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The Hindu
28-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Explained: The secret life of antlions
The sun is up, the air is crisp and it is a glorious morning. You are an ant and you have woken up and left your nest and colony behind. As you walk by, enjoying this bright, beautiful day, with dreams clouded on nibbling a sugary treat waiting for you somewhere, you suddenly notice your legs giving away. You slip, arms flailing. You frantically use your tiny arms, as you try to grapple onto something and climb up. But it is too late. You keep slipping down a sandy, steep, slippery slope. The sand collapses and you lose your feet, and more sand falls onto you. It is like an avalanche. Only it is not snow, but heaps of sand. The fall is mighty, the incline doesn't help and before you know it, you have fallen- caught and trapped in the sneaky little pit trap laid out by an antlion. Oops! It's game over for you buddy! Sorry! If you are an outdoorsy person, you would have sometimes noticed tiny, 3-inch wide conical pits on the ground. Seen where the soil is loose, these spiral, conical holes are created by a tiny, oval, and plump brown creature with a flattened head that protrudes forward. If you have been adventurous and went poking about in this pit, you would have seen a 'bug' scrambling in, throwing sand upon itself and trying to dig itself further deep inside the sandy pit. What many of you may not know is that this little creature is just the larval stage of the insect antlion. And once it moves into the adult stage, it will fly away- an insect you may dismiss off as a damselfly. If we got you to read till here, let's dive into the secret, little, documented lives of these antlions. What's an antlion? A type of insect belonging to the family Myrmeleontidae (belonging to the order Neuroptera), the antlion is most familiar to you in its larval stage. That is, the creature that you accidentally find in these pits. 'The pit-making larval stage is only one stage in the antlion's life. This is a highly predatory stage, and one that most people would be familiar with. But not all antlions make these conical pits. Only a few species do. Some of the species will hide themselves behind fallen leaves on the floor to catch the prey. These are ambush predators,' says Dr. Bijoy C, Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, Christ College, Irinjalakuda. Bijoy and his student Suryanarayanan T.B. figures among the very few scientists in India who research upon antlions. There are four stages in the life of antlions. The first of course is the eggs which are laid on the ground. Once the larva (popularly called as antlion) is born out of this, it takes up residence under the soil pits in the sandy ground. It is here that the highly aggressive predatory behaviour of the antlion is observed. The inverted conical soil pit is crafted by the antlion by throwing off sand, as it moves in a backward motion. And here it lies in wait, for an unsuspecting ant to walk in. There are more than 2,000 species of antlions around the world. India is home to about 124 species (belonging to 35 genera) of antlions. Conical pits For antlions to make these pits, some conditions need to be satisfied, such as the presence of loose soil. It needn't necessarily be sand, but the soil cannot be tight and hard. Alternately, these pits cannot be made in regions that get too much sunshine or rain. As such the pits are created in regions that get plenty of shade and are positioned away from the possible onslaught of rain. They are some two inches deep and around three inches wide. So how does the antlion make this pit? The larva will move backwards, scooping up the soil, flicking and throwing it across, as it digs further and further, creating a spiral and a circular groove. It moves from the circumference to the centre, eventually making a round, conical pit. Once the pit is created, it will then settle itself underneath with widely opened jaws, buried in the sand, as it waits for its prey to tumble down. 'The larva produces an enzyme which digests the body parts and it will then suck the fluid out of its victim. There are reported instances of the antlion feeding on cockroaches and beetles. Once it feeds on its prey, it will then throw the pieces of the carcass outside,' says Bijoy. Metamorphosis to the adult stage 'During its larval stage, the antlion's main focus is on feeding,' says Bijoy. 'The larval stage is the longest in terms of duration. In the next stage, it pupates. It will make a cocoon, which stays buried inside the soil. In this globular pupation stage, the cocoon is made with the silk it spins and fine soil particles. It will stay here for a few days, which may go up to a period of 40 days. Then it will grow wings and fly out, searching for a potential mate,' says Bijoy. The adults are sometimes called antlion lacewings. 'The adult resembles the damselflies. So people often confuse the adults for damselflies or dragon flies. But if you look closely, you can see that they are different. Their wings are very fragile, translucent and net-like. They have very prominent clavate antennae and their posture is also different. Once the larva becomes an adult, there are little references of any foraging. There are some references on the adults feeding on pollen, but it is still disputed. The key focus in the adult stage is procreation. The adults are nocturnal,' he adds. An understudied species Antlion species are so understudied that sometimes they have to be redescribed. In a recent study by Bijoy and Suryanarayanan, a taxonomic revision and re-examination of 21 species in Myrmeleon recorded from India was done. And their results show that only five valid species of Myrmeleon reside in India. The most common antlion species in India is Myrmeleon tenuipennis. 'The lives of antlions are perhaps the most understudied. Even in India, we have very few researchers studying about antlions. One of the pioneers was Dr. S.K. Gosh. We are yet to know more about these species. Only more research can throw light into this,' says Bijoy.
