#ant mimicry

[crevicedwelling]

another ant mimic jumping spider from Singapore. this one might have been the most antlike out of any spider I’ve ever seen, with a little crease on its opisthosoma to look like an ant’s segmented abdomen and posterior lateral eyes set to look like an ant’s angular head!

Myrmaplata sp.

[onenicebugperday]

Ant-mimic crab spider, Amyciaea forticeps, Thomisidae

Photographed in Singapore by Nicky Bay // Website // Facebook

Shared with permission; do not remove credit or re-post!

[apsciencebydan]

Just two very normal ants seen today on the same bush. 👀

Love the excellent Camponotus socius mimicry by this Micaria species ground spider. I'll leave you to figure out which is which.

(or you can just read the alt text)

[colorsoutofearth]

Ponerine Ant (Ectatomma spp) and mimicking plant bug nymph

Photo by Christian Ziegler

[the-faultofdaedalus]

urge to make an "ant-mimic" spidersona......

listen i think they would be Neat

[osmiabee]

See the problem with watching nature documentaries with me is that I will just fucking. Vibrate.

[theveryworstthing]

Masked Ants are some of the only ants that produce silk, which is used for many things, but most notably, for mimicry. These ants build false "bodies" out of silk, debris, and clay throughout the year, and then most of the colony inhabits this creation to roam humanoid populated areas on fall nights when the weather permits. They're mainly on the hunt for sugary substances to stock their winter larder, and locals in areas native to these creatures commonly leave out unwrapped sweets that are old, ruined, or simply not to the person's taste. These people say that the generous offerings keep the ants out of their homes and surprisingly docile. Masked ants are also said to ward off mischievous nature spirits in folklore, so they're seen as an unsettling but endearing sight every Halloween season.

Hannah Blanke suggested rejected candy monsters over on patreon, so ants be upon ye.  

[serpentface]

There are three hyaenids found within the Imperial Wardi region- the hisippate, the highland hyena (kyniche na chennandi), and the scrub hyena (kyniche). (None are actually related to the king hyena).

The hisippate (name is close in meaning to 'stinking one', sometimes instead called '(wild) ant-dog' ('kulichin-wannaukoma')) is very distantly related to the other two. They are small, mostly solitary animals that sleep in burrows during the day and emerge to hunt at night. They are almost exclusively insectivorous, and their diet consists primarily of termites and ants that are lapped up with a long, strong tongue. The hisippate has a wide range, with their populations being highest in grassland and savanna regions with a high density of termites.

They are named for their foul smelling anal gland secretions, which are used to mark their territory and can be sprayed short distances to repel predators. Their highly visible black and white coat (which is erected in threat display) indicates them as not worth the trouble of eating. This is partly an honest advertisement of its chemical defenses, but may function as mimicry of a substantially more threatening native badger that can spray with great accuracy at distances of up to 10 feet (while the spray of the hitsippate is untargeted and only potent within a meter of the body).

The highland and scrub hyenas are the most numerous and successful predators within the region, with their populations having exploded in the past several centuries with the decline of the Wardi lion. Both live in matriarchal clan structures with strict dominance hierarchies, maintained not by individual size and strength but by highly complex networks of coalitions. All members of a clan can reproduce, and young inherit rank positions just beneath that of their mothers. Most males eventually disperse, entering into new clans at the very bottom of their hierarchy. They exhibit no obvious sexual dimorphism, and females often can only be differentiated from males by the shape of their pseudopenis.

The scrub hyena is most widely distributed and can be found throughout most of the region in a variety of lowland habitats, faring best in savannah and open grassland with high populations of grazing ungulates. This species is distinguished by well-defined spots and stripes and a sparse mane, though their coloration varies by individual and population, ranging from reddish to pale white-brown. Their clans can number upwards of a hundred individuals in the most prey-dense territories, though most are smaller.

The highland hyena is unique to the northwest of the region. As the name suggests, they have specialized into surviving in higher altitude climes, but can also be found in the remaining pockets of surrounding forest (and once had a much larger range across the former northern forests). Their spotting is often less visible than their lowland relatives, though their base coloration is similarly variable. Their clan sizes are substantially smaller than the scrub hyena, as they inhabit regions with much lower prey densities.

