jon "RNC security perimeter enjoyer” schuster: Oooooh, so do they harvest mold for the chemicals, or is the mold growing inside the ants? This is so cool!

TIL I learned about Colobopis explodens (yes, that’s really their name) ants If attacked, they bite the predator, angle their bottoms towards it, and explode. The exploding ant dies, but releases a toxic, spicy-scented yellow substance which also kills the predator, protecting the colony

Even more interestingly, having poked around a bit in the literature, it looks like two major components of the yellow goo are: E-2-ethyl-2-hexen-1-ol 4-hydroxymellein And neither of these have been found in insects before (Melleins are toxic compounds typically produced by moulds)

Oooooh, so do they harvest mold for the chemicals, or is the mold growing inside the ants? This is so cool!

I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say they eat it and excrete it – that's often how it works

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