The curator of our university Entomology museum, John Marris, excitedly popped into my office earlier today to share this neat new study on ant-associated beetles, by
Yu-Cheng Feng and colleagues.
These small beetles live inside ant nests. Not only have they evolved cunning ways to co-exist with the ants, but they have also evolved *handles* to help the ants carry them about. The phyologeny of the subfamily Chlamydopsinae suggests that these beetles have independently evolved ant handles several times.
"Our findings provide direct evidence that the characteristic surface relief of chlamydopsines, at least partly or in some cases, serves as a mechanical adaptation for ant‑mediated transport"
Insect Systematics and Diversity, Volume 10, Issue 5, 2026
https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixag034
#entomology #ants #beetles #symbiosis #insects #NaturalHistory #EvolutionaryBiology
Yu-Cheng Feng and colleagues.
These small beetles live inside ant nests. Not only have they evolved cunning ways to co-exist with the ants, but they have also evolved *handles* to help the ants carry them about. The phyologeny of the subfamily Chlamydopsinae suggests that these beetles have independently evolved ant handles several times.
"Our findings provide direct evidence that the characteristic surface relief of chlamydopsines, at least partly or in some cases, serves as a mechanical adaptation for ant‑mediated transport"
Insect Systematics and Diversity, Volume 10, Issue 5, 2026
https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixag034
#entomology #ants #beetles #symbiosis #insects #NaturalHistory #EvolutionaryBiology