Both are closely related (whether they are subspecies or separate species would be subject of debate by taxonomists) and can produce viable young. Heavily hybridized populations are common where their ranges overlap. Scrub hyenas appear to breed more readily with dispersing male highland hyenas than the reverse.

Hyenas occupy an overall minor space in most of the Wardi cultural sphere. They are noted negatively as man/corpse eaters, but are generally regarded as intelligent and powerful predators and avoid the stigma attached to man-eating scavengers. In most cases they are not ascribed much significance in comparison to the venerated lion or the massive and intimidating king-hyena, mostly being relegated to a threat to livestock and potential danger to lone travelers.

Many urban areas in the province of Godsmouth (including the outer unwalled portions of the eponymous city) have unique practices of not only tolerating but actively inviting scrub hyenas into urban spaces. These urban hyena populations have been genetically semi-isolated from their wilder counterparts for several centuries. Rather than hunting large prey, they fill similar roles to feral dogs in the urban landscape as cleaners of refuse and killers of pests, and benefit from their species being culturally regarded as powerful predators rather than lowly scavengers. They notably predate on the considerably more reviled feral dogs, and keep their populations much lower than other parts of the region. Their role is regarded as both a physically and spiritually cleansing force, with their presence neutralizing polluting elements (while not being sacred in of itself).

The Godsmouth hyenas show little fear of humans compared to their wild relatives, though their activity peaks at nighttime hours to avoid close contact. They are sometimes raised from cubs to be fully tamed (though are not truly domesticated) and used as guards or to assist in hunting (Godsmouth's designated dog hunters notably have traditions of keeping hyenas). This practice is essentially exclusive to the province of Godsmouth- hyenas rarely establish semi-urban populations in other parts of the region, and those who do have considerably greater fear of humans, usually sneaking in under the cover of night to feed on scraps and fleeing from encounters.

The status of hyenas varies in the other groups native to the region. For example:

Hyenas have a generally favorable status to the Cholemdinae, who have traditionally reckoned them as highest among predators, noting their stamina and intelligence. Body parts of hyenas are ascribed the ability to increase the wearer's stamina, and amulets carved from hyena bones are often worn while persistence hunting. Children born while hyenas are heard crying are considered to be strong and very likely to survive infancy (and will often be given names referencing the animals). The apparent androgyny of hyenas is allegorically attributed to the creation story- the first beings were dual-sexed, and split into male and female halves as part of their punishment for the theft of fire from the sun. The hyena escaped this punishment by digging into the underworld to hide and getting only its once long, luxurious tail chopped off (which was sticking out from the hole).

((TANGENT: The South Wardi have more recent common cultural ancestry to the Cholemdinae than to most of the other groups assimilated into the collective Wardi nationality. The notion of hyenas once having long, flowing tails that got chopped off in some mishap still appears in South Wardi animal folktales))

They have a largely disfavorable reputation to the Hill Tribes, and are generally regarded as gluttonous and brutish in nature. The Highlands have a naturally lower density of wild ungulates, made far lower by most grazing pasture being occupied by livestock. This causes hyenas (and other large predators) to more frequently predate on domestic animals, and thus places them directly in conflict with herders (and also makes them common rabies vectors). They are readily culled when found in proximity to villages. Hyena pelts are generally considered worthless, and culled hyenas will often be fed whole to livestock guardian dogs and their pups in hopes of teaching them to be fearless towards the predators. Were-hyenas appear in folklore- among the southwestern Hill Tribes they are most commonly the accursed spirits of cannibals, while in the northeast they are malicious witches who learned secret arts of transformation and take on these forms to wreak havoc upon their enemies.

[crisiscutie]

Ayo, how u doing 💜 I love the way you write NSFW and have an interesting idea for ya. We're all familiar with a Darling who's perpetually weaker than Sephiroth, which results in her being tossed around like a ragdoll, so what if we had a Darling who's actually stronger and more dominant than Sephiroth himself?

Basically, what I want to request is Yandere Sephiroth (from whatever timeline, or AU it's your choice) x a powerful Darling NSFW fic, preferably with pegging cuz I'm a fan of that 😁😁😁

Take your time! I know the pain of writer's block and the stress of hurrying to finish requests; no pressure! Have a MOTIVATED day! 💜💜💜

Thank you for the ask and the kind words!

