The banded sugar ant (Camponotus consobrinus) is a species of ant endemic to Australia. A member of the genus Camponotus in the subfamily Formicinae, it was described by German entomologist Wilhelm Ferdinand Erichson in 1842. Its common name refers to the ant's preference for sweet food, as well as the distinctive orange-brown band around its gaster. The ant is polymorphic and relatively large, with castes called major workers (soldiers) and minor workers. Ants in these groups measure around 5 to 15 millimetres (0.20 to 0.59 inches) in length. Mainly nocturnal, banded sugar ants prefer a mesic habitat, and are commonly found in forests and woodlands; they are also found in urban areas, where they are considered a household pest. The ant's diet includes sweet secretions they obtain from aphids and other insects. Workers prey on some insects, killing them with a spray of formic acid. Banded sugar ants are prey for other ants, echidnas, and birds. The eggs of this species were consumed by Australian Aborigines.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banded_sugar_ant
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
936:
Shi Jingtang was enthroned as the first emperor of the Later Jin by Emperor Taizong of Liao, following a revolt against Emperor Fei of Later Tang. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi_Jingtang
1660:
At London's Gresham College, Robert Boyle, John Wilkins, Christopher Wren and other leading scientists founded a learned society now known as the Royal Society. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society
1905:
Irish nationalist Arthur Griffith first presented his Sinn Féin policy, declaring that the 1800 Act of Union of Great Britain and Ireland was illegal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinn_F%C3%A9in
1925:
The country music radio program Grand Ole Opry was first broadcast on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Ole_Opry
1990:
After being elected as leader of the British Conservative Party one day earlier, John Major officially succeeded Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Major
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
coterie: 1. A circle of people who associate with one another. 2. An exclusive group of people, who associate closely for a common purpose; a clique. 3. A communal burrow of prairie dogs. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coterie
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built. --James Allen https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Allen
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