NDTV
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Meet Bijoy Jain, Celebrated Architect And The Man Behind Louis Vuitton Show In Paris
Louis Vuitton's Men's Creative Director and singer, Pharell Williams posted on his Instagram handle ahead of the luxury design label's spring-summer 2026 showcase to promote the show at the Paris Fashion Week. The coveted sartorial showcase brought India to the runway, but the Happy singer opened doors into the behind-the-scenes of the show explaining how it was conceived by architect Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Louis Vuitton (@louisvuitton) Based on Bijoy Jain's conceptualised work of art, a life-sized game of snakes and ladders transformed Place Georges Pompidou into a veritable playground that immersed the audience as players in the metaphorical construct of possibility. This stepping into global popularity and recognition for his work has made us wonder who is Bijoy Jain, after all? View this post on Instagram A post shared by Louis Vuitton (@louisvuitton) Bijoy Jain is an architect and Norman R. Foster visiting professor at Yale University. He grew up in Mumbai and studied architecture at Washington University in until the year 1990. Following this he worked at the Richard Meier office at Los Angeles and London between 1989 and 1995. The same year marked his return to Mumbai and following which he founded his own architectural firm, Studio Mumbai in 2005. He was invited by Alejandro Aravena to the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016 and to the ETH Zurich as a guesr critic by Raphael Zuber in 2018. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Louis Vuitton (@louisvuitton) Bijoy Jain's body of work mirrors aspects of Indian and Western cultures that sets Studio Mumbai apart in a brilliant combination of tradition and modernity. Some of the notable architectural creations across India includes Amaya in Kasauli, a number of housing projects located in India that have gained international recognition. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐏𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐎𝐇 (@pharrell) Bijoy's global projects include the 'Work-Place' at the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale and the 'In between Architecture' at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The furniture work of Bijoy is also part of the collections of Pompidou in Paris SFMoMa, San Francisco; Lacma, Los Angeles and MAAS, Sydney. Studio Mumbai is currently working on projects in Jaipur, Nice, Zurich and Florence. The master architect, Bijoy Jain defines his passion for his architectural craft on the Studio Mumbai website saying, "My interest lies primarily in doing what I do, with care. As an architect, the way you imagine opening a door, developing a chair, designing the texture of a wall or a floor, is very important. It's about quality, about the consideration you apply to the making of something. And it's about being attentive to the environment, the materials, and the inhabitants. It has to be inclusive."
Hindustan Times
25-04-2025
- Hindustan Times
Bengaluru tourist recalls narrow escape, questions security at Pahalgam attack spot: Report
A Bengaluru resident who narrowly missed the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam has raised serious concerns about the lack of visible security presence in the area, particularly at Baisaran Valley, where the shootout took place and 26 people were killed, Deccan Herald reported. According to the report, Bijoy B G, an employee at a private firm, said that he had visited Baisaran with his family just an hour before the attack. 'We saw security personnel in most tourist areas of Kashmir, but Baisaran and a few nearby valleys stood out for their complete absence,' he said, the DH report added. Bijoy and his family had travelled to Kashmir on vacation and returned to Bengaluru on April 23, making their own arrangements after hearing of the incident. According to him, there appeared to be a perception among visitors and perhaps even officials that the valley was safe, partly due to its proximity to the Amarnath Yatra route, the report added. (Also Read: Bengaluru techie's final words to wife before being shot dead by Pahalgam attackers: 'Don't worry, stay strong') The family had moved on to other tourist spots such as Aru Valley and Betaab Valley, when their local taxi driver, visibly anxious, rushed to inform them that they could not proceed to Chandanwari. 'He told us there had been an accident, but didn't mention a terror attack, probably so we wouldn't panic,' Bijoy told DH, adding that the driver insisted on leaving the area immediately. 'We were initially reluctant because we didn't want to miss Chandanwari, but he was firm that our safety was more important. Only later did we realise the seriousness of what had happened,' he added. On the way back, Bijoy said, they saw multiple roads being closed and security forces deploying in large numbers, indicating the tension that had gripped the region in the aftermath of the attack. 'We only grasped the gravity of the situation once we reached our hotel and saw the news,' he said. (Also Read: 'Please spare me, I have a child': Bengaluru techie's final plea before Pahalgam terrorist pulled the trigger)
Deccan Herald
24-04-2025
- Deccan Herald
Pahalgam terror attack: Bengalurean who had narrow escape recalls lack of security at attack spot
Bijoy says that the feeling might have been that the valley was safe since one side of it was being used by those on Amarnath yatra.
