Here’s a scanning electron micrograph from the fine folks at BugScope:
What is it?
Myrmecos points will be awarded as follows:
- 3 points to the first person to name the structure sprouting all the long filaments.
- 3 points to correctly identify the insect family.
- 4 points to name the genus.
The cumulative points winner for the month of May will win their choice of 1) any 8×10-sized print from my photo galleries, or 2) a guest post here on Myrmecos.
Good luck!
it is the clypeus of an insect, perhaps something formicidae.
It is the clipeo of a Formicidae, genus Cephalotes
oops… clypeus
Clipeo e mandibulas de uma Cephalotes, mas chego tarde. 🙁
But you Know Portuguese! 🙂
I agree, Cephalotes. Grrr missed it by that much.
wow, these guys are fast!! I agree. clypeous+mandibules. Formicidae.Cephalotes. Well done Flavia! 🙂
Not so fast–couldn’t this also possibly the clypeus, clypeal brush, and mandibles of Procryptocerus? Plus the brushes of some of the Cephalotes on Antweb don’t look quite like this: bigger hairs and more sparse. I don’t really know for sure whether this is the rule though…
http://roberto.kellerperez.com/2009/05/homology-weekly-clypeus/#more-984
Dammit, you beat me using my own micrograph! 🙁 Not cool. [time zone difference is not helping my myrmecos points…]
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You folks are too good! Me, the new-be, wanna-be, got as far as the clypeus. Wow, what a great photo and now I know some more details about this ant. Thanks.
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I would have guessed it was ‘that bit at the top of the mandibles’ of an ant, but how the heck do you know what species it is from that tiny bit? Or even the family Gordon?