The "glue-gun ant" Lordomyrma azumai uses an adhesive thread secretion to immobilize opponents
- 1Kagawa University
Abstract
In stinging Hymenoptera, the poison gland and its vesicle have been understood largely as sources of toxic, irritating, or antimicrobial compounds, which the sting injects into a target. However, external uses of poison gland secretions have also been reported: Pseudoneoponera (formerly Pachycondyla) froth a proteinaceous poison gland secretion into foam threads that entangle attacking ants, and Crematogaster smear opponents with a contact toxin generated on a spatulate sting from poison and Dufour gland products4. Here we report that workers of the myrmicine ant Lordomyrma azumai produce, in the poison vesicle, a secretion, likely proteinaceous, that solidifies upon extrusion into an adhesive thread. The sting is retained as the conduit, but the secretion it delivers is applied externally rather than injected, and acts as a structural material: workers wipe the thread onto opponents and tether them to the substrate. To our knowledge, no hymenopteran venom secretion functions as a solid thread; in the closest case, Pseudoneoponera3, the secretion entangles attackers as a foam rather than as a continuous solid filament.
Related
- Shared genetic architecture between adhesive capsulitis and type 2 diabetes: a phenotype-specific cross-trait analysis
- Structural basis for tetraspanin-dependent surface export and adhesive function of integrin α3β1
- Plant-oil-based adhesive formulations induce plant stress responses and enhance resistance of Chrysanthemum to western flower thrips.
- Spatiotemporal mapping of the contractile and adhesive forces sculpting early C. elegans embryos
- Habitat impacts the diversification of adhesive discs and skull shape in clingfishes
BibTeX
@misc{sasaki2026gluegun,
title = {{The "glue-gun ant" Lordomyrma azumai uses an adhesive thread secretion to immobilize opponents}},
author = {H. Sasaki and R. Mizuno and K. Sato and H. Shinohara and A. Khalife and K. Kohama and F. Ito},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.07.757171},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.757171v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - The "glue-gun ant" Lordomyrma azumai uses an adhesive thread secretion to immobilize opponents
AU - H. Sasaki
AU - R. Mizuno
AU - K. Sato
AU - H. Shinohara
AU - A. Khalife
AU - K. Kohama
AU - F. Ito
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.07.757171
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.757171v1
AB - In stinging Hymenoptera, the poison gland and its vesicle have been understood largely as sources of toxic, irritating, or antimicrobial compounds, which the sting injects into a target. However, external uses of poison gland secretions have also been reported: Pseudoneoponera (formerly Pachycondyla) froth a proteinaceous poison gland secretion into foam threads that entangle attacking ants, and Crematogaster smear opponents with a contact toxin generated on a spatulate sting from poison and Dufour gland products4. Here we report that workers of the myrmicine ant Lordomyrma azumai produce, in the poison vesicle, a secretion, likely proteinaceous, that solidifies upon extrusion into an adhesive thread. The sting is retained as the conduit, but the secretion it delivers is applied externally rather than injected, and acts as a structural material: workers wipe the thread onto opponents and tether them to the substrate. To our knowledge, no hymenopteran venom secretion functions as a solid thread; in the closest case, Pseudoneoponera3, the secretion entangles attackers as a foam rather than as a continuous solid filament.
ER -