Pairing: C.C. Sephiroth/EVA (Goddess Darling)

Content Warning: NSFW, Mommy Kink, Futanari, Edging.

"M-mother," Sephiroth gasped, his hands trembling as he fought to keep himself upright.

Your bumpy, alien cock (thanks to your mimicry abilities from your J Cells) pounded away at his prostate. You couldn't see it, but his toned stomach was bulging from the sheer size of your cock.

His endurance is admirable, but he is determined to impress you even more and make further progress each time you wanted to fuck him.

After all, it was only fitting that his goddess-queen deserved a husband who was truly immaculate. A husband who could effortlessly fulfill all of her needs and whims, no matter the time or circumstance.

He won't tolerate his inferior brothers being better at pleasing you than him.

"You're getting closer to beating the record," you said coolly, while idly tracing a finger down his muscular back.

Cruel as it was, why not up the ante? Your shapely fingers glided to his throbbing, angry cock.

With one touch, it jerked, and the few veins pulsed. You conjured a few pink tentacles to start massaging his balls as well.

As you pressed your pillowy tits against his back, you gently laid your head on his shoulder. A whisper escaped your lips. "Such a sweet boy... I couldn't ask for anyone more dedicated than you."

His teeth clenched, and a suppressed growl emerged, leaving you uncertain if it was from your cruel tease or his struggle for control himself.

Despite your attempts to stifle your moans, his tight asshole is giving your cock an incredible massage of its own.

You playfully teased the tip of his cock, lightly prodding the small hole that was leaking pre-cum.

"Maybe I'll allow you to breed me one day..." you murmured. He responded with a loud gasp, his pupils dilating and his body thrusting forth as if your plump cunt was right underneath him.

Though your expression was blank, it became more and more difficult for you to keep the act up.

"Does the sight of my stomach, swollen with your seed, interest you that much?"

Right then and there, his sticky load burst out of his cock, coating your hand and everything beneath him.

Shortly after him, you came inside him, your body going limp on his back.

Your alien cock retracted from him, turning back into a normal clit.

You buried your face in his silver mane, gasping and quivering.

"Well done, my sweet boy..."

EVA is the darling from the Dissidia AU, so there's some multiversal madness going on here xD

I enjoyed writing this so much I might just do a mini series of the sub Yanderes Sepiroths pleasing this goddess darling~

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Bee Fly (again)

Debut: Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins

Bee Fly here is one of the cutest little patooties in the Mario series, probably! Look at it! So many aspects that, if applied to a vertebrate, would feel overdone and not very notable. But on a bug, it is just so darling, especially since it gets to keep its proboscis! It would be such a sad day, if Bee Fly were to not have a proboscis.

Bee Fly is not only a cutie patootie, but also a sweetie badeedie, because it does not attack at ALL. It is scared of Mario, and flies away when he approaches! It is possible to kill it with a fireball, but why would you do that? Surely you must have a good reason to want to kill this harmless fly. Is it because you plan to eat it? Are you a predator who saw through its mimicry? Are you an insectivorous bird? Wow! That must be the reason. It's the only possibility that makes any sense. I'm very impressed with you for learning how to operate human technology!

Of course, Bee Fly wouldn't hurt anyone because it has no reason to. Adult bee flies are harmless, passive flower feeders! It wouldn't hurt a fly... anymore. Bee flies are typically parasitoids, feeding on other insects as larvae! Maybe these ones are even on their way to drop off their eggs into the nests of Mario Land 2's charming ant population... as modern WarioWare would attest, That's Life!

Bee Fly has the distinct honor of appearing in both Super Mario Lands 2 AND 3, an extremely rare example of a creature encountered by both Mario and Wario independently! At least, it SEEMS so, but an official guide lists this one as the "companion" of the previous game's. Maybe they're different individuals of the same species? If you don't scare it away too quickly in this game, you could give it more screentime than Mario gets here. Awesome! It also gets new art for this game, which I don't like as much, on account of the Sonic character-like muzzle. But I can't act like it's BAD. It's still a silly creature! I just like my bugs to look more like bugs. You can and should make cartoon bugs with simple designs that don't lose the buggy features, and the original art proves this!

I'm sure the Bug Fans reading this have noticed something wrong, here. Something wrong from the beginning. This is called a bee fly, but flies only have one pair of wings, while this has four! What's the big idea? I'll tell you my theory...

