Insect uses fatal farts to stun prey

[n2doc]

THE BEAUTIFUL ANIMAL IN the photo above is a Beaded Lacewing. While the adults are delicate and lovely, they begin life as ferocious tiny predators lurking in the nests of termites. These larvae live unmolested in their nest, silently striking down termites from behind—and for one species, with their behind.

When a baby Lomamyia latipennis gets hungry, it stuns a termite with a “vapor-phase toxicant” released from its anus. That’s a fancy way of saying it farts on it. In fact, their farts are powerful enough to immobilize six termites with one blow.

This is how you wield a Death Fart, if you are a small predatory neuropteran:

“A larva repeatedly approached and retreated until the tip of its abdomen was directed at the termite’s head. The apex of the abdomen was lifted and waved past the termite’s face, without contact. The termite… was not repelled, as it made no obvious effort to escape. One to three minutes later it was incapacitated, lying supine, with its legs moving irregularly.”

Once the larva delivers its toxic toot, it can leisurely scuttle over and chow down. If a few extra termites are caught in the backdraft, that’s just extra food.

more

http://www.wired.com/2015/06/silent-deadly-fatal-farts-immobilize-prey/

[immoderate]

1. I would not go out to dinner with one of these guys...

--imm

[calimary]

2. My husband has just relinquished his crown...

[Mnemosyne]

4. My ex could make dogs gag, I hear you.

[calimary]

5. Man - the one-liners we have come up with over the last few decades...

"MAN, what crawled up inside you and died?"

"YIKES! That one's gonna take the paint right off the wall!"

"Danger Will Robinson!"

"Incoming!"

And my son's contributions:

"GOOD one, Dad!"

And for his own - um - er - uh - shall we say - "artistry":

"Safety!"

My husband actually cleared a whole room full of teenage boys at a party we attended. One where all our friends were veterans of, and rather ingenious in coming up with, multiple fart jokes. He went in there - where our hosts' teenage sons and their buddies were hanging out and being their own silly fart-joking selves, and said - "hmmm... something smells in here..." BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!!!!!!

There ensued this MASSIVE instant exodus where they were scrambling to their feet, grabbing their stuff, racing for the door, groaning in pain, and one kid even took the easy way out and jumped through the open window into the garden outside. Fortunately it was a first-floor window. They had met The Prince of Poots. The Pharaoh of Farts. The Godzilla of Gas. For years afterwards, they spoke of him with hushed tones.

My husband's got STYLE. He's got GAME.

Ole!!!!!

[Mnemosyne]

6. OMG, think I just peed from laughing at your post! Anyone that can clear a room of teenage boys

is a Fart God!

My first love, at 19, used to find it hysterically funny to trap me under the covers. I was not as amused.

Oh Mary, thank you so much for the good laughs! I had to put my Sweetie (5yo Old English Bull Dogge, rescued 2 years ago) down yesterday and am having a hard time even moving today.

You, and this thread, have helped ease some pain today.

[calimary]

7. Aw shit, I'm so sorry to hear that. Your poor poochie...

Here, have some birdies:

[img][/img]

(I have a thread about this in the Lounge. We have a birds' nest tucked up in the overhang by our front door. We've had birdies hatching from there for what's now three years. But a second hatching THIS YEAR!!! Might further cheer you up!)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018769356

[Spitfire of ATJ]

19. Try this...

[Mnemosyne]

21. She was lucky she didn't explode.

Thanks for the chuckle, Spitfire!

My younger sisters and my daughter did not prepare me, at all, for the fartpocolypse that would come with my dog, grandsons, nephews and their friends!

Is it juvenile to laugh at farting at my age, 57? Probably, but I just don't care!

[LongTomH]

13. OMG indeed!!!!! I was going to make a post: "Sounds like me after a couple of beers".......

........but, I could never top that.

By the way, we need a 'gas mask' smiley!

[Cracklin Charlie]

15. I was just gonna say the same thing.

But you said it so much better. I would tell hubs when he gets home, but I'm afraid he would go into some kind of smelly training, trying to re-take his crown.

[calimary]

17. Well then, you and I need to figure up some good places to hide!

I forgot to add another saying that's frequently flung around inside our house:

"Light/Get/Strike a match!" or its corollary "Light it!!!" Aw crap, dammit Charlie - NOW you have me swept all the way back to college and this house in which I tended to hang out, all the time. There weren't any sororities or fraternities, but on-campus dorms and "houses" instead, and of course the off-campus crowd. I wound up pretty much "living" in my then-boyfriend's room that he rented from this house in one of the school's adjacent neighborhoods. One of the housemates specialized in blue-flaming. I can remember laughing until I choked! Sometimes it literally hurt. I have such an infantile sense of humor sometimes.

What did I learn in college? I learned about radio, pot, sex, and blue flames!

[haikugal]

3. Got nothing on my Dad...

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. My Mother, for God's sake....on pickled eggs and beer...

Then she would sit there and look perfectly angelic, and blame it on the dog.

Maybe that's why we never had termites.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

18. Maybe that's why the dog hid all the time too.

[Scuba]

8. My dog does the same thing.

[eppur_se_muova]

9. Published in 1981, no follow-up ? Hmmmm.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v289/n5797/abs/289506a0.html

[packman]

11. 1996 - two youngsters in a VW bug

-10 degrees outside (no way to air out car) , lunch of hot dogs and beans four hr. trip ahead. Everytime they farted they yelled out "RED ALERT" laughing their asses off.
Ahh, good time memories.

[calimary]

14. Oh man, I remember when a friend of ours got revenge on her husband and sons

for being generally kinda asshole-y at one point. They had a little cabin out in the desert - at least a two-hour drive from their L.A. home. They insisted on going for the weekend and she couldn't. So she decided to get revenge. She offered to make them food - for them to eat before they hit the road, and then take more with them for on-the-way. It was a nice big savory pot of beans and onions. She shared some of the nice soft tasty protein-y beans with the dogs (who were going to go out to the desert with the guys). It was cold and rainy and they were going to have to drive with the windows closed.

And as you might guess - they had a long, miserable, and rather odiferous drive that night! And she stayed home and laughed all weekend!

Moral of the story: Do NOT mess with Mama and her nasty vicious bean pot!

[awoke_in_2003]

12. "vapor-phase toxicant” released from its anus"

Been there, done that, especially after eating Zatarain's beans and rice

[d_legendary1]

16. A lot of replies over insect farts

I find it and at the same time. Another reason to take care of termites in you home.

[montana_hazeleyes]

20. I think my brother is one of those.