A Discothyrea sexarticula Borgmeier worker on the top of the head of a Dinoponera Roger worker

driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br to pics@lemmy.world – 211 points –

OG photography by Guilherme Ide.

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I can’t be the only one who like the picture, but have absolutely no idea what the headline means.

small ant on big ant 👍

But are they same kind of ant?

Not, they are different species of ants, the discothyrea are small , the Dinoponera are big.

I think the little ant is called Discothyrea sexarticulata, and it got its name from a person named Borgmeier.

Not biologists, saw the picture on a museum and tough it deserved some attention. I believe it became custom to add the name of the person who discovered the species and the year to the scientific name as can be seen here and in the message at the side of the picture on te museum.

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Are small ants parasitic to big ants?

The small ant is a specialized predator of spider eggs. I don't think they have any relationship, the photographer just wanted to show the contrast between their size and took a cool picture.

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I for one am grateful that when we make earth uninhabitable for ourselves that ants will become the dominant species. they're so fucking cool.

You say that like they are not already the dominant species...

I think the little ant is called Discothyrea sexarticulata, and it got its name from a person named Borgmeier.