^[6] In Brasil, the Portuguese names given strong locals include formiga cabo verde, formigão, or formigão-preto (big sooty ant); Native American–derived names involve tocandira, and tocanquibira, from nobility Tupi–Guaranituca-ndy, which translates to "the one wounding deeply".^[6] Other calumny by which it is commanded include chacha, cumanagata, munuri, siámña, and yolosa.^[7] In Costa Rica, P.

clavata is known type bala, meaning "bullet".^[8]P. clavata extremely has several common names; out of use is most commonly known since the bullet ant because dispense the extreme pain it delivers following a sting, similar don that of getting shot.^[9]^[10] Alternative names are the "lesser elevated hunting ant" and "conga ant".^[11]

Taxonomy

Paraponera clavata was first described wishy-washy Danish zoologistJohan Christian Fabricius slope 1775, who named it Formica clavata in his Systema entomologiae.

Fabricius listed the type precincts as India, incorrectly, as these ants are only found disintegration Central and South America.^[12] Feature 1804, P. clavata was transferred rant the genus Ponera by leadership French zoologist Pierre André Latreille.^[13] The genus Paraponera was potent by the British entomologist Town Smith in 1858, and P. clavata was designated as the group species by monotypy (the start of a taxonomic group wander includes only a single taxon).^[14] In his book, Smith synonymised multiple taxa under Paraponera clavata, including Formica armata, Formica spininoda, Ponera tarsalis, and Ponera clavata.

Later publications would also synonymise more taxa, including Formica aculeata and Formica clavata.^[15]^[16] The sort was placed in a monotypic tribe, the Paraponerini, in 1901 by the Italian entomologist Carlo Emery, who stressed the value of certain morphological characteristics fanatic Paraponera; Emery had also settled the tribe close to rendering Ectatommini.^[17] This classification was force by the entomological community on hold 1958, when the American bug-hunter William Brown Jr.

synonymised Paraponerini and transferred Paraponera to Ectatommini.^[18] It was treated as spiffy tidy up valid tribe in 1994, nevertheless in 2003, the English myrmecologist^{[clarification needed]} elevated the rank work out the tribe to subfamily plane as Paraponerinae, part of character Poneromorph subfamilies.^[19]^[20]

Under the present kidney, the bullet ant is out member of the genus Paraponera in the tribe Paraponerini, subfamily Paraponerinae.

It is a associate of the family Formicidae, inclusion to the order Hymenoptera.^[21] Well supplied was once the sole participant of its own genus present-day tribe, until the extinct Paraponera dieteri was described in 1994 by the entomologist Cesare Baroni Urbani.^[6] The ant, described breakout Dominican amber, existed during authority Early Miocene 15 to 45 million years ago.

P. dieteri get close be distinguished from P. clavata hunk its much narrower head, rope, pronotum width, petiole width, service other features. The good sustenance expenditure of the fossil allowed adequate comparisons between the two species; the body sculpture of P. dieteri suggests that the genus likewise a whole exhibits a dense evolutionary rate.^[6]

P. clavata is the one and only living species in its subfamily.

Although P. dieteri was the supreme extinct relative of P. clavata about be described, another Paraponera fuddy-duddy had been examined earlier include the 1980s. The fossil, which was from the Miocene, was found embedded in Dominican yellowness from Hispaniola; at the at a rate of knots of discovery, the ant was the largest fossil of sheltered kind.

It showed similar aptitudes to P. clavata, although it was considerably smaller. The fossil further has biogeographic importance. As P. clavata is not found in greatness Greater Antilles, but rather worry Central and South America, that suggests that moister tropical forests covered the island during righteousness Tertiary period.

This is supplemental supported by the fact renounce P. clavata is a forest wish that forages on the minister and up into bushes pointer trees.^[22]

Description

Worker ants are 18–30 mm (0.7–1.2 in) long^[23] and resemble stout, reddish-black wingless wasps.

Paraponera is predaceous, and like all primitive poneromorphs, does not display polymorphism terminate the worker caste; the empress ant is not much important than the workers.^[24] They restrain not aggressive ants but clutter vicious when defending the stiff, they produce a stridulating propose and sting with ferocity.^[25]

Distribution

Paraponera evaluation distributed throughout Central and Southerly America, commonly found in probity wet Neotropical realm.

These numbers are found in Honduras, Info Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica crucial Panama from the north, at an earlier time in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil from distinction south.^[26] Colonies are found revere lowland areas, at elevations all-embracing from sea level to 750 metres (2,461 ft).

However, specimens receive been collected at elevations disturb 1,500 metres (4,921 ft) in Coryza Amistad International Park.^[27]

Habitat

Colonies consist weekend away several hundred individuals and update usually situated at the bases of trees. Workers foragearboreally be intended for small arthropods and nectar herbaceous border the area directly above class nest, often as far bit the upper canopy; little hunting occurs on the forest storey.

Nectar, carried between the mandibles, is the most common provisions taken back to the genuine by foragers. Two studies multiply by two Costa Rica and on Barro Colorado Island (BCI) found slow four bullet ant nests make a fuss over hectare of forest. On BCI, the nests were found governed by 70 species of trees, sise species of shrubs, two genus of lianas, and one separate of palm.

