Pits, Traps, Ants, Lions and Anti-Lions of Sri-Lanka

Pits, Traps, Ants, Lions and Anti-Lions of Sri-Lanka

This comes in the tradition of Linux or Free Software Foundation (Wikipedia Mentality) core principles, anybody who is not a politician can copy and edit without giving reference to my insane blogging habits.

In fact, I almost decided not to make any blog presence (until the political wind is blown away for good-God only knows when=actually bogus astrologers of ill repute will decide our political fate) but to make a kite and try to fly (fly away to a distant land as a second class refuge) it till the freedom, I lost is found in the sky or away across the distant horizon or is blown away by the political wind (wings fluttering in the air like a dragonflies going for a prey) that is blowing across, this blessed land in 2014.

I am going to change the name of this fly with feeble wings to Anti-Lion, since it is vocally correct and sounds nice and relevant.

In this country, we have very few lions (can be be counted by the number of fingers one has) and lot of ants and significant number of anti-lions (most of them are refugees in chosen lands of their own, including Canada-who lost its wings of the Common Sense and Common Wealth of Nations by not coming to Sir-Lanka for the conference of not so common nations).

This little insect and its life cycle actually depicts our politicians in the parliament and the young ones aspiring to become (only family members are chosen by default even disregarding the Laws of Darwin) one of them, colorfully and in style.

Sit and enjoy the Analogy.

Strictly speaking, the term "antlion" applies to the larval form of the members of this family, and several languages have their own terms for the adult.

The larval forms (the are lions and anti-lions) can be applied to the kith and kin of our political creed both sides of the divide.

The adults are commonly referred to in English as "ant griffins (mythical monster)," or very rarely as "antlion lacewings".

Take a note, they are named mythical monsters (our politicians of all shades and colors) who promised us the miracles but delivered nothing so far.

The antlion larva is often called "doodlebug" in North America because of the odd winding, spiraling trails it leaves on the sand while looking for a good location to build its trap, as these trails look like someone has doodled (scribbled) in the sand.

These lions and anti-lions are so corrupt, they leave behind a trail of corruption including drug trafficking.

The next part is graphic

The antlion larva is a ferocious-appearing creature with a robust, fusiform body, a very plump abdomen, the thorax bearing three pairs of walking legs (instead of eight in other arthropods). 

This is classic description of our politicians figuratively, literally and metaphorically.

I want to profusely thank the Wikipedia contributor for his contribution, literally.

It is classic.

The prothorax (front of the thorax/chest) forms a slender mobile "neck" for the large, square, flattened head, which bears an enormous pair of sickle-like (LSSP, CP without teeth and who have caught the tiger by tail and cannot "let go" for ages-actually till their demise) jaws with several sharp, hollow projections. 

The next part is beautiful.

Antlion larvae are unusual among the insects as they lack an anus. 

I wish our politician's is/are born (actually, I used to detect them at birth and make an appropriate hole with the help of surgeons) without an anus / anuses (better call it ARxxHole), so that they die of burst abdomen, the junk (corruption), they deserve such a predicament in this life not next life as proclaimed in Buddhism and Hinduism.

All the metabolic waste that is generated during the larval stage is stored and is eventually emitted as meconium near the end of its pupal stage.

Yes, they have to emit this meconium when they are out of power.

Our media never expose them when they are in power.

I think our Media both Paper and Electronic (TV) are loaded with meconium.

That is why, I have to blog this.

Antlions devour our poor citizens or voters.

If you have a stomach to feed more, go ahead and read the rest.

It was only yesterday that I asked a young guy half my age the name for Wali-Gowwa or Walli-Kittha but he told me he had never seen one.

That means in the last 30 years of spraying of insecticide including DDT we have decimated our Biodiversity.

Sand Pit Traps of our Lions and Anti-lions

Antlion, also spelled ant-lion and ant lion,

An average-sized larva digs a pit about 2 inches (5 cm) deep and 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide at the edge. This behavior has also been observed in a family of flies, the Vermileonidae, whose larvae dig the same sort of pit to feed on ants. Having marked out the chosen site by a circular groove, the anti-lion larva starts to crawl backwards, using its abdomen as a plough to shovel up the soil. By the aid of one front leg it places consecutive heaps of loosened particles upon its head, then with a smart jerk throws each little pile clear of the scene of operations. Proceeding thus it gradually works its way from the circumference towards the center. As it slowly moves round and round, the pit gradually gets deeper and deeper, until the slope angle reaches the critical angle of repose (that is, the steepest angle the sand can maintain, where it is on the verge of collapse from slight disturbance). When the pit is completed, the larva settles down at the bottom, buried in the soil with only the jaws projecting above the surface, often in a wide-opened position on either side of the very tip of the cone.

Since the sides of the pit consist of loose sand at its angle of repose, they afford an insecure foothold to any small insects that inadvertently venture over the edge, such as ants. Slipping to the bottom, the prey is immediately seized by the lurking antlion; or if it attempts to scramble up the treacherous walls of the pit, it is speedily checked in its efforts and brought down by showers of loose sand which are thrown at it from below by the larva. By throwing up loose sand from the bottom of the pit, the larva also undermines the sides of the pit, causing them to collapse and bring the prey with them. Thus it does not matter whether the larva actually strikes the prey with the sand showers.

Antlion larvae are capable of capturing and killing a variety of insects and other arthropods, and can even subdue small spiders. The projections in the jaws of the larva are hollow and through this the larva will suck the fluids out of its victim. After the contents are consumed, the dry carcass is flicked out of the pit. The larva readies the pit once again by throwing out collapsed material from the center, steepening the pit walls to the angle of repose.

Antlions are especially abundant in soft sand beneath trees or under overhanging rocks. Apparently the larvae prefer dry places that are protected from the rain. When it first hatches, the tiny larva specializes in very small insects, but as it grows larger, it constructs larger pits and thus catches larger prey.

Eventually the larva attains its maximum size and undergoes metamorphosis.

The entire length of time from egg-laying to adulthood may take two or three years due to the uncertainty and irregular nature of its food supply.

Many antlions take a long time (up to several years) to complete their life cycle.

This is like our politicians not giving up power for ages or till they die.

Ignore the last sentence since it does not apply to our politicians.

They (antlions) can survive for many months without feeding.