My theory is... they forgot! I think it's as simple as that. Its original Japanese names reinforce that it is meant to be a fly, and the rest of it looks fly-like enough. But I do have a DIFFERENT theory, one that I love very much!

Bee Fly's design does not make me think of bee flies, but it DOES make me think of a certain other of my compact little fuzzy dipteran friends. It makes me think of a drain fly! So I made it gray and removed one pair of wings to look even more like one. This is not based JUST on superficial design aspects, though! "Bee Fly" is found mostly in the Macro Zone, inside the massive house. The stage with the most "Bee Flies" is one where Mario travels through what appears to be the house's plumbing system, where three of them appear at the end! Suspiciously drain fly-like behavior, in a place where bee flies would make, quite frankly, no sense at all.

So until any further confirmation (which we will not get), I am going to be content with my headcanon that this creature is a drain fly, and that this is drain fly representation, which I have literally NEVER seen in media before! Actually, forget headcanon. I'm going to treat this as canon! Super Mario Land 2 has won the award for most respect shown toward drain flies in a video game! Wahoo!

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

If this ant looks odd, that's because it's not an ant-- it's actually a spider! Members of the genus Myrmarachne are a prime example of Batesian mimicry: juveniles or adults (or both) resemble that of an ant, and when it's threatened it positions its front legs to resemble an ant's antennae. Because ants often have strong defensive traits like powerful pincers or harmful toxins, potential predators avoid them-- and anything that looks like them.

(Image: A female two-colored ant mimic (Myrmarachne bicolor) by Robert Whyte)

If you like what I do, consider leaving a tip or buying me a kofi!

[crevicedwelling]

here's another ant-mimicking jumping spider that I encountered in Singapore: Myrmaplata plataleoides, the weaver ant mimic.

while females look a great deal like their ant models, males (like this one) have massive, exaggerated fangs used in territorial and mating displays, which complicate the disguise. however, ants routinely carry their dead away from the nest, so it's thought that a male M. plataleoides mimics a worker holding another ant—his jaws even have false "eyes" on the ends!

his mimicry was clearly good enough to fool the ants; none of them seemed to take notice even as he repeatedly doubled back to guard his territory instead of heading further up the tree. although mimicry like this is often sensationalized as something insidious or spooky, Myrmaplata has no intention of eating the ants. rather, the spider hides among them for protection: weavers won't eat nestmates, and other predators know that weaver ants bite, spray acid, and attack in hordes. running with the ants might be risky, but he's always alert, watching their every move with his big eyes. what a life that must be, always living on the margins of a colony of hunters that would devour him, yet also keep him alive without ever knowing it

[onenicebugperday]

Ant-mimic piglet bug, Formiscurra indicus, Caliscelidae, Fulgoromorpha (planthoppers)

Found in southern India

Photos 1-2 by chinmay_c_m and 3 by itsamantis

[apsciencebydan]

Late this afternoon I was about to turn back on my walk, and there was a small patch of leaf litter along the fence of the preserve I was at. Stopped to watch and see what appeared. After a few minutes I could only chuckle; the ant mimics seemed like they were outnumbering the actual ants I was seeing! So I figured I'd make a little game of it for y'all: how many ants are in this post?

1 & 2:

3 & 4:

5 & 6:

7 & 8:

9 & 10:

[horreurscopes]

that sillygoofy dunkin donuts ben affleck photoset going around is for an ad btw. if you look closely you can see his deceptively twisted ankle and relatable iced coffee are actually camouflage evolved to lure prey in, much like the angler fish and various ant-mimicking aphids. this is called aggressive mimicry

[fuzzkaizer]

"Phasmids, sometimes known as stick bugs, exhibit remarkable camouflage that extends even to their eggs. These eggs beautifully mimic seeds or plant debris to evade predators before hatching. This mimicry involves structures called capitula, which attract ants. The ants transport these eggs to their nests, burying them and providing protection from environmental threats and parasitic wasps. This sophisticated adaptation, known as myrmecochory, exemplifies convergent evolution, where unrelated species develop similar traits to enhance survival. Such intricate evolutionary strategies ensure that phasmid eggs remain hidden and safe until they hatch, emphasizing the almost unbelievable ingenuity of natural selection in the insect world.

cred: instagram.com/delphi.vc, Levon Biss