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Dunatothrips insect colonies survive due to the inactivity of some individuals.
British scientists from the University of Galle discovered the laziest insects in the world. They turned out to be tiny dunatothrips (Dunatothrips aneurae) living in Australia. Research published in the scientific publication Journal of Animal Ecology (JAE).
Dunatothrips live on acacia leaves in nests and their own web. They do not harm plants and have almost no natural enemies. The average size of an individual dunatothrips does not exceed three millimeters.
Insects have attracted the attention of researchers because of their incredible passivity. It turned out that in the colonies of these creatures, part of the group does not perform any tasks, preferring to just lie on the leaves.
Experiments showed that inactive individuals did not repair damaged nests, produced almost no eggs and were not interested in reproduction at all. All the work was done by active dunatothrips.
It still remains a mystery why the neighbors in the nest do not expel lazy people from their society. However, Dunatothrips aneurae generally do not show aggression towards anyone, including their more aggressive and dangerous relatives Akainothrips.
According to scientists, lazy individuals can somehow benefit the colony. For example, increasing the humidity in the nest by breathing, or performing other tasks that are not obvious at first glance.
