''Coatonachthodes ovambolandicus'' is a

termite Termites are a group of detritivore, detritophagous Eusociality, eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of Detritus, decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, Plant litter, leaf litter, and Humus, soil humus. They are dist ...

-mimicking

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

which lives as a

parasite Parasitism is a Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted str ...

in their nests. It looks roughly like a termite from above, though its legs look like "twisted balloons"Dawkins, R. (1996) ''Climbing Mount Improbable''. New York: Norton. 340 p. rather than real

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

legs. This less than accurate emulation can be explained by looking at the beetle from the side rather than down at its dorsum. The beetle's head and leg-bearing thorax are minuscule relative to its large

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...

. This part of the body is bent back towards the

anterior Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pro ...

(head) end, covering the rest of its body. It is the abdomen alone which is visible from above, providing a deceptive 'umbrella' that looks like a termite. The rear end thus acts as the termite 'head', and its appendages (

leg A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element cap ...

s and antennae) are composed of moving flaps attached to the abdomen's upper side. The genus is named after the collector of the specimen W. G. H. Coaton. Although the

mimicry In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. In the simples ...

is not as convincing as that of other mimics, such as the ant mimic ''

Labidus praedator ''Labidus'' is a genus of New World army ants in the subfamily Dorylinae. The genus is known from the United States to Argentina. Species *''Labidus auropubens'' (Santschi, 1920) *''Labidus coecus'' (Latreille, 1802) *''Labidus curvipes'' (Emery ...

'', the evolution of the resemblance is certainly remarkable considering the changes required. In '' Climbing Mount Improbable'',

Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biology, evolutionary biologist, zoologist, science communicator and author. He is an Oxford fellow, emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was Simonyi Professor for the Publ ...

describes this imitation as "one of the most astonishing spectacles in all natural history."

References

Staphylinidae Parasitic insects Parasites of insects {{Staphylinidae-stub