Autothysis (from the Greek roots autos-αὐτός "self" and thysiaθυσία "sacrifice") or suicidal altruism is the process where an animal destroys itself via an internal rupturing or explosion of an organ which ruptures the skin. The term was proposed by Ulrich Maschwitz and Eleonore Maschwitz in 1974 to describe the defensive mechanism of Colobopsis saundersi, a species of ant.[1][2] It is caused by a contraction of muscles around a large gland that leads to the breaking of the gland wall. Some termites (such as the soldiers of Globitermes sulphureus) release a sticky secretion by rupturing a gland near the skin of their neck, producing a tar effect in defense against ants.[2]
^Maschwitz, Ulrich; Maschwitz, Eleonore (1974). "Platzende Arbeiterinnen: Eine neue Art der Feindabwehr bei sozialen Hautflüglern". Oecologia Berlin (in German). 14 (3): 289–294. Bibcode:1974Oecol..14..289M. doi:10.1007/BF01039798. PMID 28308625. S2CID 23644298.
autothysis, with the body rupturing between the head and abdomen. When outside the nest they try to run away from attackers, and only use autothysis when...
cylindrica group. Its defensive behaviours include self-destruction by autothysis, a term coined by Maschwitz and Maschwitz (1974). Two oversized, poison-filled...
thought to be an aliphatic compound in a process called autothysis. Termites will use autothysis to defend their colony, as the ruptured gland produces...
expense of the individual in defense of its colony; the process is called autothysis. Several species of ants, such as Camponotus saundersi in southeast Asia...
their yellow abdomen and two large, curved mandibles. The termites use autothysis as a defense mechanism. When the nest is damaged, the soldier termites...
even killing the ladybug; this form of suicidal altruism is known as autothysis. Some species of termites (for example Globitermes sulphureus) have soldiers...
nests. Soldiers of the species Globitermes sulphureus commit suicide by autothysis – rupturing a large gland just beneath the surface of their cuticles....
contains three species which are known for their defensive strategy of autothysis. Globitermes brachycerastes Han, 1987 – China (Yunnan) Globitermes globosus...
ant's body. They can release their contents suicidally by performing autothysis, thereby rupturing the ant's body and spraying toxic substance from the...
up in the labyrinth of the inner ear, resulting in a form of vertigo Autothysis, a usually fatal, voluntary dehiscence used as a form of defense by ants...
ejection of blood puts organisms at risk of cannibalism from conspecifics. Autothysis Haemorrhage Iftime, Alexandru; Iftime, Oana (January 2014). "Thanatosis...
burst the gaster, releasing mandibular gland compounds from the head (autothysis). For this, they are known as "exploding ants". This is used against competitors...
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