Insect olfaction Insect olfaction Insect olfaction refers to the function of chemical receptors that enable insects to detect and identify volatile compounds for foraging, predator avoidance, finding mating partners (via pheromones) and locating oviposition habitats. Thus, it is the most important sensation for insects. Most important insect behaviors must be timed perfectly which is dependent on what they smell and when they smell it. For example, olfaction is essential for hunting in many species of wasps, including "Polybia sericea". The two organs insects primarily use for detecting odors are the antennae and specialized mouth parts called the maxillary palps. However, a recent
Green-head ant 1863 he moved the ant from "Rhytidoponera" to "Ectatomma". In 1897 Italian entomologist Carlo Emery named the ant "Rhytidoponera metallica" and in 1911 designated it as the type species of "Chalcoponera", a subgenus of "Rhytidoponera"; the ant was, however, mistakenly identified as the type species of "Rhytidoponera" by some scientists. The taxonomy of the green-head ant and other species related to it (forming the "R.metallica" species group) were a source of confusion due to the high geographic variations in the green-head ant and similar-looking species having been treated as forms (occurrence of multiple morphs). These forms have been described under