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Mikey Bustos discovers ant species, raises colony in the Philippines
Mikey Bustos has made a scientific discovery right in his own backyard.
The Filipino-Canadian content creator and actor revealed that two years ago, he found a “really cool red and black ant with peach fuzz and spines on its back, that I hadn't ever seen before.”
“After sending specimens to my myrmecologist friend Dr. Dave General, ant taxonomist from University of the Philippines Los Baños, we were both surprised to discover that the species was Meranoplus bicolor, an ant that had not yet been known to exist in the Philippines, where I live,” Bustos said.
The species is also called the bicolored shield ant. According to the Journal of Biological Sciences in a research article titled “Nests and Habitats of Ants Observation in Aurangabad Maharashtra, India” by Surekha Chate and Ramrao Chavan, this ant species “forage on ground and move slowly. These ants nest on bare land, grassland, sparse forest and in less disturbed area.”
“It feeds on harvest grass seed and floral nectar,” the study added.
Bustos is now credited for the ants’ geographical scientific discovery.
“I was surprised to find out today as I was doing more research on the species, that I've been credited for the geographical scientific discovery of the ant, which I am now raising a colony of, for the Philippines. So cool!” Bustos said.
As the 555th ant species documented in the Philippines, he named it Species #555.
“It's amazing what one might find lurking in our own backyards, if only more people took the time to look,” Bustos said.
Bustos is passionate about ants and is the founder of the organization AntsCanada, which promotes ant awareness and habitat conservation. His ant farm was recently featured on an episode of “Amazing Earth.”
—Nika Roque/JCB, GMA Integrated News
