Help ID this bizarre insect!

Never seen anything like it:

Ant-like creature with peanut-butter-cup head

I tried a Tineye reverse image search, but go no hits. Anybody have any idea what the heck this thing is?

Nope. No clue. But try this website.

www.whatsthatbug.com...

They ID weird bugs. Good luck and post the answer if they give you one. I want to know too now.

"There's one species of ant with a big flat head," she said. "It blocks the entrance to the colony. It plugs that hole, but if it gets the right message, it unblocks the hole. Other forms are specialized for defense, construction and raising larva, and they each have physical features that are suited to those roles."

azdailysun.com...

Still trying to find you a picture of one, but this sure sounds like your guy.

Pretty freaky looking bug, it looks to be from the ant family to me. The head would def have a purpose, like pushing objects or something like that. I just read about an ant that has a flat head, his job is plugging the hole in the anthill. He sticks it in the hole and blocks the opening. Could be one of those.

Indeed, it is an individual of the Major Caste of an ant species of the genus Cephalotes. The flattened, disc-shaped head is - as suggested above - to block passages into the colony in a defensive manner.

Here is an excellent gallery of photographs taken by biologist Alex Wild, containing several ant species belonging to Cephalotes, which is not limited to such "Turtle ants" as they are known, but also to several species of "Gliding ants."

Gallery of Cephalotes

[edit on 1-5-2010 by Alehkhs]

reply to post by Alehkhs


You beat me to it..

Here you go...

www.alexanderwild.com...

Thanks people! I knew this was the right place to ask that question!

....wow glad someone posted..... I thought it was a photoshop bug

Originally posted by geo1066
reply to post by Alehkhs

 

You beat me to it..

Here you go...

www.alexanderwild.com...

Wow that is an identical photo of it! Very cool! Glad someone was able to find a picture of it.

Amazing world we live in, isn't it?

Some kind of deformed ant?

That is quite nice, I never knew of such a specialized ant.

They should call it the Gatekeeper-Ant



[edit on 1-5-2010 by Grey Magic]

Thats some awesome evolution,that there are normal looking ants of the same kind,and this fella whos been given the job of door-head tunnel blocker!

At first I thought it could have been to keep rain off eggs or something.

Oops

[edit on 1-5-2010 by Metal Head]

no jar head ants here! try... peanut-butter cup head ants!

I wonder how they tell to open the door?

"knock three times.."

Seem like you all beat me to it... Cephalotes...

However, here is another site with it listed...

www.antweb.org...