Þegar lirfustig maura er skoðað virðist það mjög frábrugðið lirfustigum annarra skordýra, t.d. fiðrilda eða flugna, en líkt og aðrar tegundir þurfa þessar lirfur að borða til þess að geta stækkað. Vinnumaurar sjá um að mata lirfurnar með prótínum sem lirfurnar þurfa til þess að mynda líkama sína. Oft leggja vinnumaurarnir fæðubúta beint að kjálkungum lirfanna sem geta sjálfar borðað. Á fyrstu myndinni má sjá lirfu húsamaurs (H. ergatandria) narta í stökkmor en á síðari myndinni lirfu auramaura (T. bicarinatum) narta í bita úr bananaflugu. Ef vel er að gáð má sjá drottningu auramaura á síðari myndinni.
Ant larvae are not exactly motionless white worm-like critters that just wait to develop into pupae first and adult ants then, but they must be fed by ant workers. Larvae primarily need proteins, nutrients crucial for body formation, and they eat constantly. Workers often pre-digest these feeds and then regurgitate them into the larvae. It also happens that microinvertebrates (or parts of prey) are put in between larvae’s mandibles. Here you can see a larva of Hypoponera ergatandria holding a springtail (photo 1) and one of Tetramorium bicarinatum chewing a piece of Drosophila sp. (photo 2, with a queen on the right).
Hypoponera ergatandria ants are relatively common inside continuously heated buildings in Reykjavík and the surrounding towns, and it is a well-known, widespread, invasive species. It need high temperatures and high humidity levels in order to thrive, and the conditions it can find indoors in Iceland are extremely favorable. However, a colony of ~150 workers was recently found in the North of Iceland in a soaked patch of geothermally-heated ground. This discovery broadens our research horizons to more exciting future investigations.
