New published larval description!

Aren't they amazing?? Take a face-down look into the leaf-cutting babies rosy cheeks, below.

I will upload it to my list of publication, soon enough, and update this post. Have fun!

The paper can be found as below:

Solis, D.R., Fox, E.G.P., Ceccato, M., Reiss, I.C., Décio, P., Lorenzon, N., da Silva Menegasso, A.R., Bueno, O.C., 2012. On the morphology of the worker immatures of the leafcutter ant Atta sexdens Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Microsc. Res. Tech. 75, 1059–1065. https://doi.org/10.1002/jemt.22031

Always loved taking pics of Odonata. I think they are quite elegant, posing to pics. However should you try to capture them, they fly away within a second. I have been told they can bite, severely, if mishandled. Unfortunately I never was quick enough to try them.

The one at the far top was photographed in a Park at Rio Claro, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The second one was photographed at Itaipava, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in a house garden by the pool.

Amazing little fairies...

Stingy News

So!

I have some interesting news:

Note: this pic has nothing to do with the post. except that it is about ants. A gang of Camponotus abusing a poor Atta male who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Cest la vie...

1) In a couple of months I hope I will be able to post here my new method for ant venom extraction! It is now submitted, and I am confident it will generate some interesting discussions!

2) I will be going to French Guyana in a couple of months to collect fire ants in a collaboration with Switzerland! I am most totally thrilled at the prospect. Will certainly fill this blog with images from the trip!

3) Also I am getting my first experiences inject fire ant venom compounds in our HPLC system. Since all is new I cannot say for certain if our first impressions are good... let us hope!