Colobopsis explodens
| Colobopsis explodens | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota | 
| Kingdom: | Animalia | 
| Phylum: | Arthropoda | 
| Class: | Insecta | 
| Order: | Hymenoptera | 
| Family: | Formicidae | 
| Subfamily: | Formicinae | 
| Genus: | Colobopsis | 
| Species: | C. explodens  | 
| Binomial name | |
| Colobopsis explodens Laciny & Zettel 2018  | |
Colobopsis explodens is a species of ant which is found in Southeast Asia. Like some other species in its genus, it is noted for a rare combat mechanism of workers exploding in self-defense, smothering the enemy with a toxic and often deadly secretion. This suicidal defensive adaptation also occurs among some species of termites: it is termed autothysis, and as ants and termites are members of different insect orders, it is an example of convergent evolution.