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The tiny Indian jumper - Harpegnathos saltator
The Indian species of jumping ant also known as jerdon's jumping ant is capable of jumping up to 10 cm in height. They are very active ants and usually prey on small insects. They hunt by jumping towards the prey that fly above them.
They kill their prey with their long modified mandibles.
The colony size of these ants is very small and there is no huge morphological difference between the worker ants and the queen. Also the female worker ants can mate with the males which is not common among ants.
While observing another subject, vipin suddenly pointed out here is the jerdon's jumping ant, it was on the move with cricket in its mandibles. It was on its way back to its home! The prey being almost the same size it would have been a very interesting hunt!!
Its not easy to photograph these active ants. It was very challenging to track in rough terrain. Phew!!
''Harpegnathos saltator'', sometimes called Jerdon's jumping ant, is a species of ant found in India. They have long mandibles and have the ability to leap a few inches. They are large eyed and are active predators that hunt mainly in the early morning hours. The colonies are small and the difference between workers and queens is very slight.
comments (6)
Good to see someone interested in ants :) Posted 10 years ago