Doorkeeper Ant vs Ornate Pygmy Grasshopper

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Doorkeeper Ant Ornate Pygmy Grasshopper
Scientific Name Colobopsis truncata Tetrix ornata
Order Hymenoptera Orthoptera
Family Formicidae Tetrigidae
Size 3-6 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Gall Makers Omnivores
Regions Southern and Central Europe North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Doorkeeper Ant

A European carpenter ant in which soldiers have uniquely flattened, plug-shaped heads used to block nest entrances in plant stems. Workers are bicolored yellow and dark brown. They nest in hollow twigs and galls of various trees.

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Did You Know?

Soldier ants literally use their flattened heads as living doors, opening the nest entrance only when nestmates present the correct chemical password.

Ornate Pygmy Grasshopper

A tiny, intricately patterned groundhopper found on bare sandy soils in North American prairies and open woodlands. Its flattened, cryptic body blends perfectly with gravel and dry soil surfaces.

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Did You Know?

When disturbed it can leap into a short flight that ends with a tumbling landing, making it very hard to track.