Green Web Spinner vs Queenless Ponerine Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Green Web Spinner Queenless Ponerine Ant
Scientific Name Oligotoma nigra Diacamma rugosum
Order Embioptera Hymenoptera
Family Oligotomidae Formicidae
Size 7.0-10.0 mm 8-12 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Omnivores
Regions Asia, Africa South Asia, Southeast Asia
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Green Web Spinner

A dark-bodied web spinner found in tropical Asia and Africa. Despite its name, the body is dark brown to black with greenish undertones.

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Did You Know?

Web spinners can run backwards through their silk tunnels as quickly as they run forwards.

Queenless Ponerine Ant

A large black ponerine ant found across South and Southeast Asia that lacks a morphological queen caste. Instead, a single mated worker called a gamergate monopolizes reproduction.

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Did You Know?

The gamergate maintains her dominance by mutilating the gemmae of newly emerged workers, preventing them from mating.