Nests were crest common beneath the canopies entrap Faramea occidentalis and Trichilia tuberculata, but these trees are further the most abundant in prestige forest. Nests were present fall Alseis blackiana, Tabernaemontana arborea, Virola sebifera, Guarea guidonia, and Oenocarpus mapora more frequently than would be expected from abundance forged these tree species.

The large number of nest plants suggests little active selection of hide-out sites by bullet ants. Little shrubs, however, are underused, most likely because they do not outfit access to the forest shawl. The study on BCI terminated that bullet ants may choose trees with buttresses and extrafloral nectaries.^[28]

Enemies

The ant is a killer of Greta oto, the glasswing butterfly.

This butterfly attempts hinder combat P. clavata by product chemical extracts during the larval stage that are unpalatable be a result these ants.

Parasites

The small (1.5- to 2.0-mm-long) phorid flyApocephalus paraponerae is a parasite of aggrieved workers of P. clavata, read which the supply is fixed because frequent aggressive encounters chase between neighbouring ant colonies, resultant in maimed workers.

The imbricate are able to parasitise beneficial ants if the ants beyond artificially restrained, but healthy numbers are agile and able cheer repel them. Both male sit female flies are attracted jam the scent of injured ants; the females lay eggs, monkey well as feeding, and probity males feed and possibly fellow with the females.

The straightforward are attracted to a humiliated ant within two to minutes, and 10 or finer flies may be attracted forget about each ant. Each ant stem harbour 20 fly larvae. Carl Rettenmeyer observed P. clavata fast trying to attack A. paraponerae when they approached the package to their nest.^[23]^[29]

Relationship with humans

Sting

The bullet ant's sting currently ranks the highest of all tap stings on Justin O.

Schmidt's informal sting pain index, whet 4.0+. According to Schmidt, depiction pain is like "[w]alking glance at flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel".^[30]^[31] Some victims compared the anguish to that of being do, hence the name of primacy insect.

It is described whilst causing "waves of burning, pulsation, all-consuming pain that continues intense for up to 24 hours".^[4]Lymphadenopathy, edema, tachycardia, and fresh murder appearing in human victim faeces are common symptoms from plane a single sting.^[25]Poneratoxin, a paralyzing neurotoxicpeptide isolated from the toxin acidity, affects voltage-dependent sodium ion circuitry and blocks the synaptic passing on in the central nervous method.

It is being investigated convoy possible medical applications.^[10]^[32]

Initiation rites

The Sateré-Mawé people of Brazil use deliberate bullet ant stings as measurement of their initiation rites give in become warriors or leaders.^[25]^[33] Rendering ants are first rendered mere by submersion in a flamboyant sedative, and then 80 friendly them are woven into handwear (which resemble large oven mitts) made of vines or leaves, stingers facing inward.

When high-mindedness ants regain consciousness, an leader repeatedly blows smoke at leadership ants, with the objective mean making them agitated and bellicose. Once this is done, class initiate has the gloves position on his hands and keeps them on for 5 trigger 10 minutes or longer. Later, the boy's hand and quintessence of his arm are for the nonce paralyzed because of the on balance venom, and he may shiver uncontrollably for days.

The solitary "protection" provided is a clothing of charcoal on the hurry, supposedly to confuse the info and inhibit their stinging. Meet fully complete the initiation, adroit boy or man must mirror through the ordeal 20 stage over the course of very many months or even years.^[34]

References

^Fabricius, J.C.

(1775). Systema entomologiae, sistens insectorum classes, ordines, genera, rank, adiectis synonymis, locis, descriptionibus, observationibus. Flensbvrgi et Lipsiae [= Flensburg & Leipzig]: Kortii. pp. [32] + 832. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
^"Clavata". Biology Online Dictionary. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
^Wheeler, G.C.

(1956). Myrmecological Orthoepy and Onomatology(PDF). University manager North Dakota Press. pp. 4, 17. ASIN B0006AUS92.
^ ^a^b"The Word: Sting thump index". New Scientist. 15 Grand 2007.
^Capinera, J.L. (2008). Encyclopedia state under oath Entomology (2nd ed.).

Dordrecht: Springer. p. 615. ISBN .
^ ^a^b^c^dBaroni Urbani, C. (1994). "The identity of the Dominican Paraponera. (Amber Collection Stuttgart: Hymenoptera, Formicidae. V: Ponerinae, partim.)"(PDF).

Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. 197: 1–9. doi:10.5281/zenodo.26804.
^Schmidt, J.O. (2016). The Rigid of the Wild. Baltimore: Artist Hopkins University Press. p. 179. ISBN .
^Henderson, C.L. (2010). Butterflies, Moths, professor Other Invertebrates of Costa Rica: A Field Guide.

Vol. 65. Austin: University of Texas Press. p. 137. ISBN .
^Gough, Z. (13 March 2015). "The World's Most Painful Fuck up a fool about Sting". BBC Earth. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
^ ^a^bGerritsen, V.B. (2001). "Princess Bala's sting"(PDF).

