What is it about?
Ant nests harbour other bugs than just ants. If you dig in and look carefully, you might be as lucky as to spot some spider, beetle, or silverfish running around amongst the ants! This is a first description of a lice-like bug living inside fire ant colonies around Brazil, perhaps around the world. Nothing overly exciting -- a small & quick, white bug that scrambles around fire ants when they're angry -- but it is a *new genus* of insects. That spells c-o-o-l science.
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Photo by MIKHAIL VASILYEV on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Knowing biodiversity is key to appreciating the world we live in. Insect diversity is beyond imagination, and there is always something new out there. Even in our gardens, at this moment. This is a relatively common insect which is likely spread around the world which was never formally described before. Better late than never.
Perspectives
The reader will notice that the description is based on few, female specimens. We don't know the males yet. These are common insects -- please, someone fill in this blank. I am not sure I will get the chance soon. This is classical entomology, hope more colleagues will follow the example.
Dr Eduardo G P Fox
IBCCF / UFRJ
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: New Nicoletiidae (Zygentoma: Insecta) from Brazil living in fire-ant (Hymenoptera: Insecta) nests, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia, January 2009, Universidade de Sao Paulo Sistema Integrado de Bibliotecas - SIBiUSP,
DOI: 10.1590/s0031-10492009003400001.
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