Myrmecology 327358 224219045 2008-07-07T21:20:56Z AJseagull1 1408178 /* List of notable myrmecologists */ descriptions of notable myrmecologists {{zoology|Image:Meat_eater_ant_feeding_on_honey02.jpg}} '''Myrmecology''' (from Greek: μύρμεξ, ''myrmex'', "ant"; and λόγος, ''logos'', "knowledge") is the [[science|scientific]] study of [[ant]]s, a branch of [[entomology]]. Ants are often chosen as a study group to answer questions on the evolution of social systems. All ants are highly [[eusocial]]. ==Early references to ants== =====Jewish Mosaic law===== Said that any seeds found in the nests of ants must be given to the poor: In Southern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, there are numerous species of ants of the genera ''[[Pheidole]]'' and ''[[Messor (ant genus)|Messor]]'' which gather seeds and store them. =====Solomon (Proverbs 6:6)===== "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise."<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/108/20/6.html Proverbs 6. The Holy Bible: King James Version<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> This refers to the fact that the ants are hard workers. A sluggard being a lazy person, Solomon said to work as the ants work. =====Pliny===== [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] lauded the industry of the ant working through the summer nights. =====Aelian===== [[Claudius Aelianus]] admired the complex arrangements of the galleries and chambers in the nests of ants and compared these with the labyrinths of Greece and Crete. ==Later studies== The similarities between primitive [[ponerine]] ants found in different continents is an important pointer to the periods when land bridges were extant and also to the nature of the pre-ant. ==List of notable myrmecologists== ''Note: Names are listed alphabetically.'' * [[Donat Agosti]] * [[E. André]] * [[Cesari Baroni Urbani]] * [[Murray S. Blum]] ([[1929]]— ), Chemical ecologist, and an expert on pheromones. * [[Barry Bolton]], English ant taxonomist. * [[Thomas Borgmeier]] * [[William L. Brown, Jr.]] * [[J. Clark]] * [[Giovanni Cobelli]] ([[1849]]–[[1937]]), Italian entomologist. Director of the Rovereto museum. * [[A. C. Cole, Jr.]] * [[Cedric Collingwood]] * [[W. C. Crawley]] * [[William Steel Creighton]] * [[Mark A. Deyrup]] * [[Horace Donisthorpe]] ([[1870]]–[[1951]]), British myrmecologist. Named several new species. * [[Carlos Emory]] * [[Auguste Forel]] ([[1848]]–[[1931]]), Swiss myrmecologist, studied brain structure of humans and ants. * [[Emil A. Goeldi]] * [[Deborah Gordon]] ([[1955]]— ), Studies ant colony behavior and ecology. * [[William H. Gotwald, Jr.]] * [[William Gould]] (~[[1715]]–?), described by Horace Donisthorpe as "the father of British myrmecology". * [[Robert E. Gregg]] * [[Bert Hölldobler]] ([[1936]]— ), Pulitzer Prize wining German myrmecologist. * [[Thomas C. Jerdon]] ([[1811]]–[[1872]]) * [[Laurent Keller]] ([[1961]]— ) * [[Walter W. Kempf]] ( - [[1976]]) * [[N. Kusnezov]] * [[John E. Lattke]] * [[John T. Longino]] * [[Sir John Lubbock]] (the 1st Lord and Baron Avebury) ([[1834]]–[[1913]]), wrote on hymenoptera sense organs. * [[William Mann]] * [[Gustav Mayr]], Austrian entomologist and professor in Pest and Vienna. He specialised in Hymenoptera. * [[C. Menozzi]] * [[Derek Wragge Morley]] ([[1920]]–[[1969]]), research included genetics, social behaviour of animals, and the behaviour of agricultural pests. * [[Fergus O'Rourke]] ([[1923]]— ) * [[F. Santschi]] * [[Justin O. Schmidt]], studies the chemical and behavioral defenses of ants, wasps, and arachnids. * [[T. C. Schneirla]] * [[S. O. Shattuck]] * [[Frederick Smith (entomologist)|Frederick Smith]] ([[1805]]–[[1879]]), worked in the zoology department of the British Museum from 1849, specialising in the Hymenoptera. * [[Marion R. Smith]] * [[Roy Snelling|Roy R. Snelling]] ([[1934]]-[[2008]]), credited with many important finds of rare or new ant species. * [[R. W. Taylor]] * [[James C. Trager]] * [[Philip S. Ward]] * [[E. Wasmann]] * [[Neal A. Weber]] * [[John Obadiah Westwood]] ([[1805]]–[[1893]]), English entomologist and archaeologist also noted for his artistic talents. * [[William Morton Wheeler]] ([[1865]]–[[1937]]), curator of invertebrate zoology in the American Museum of Natural History. Described many new species. * [[Edward Osborne Wilson|E.O. Wilson]] ([[1929]]— ), Pulitzer Prize wining American myrmecologist. Revolutionized the field of sociobiology. ==Related terms== Myrmecochorous (adj.) dispersed by ants. Myrmecophagous (adj.) feeding on ants. [[Myrmecophile]] (n.) an [[organism]] that habitually shares an ant nest . ''myrmecophilous ''(adj.), ''myrmecophily ''(n.) ==See also== *[[British Ants]] *[[BWARS]] *[[Formicarium]], also known as ant farm *[[Stigmergy]], a biological mechanism attributed to the coordination of ants and other social insects ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.cctvcambridge.org/antsdocumentary Documentary about myrmecology] [[Category:Myrmecology|*]] [[bs:Mirmekologija]] [[ca:Mirmecologia]] [[de:Myrmekologie]] [[es:Mirmecología]] [[fr:Myrmécologie]] [[it:Mirmecologia]] [[jbo:manti saske]] [[ja:アリ学]] [[pl:Myrmekologia]] [[pt:Mirmecologia]] [[ru:Мирмекология]] [[fi:Myrmekologia]] [[tr:Mirmekoloji]] [[ur:نملیات]]