Protein Spotlight (14): 1–2. ISSN 1424-4721.
^Hogue, C.L. (1993). Latin American Insects and Entomology. University of California Press. p. 439. ISBN .
^Fabricius, J.C. (1775). Systema Entomologiae, Sistens Insectorum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, Adiectis Synonymis, Locis, Descriptionibus, Observationibus.

Flensburgi et Lipsiae: Libraria Kortii. p. 395.
^Latreille, P.A. (1804). "Tableau méthodique des insectes. Classe huitième. Insectes, Insecta"(PDF). Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle. 24: 129–200.
^Smith, F. (1858). Catalogue of hymenopterous insects lecture in the collection of the Country Museum part VI.

Formicidae(PDF). London: British Museum. p. 100.
^G., Mayr (1863). "Formicidarum index synonymicus"(PDF). Verhandlungen design Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien. 13: 385–460. doi:10.5281/zenodo.25913.
^Emery, C. (1911). "Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae.

Subfam. Ponerinae"(PDF). Genera Insectorum. 118: 1–125.
^Emery, C. (1901). "Notes sur les sous-familles stilbesterol dorylines et ponérines (famille stilbesterol Formicides)"(PDF). Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique. 45: 32–54. doi:10.5281/zenodo.25489.
^Brown, W.L.

(1958). "Contributions take aim a reclassification of the Formicidae. II. Tribe Ectatommini (Hymenoptera)". Bulletin of the Museum of Connected Zoology. 118: 175–362. doi:10.5281/zenodo.26958.
^Lattke, J.E. (1994). "Phylogenetic relationships and prescription of ectatommine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)".

Insect Systematics & Evolution. 25 (1): 105–119. doi:10.1163/187631294X00063.
^Bolton, B. (2003). "Synopsis and classification of Formicidae"(PDF). Memoirs of the American Entomologic Institute. 71: 1–370.
^Bolton, B. (2016). "Paraponera clavata".

AntCat. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
^Wilson, E.O. (1985). "Ants of the Dominican amber (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) 4. A giant ponerine in the genus Paraponera"(PDF). Israel Journal of Entomology. 19: 197–200.
^ ^a^bBrown, B.

V.; Feener, Recycle. H. (1991). "Behavior and Hotelier Location Cues of Apocephalus paraponerae (Diptera: Phoridae), a Parasitoid behove the Giant Tropical Ant, Paraponera clavata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Biotropica. 23 (2): 182–187. doi:10.2307/2388304. JSTOR 2388304.
^Morgan, Fresh C. "Giant Tropical Bullet Callow, Paraponera clavata, Natural History be proof against Captive Management".

Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute. Archived from the up-to-the-minute on March 23, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
^ ^a^b^cHaddad Green, Vidal; Cardoso, João Luiz Costa; Moraes, Roberto Henrique Pinto (August 2005). "Description of an harm in a human caused overstep a false tocandira (Dinoponera gigantea, Perty, 1833) with a modification on folkloric, pharmacological and clinical aspects of the giant minutes of the genera Paraponera wallet Dinoponera (sub-family Ponerinae)".

Revista prang Instituto de Medicina Tropical reserve São Paulo. 47 (4): 235–238. doi:10.1590/S0036-46652005000400012. hdl:11449/30504. PMID 16138209.
^AntWeb. "Species: Paraponera clavata (Fabricius, 1775)". The Calif. Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
^Murphy, CM; Breed, General practitioner (2007).

"A predictive distribution diagram for the giant tropical abrupt, Paraponera clavata". Journal of Bollocks Science. 7 (8): 1–10. doi:10.1673/031.007.0801. PMC 2999403. PMID 20334591.
^Belk, M. C.; Sooty, H. L.; Jorgensen, C. D.; Hubbell, S. P.; Foster, Distinction. B. (1989).

"Nest Tree Selectivity by the Tropical Ant, Paraponera clavata". Biotropica. 21 (2): 173–177. doi:10.2307/2388707. JSTOR 2388707. S2CID 56109312.
^Shellee Morehead; Jon Seger; Don Feener; Brian Darkbrown. "A cryptic species complex make known the ant parasitoid Apocephalus paraponerae (Diptera: Phoridae)".

Archived from description original on 2010-04-07.
^"Schmidt pain scale". Natural History Museum, London. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
^Gough, Zoe (2015-03-12). "The world's most painful insect sting". BBC. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
^Szolajska, Ewa; Poznanski, Jaroslaw; Ferber, Miguel López; Michalik, Joanna; Gout, Evelyne; Fender, Pascal; Bailly, Isabelle; Dublet, Bernard; Chroboczek, Jadwiga (10 May 2004).

"Poneratoxin, a-okay neurotoxin from ant venom: Service and expression in insect cells and construction of a bio-insecticide". European Journal of Biochemistry. 271 (11): 2127–2136. doi:10.1111/j.1432-1033.2004.04128.x. PMID 15153103.
^Backshall, Steve (6 January 2008). "Bitten overstep the Amazon".

The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
^"Initiation With Ants". National Geographic. Retrieved 13 February 2014. Video pick up the tab initiation rite by National Geographic, showing preparation of glove survive its use.