'' Polyrhachis sokolova'' is a species of

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,0 ...

from Hong Kong that recently was discovered to be capable of surviving tidal inundations. Researchers at the James Cook University gained attention in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 FIFA ...

after finding and reporting this behavior. ''Polyrhachis sokolova'' nests in mud in mangrove swamps, regularly inundated by rising tides. They survive these inundations in pockets of air that are trapped within the nest. This lifestyle calls for regular moving of their eggs, larvae and cocoons to stay ahead of water trickling into the nest passages. A large amount of effort is expended on repairing water damage after each high tide. The ants are able to move across large stretches of water by either running on the

surface tension Surface tension is the tendency of liquid surfaces at rest to shrink into the minimum surface area possible. Surface tension is what allows objects with a higher density than water such as razor blades and insects (e.g. water striders) to ...

skin or swimming with their legs below the surface. While swimming it has been documented that these ants are eaten by fish,

mud skipper Mudskippers are any of the 23 extant species of amphibious fish from the subfamily Oxudercinae of the goby family Oxudercidae. They are known for their unusual body shapes, preferences for semiaquatic habitats, limited terrestrial locomotion ...

s, and

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

References

External links

Pictures of ''Polyrhachis sokolova''
Formicinae Hymenoptera of Australia Insects described in 1902 {{formicinae-stub