I recently bought a book about the ants of New Zealand.(by Warwick Don) —reading about NZ ants might sound like reading about beekeepers from Manhattan—But just as the rarity of farmers in a big city makes those few that exist all the more intriguing, ...
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I recently bought a book about the ants of New Zealand.(by Warwick Don) —reading about NZ ants might sound like reading about beekeepers from Manhattan—But just as the rarity of farmers in a big city makes those few that exist all the more intriguing, the paucity of NZ ants makes them especially fascinating. I'm really enjoying the introduction, which lays out the extant genera and their possible origins.
One ant in particular has my attention: the potentially apocryphal Camponotus newzealiandi
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I recently bought a book about the ants of New Zealand.(by Warwick Don) —reading about NZ ants might sound like reading about beekeepers from Manhattan—But just as the rarity of farmers in a big city makes those few that exist all the more intriguing, the paucity of NZ ants makes them especially fascinating. I'm really enjoying the introduction, which lays out the extant genera and their possible origins.
One ant in particular has my attention: the potentially apocryphal Camponotus newzealiandi
Camponotus is the most speciose of ant genera, yet it's not unheard of for them to be absent from island ecosystems. (see UK) You're likely familiar with Camponotus by their common name: carpenter ants. Large friendly ants who often nest in rotting wood, soil, or leaf litter. But when you look at the entire genus, the diversity is staggering. Some nest in twigs, others build carton nests from a mixture of silk and dead leaves. Some farm aphids, while others are specialized hunters.
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Camponotus is the most speciose of ant genera, yet it's not unheard of for them to be absent from island ecosystems. (see UK) You're likely familiar with Camponotus by their common name: carpenter ants. Large friendly ants who often nest in rotting wood, soil, or leaf litter. But when you look at the entire genus, the diversity is staggering. Some nest in twigs, others build carton nests from a mixture of silk and dead leaves. Some farm aphids, while others are specialized hunters.
I want to give Dr. Don a hug for the umbrage he takes to those of us who have said NZ has a surprisingly low number of ant species. He assures us that the species complex will bring the numbers up… but up to what? Two dozen? That’s still not very many ants!
(I have to like anyone who defends their local ants, though)
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Camponotus is the most speciose of ant genera, yet it's not unheard of for them to be absent from island ecosystems. (see UK) You're likely familiar with Camponotus by their common name: carpenter ants. Large friendly ants who often nest in rotting wood, soil, or leaf litter. But when you look at the entire genus, the diversity is staggering. Some nest in twigs, others build carton nests from a mixture of silk and dead leaves. Some farm aphids, while others are specialized hunters.
@futurebird I'm old enough to remember when there were more species of Camponotus than species of non-bird dinosaurs. Now there are more non-bird dinosaurs. Almost twice as many. Hold on, dino nerds ...
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F myrmepropagandist shared this topic
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I want to give Dr. Don a hug for the umbrage he takes to those of us who have said NZ has a surprisingly low number of ant species. He assures us that the species complex will bring the numbers up… but up to what? Two dozen? That’s still not very many ants!
(I have to like anyone who defends their local ants, though)@futurebird There's nothing like a good scientific "YOU TAKE THAT BACK"
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@futurebird There's nothing like a good scientific "YOU TAKE THAT BACK"
@vivtek Do NOT call his beautiful perfect ants “pauperite” ever again.
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@futurebird There's nothing like a good scientific "YOU TAKE THAT BACK"
I mean I sympathize— but I was able to learn to identify all NZ ants in an afternoon— my progress learning the ants of NYC is still ongoing— there are just so many more ants.
But I could see how being immersed in the ants local to you it’d be annoying to hear “there’s not that much to them” because this is never really true if you look.
