"evolutionary ecology"

#13014570

22 November 2025

A view of Tehran is pictured from a park in northwestern Tehran, Iran, on November 22, 2025, during polluted air. Tehran faces dangerously high air pollution, with AQI levels often above 200, placing the city in the very unhealthy range.

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#12501960

24 June 2025

A male Red Weaver-Ant Mimic Jumper (Myrmaplata plataleoides) is seen crawling on a leaf in a forest in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on June 24, 2025. This jumping spider species closely resembles the Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) in both appearance and behavior, mimicking the ant's movements as a form of deception.

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#12501961

24 June 2025

A male Red Weaver-Ant Mimic Jumper (Myrmaplata plataleoides) is seen crawling on a leaf in a forest in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on June 24, 2025. This jumping spider species closely resembles the Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) in both appearance and behavior, mimicking the ant's movements as a form of deception.

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#12501962

24 June 2025

A male Red Weaver-Ant Mimic Jumper (Myrmaplata plataleoides) is seen crawling on a leaf in a forest in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on June 24, 2025. This jumping spider species closely resembles the Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) in both appearance and behavior, mimicking the ant's movements as a form of deception.

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#12501963

24 June 2025

A male Red Weaver-Ant Mimic Jumper (Myrmaplata plataleoides) is seen crawling on a leaf in a forest in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on June 24, 2025. This jumping spider species closely resembles the Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) in both appearance and behavior, mimicking the ant's movements as a form of deception.

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#12501964

24 June 2025

A male Red Weaver-Ant Mimic Jumper (Myrmaplata plataleoides) is seen crawling on a leaf in a forest in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on June 24, 2025. This jumping spider species closely resembles the Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) in both appearance and behavior, mimicking the ant's movements as a form of deception.

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#12501965

24 June 2025

A male Red Weaver-Ant Mimic Jumper (Myrmaplata plataleoides) is seen crawling on a leaf in a forest in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on June 24, 2025. This jumping spider species closely resembles the Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) in both appearance and behavior, mimicking the ant's movements as a form of deception.

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#12501966

24 June 2025

A male Red Weaver-Ant Mimic Jumper (Myrmaplata plataleoides) is seen crawling on a leaf in a forest in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on June 24, 2025. This jumping spider species closely resembles the Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) in both appearance and behavior, mimicking the ant's movements as a form of deception.

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#12501967

24 June 2025

A male Red Weaver-Ant Mimic Jumper (Myrmaplata plataleoides) is seen crawling on a leaf in a forest in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on June 24, 2025. This jumping spider species closely resembles the Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) in both appearance and behavior, mimicking the ant's movements as a form of deception.

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#12501968

24 June 2025

A male Red Weaver-Ant Mimic Jumper (Myrmaplata plataleoides) is seen crawling on a leaf in a forest in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on June 24, 2025. This jumping spider species closely resembles the Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) in both appearance and behavior, mimicking the ant's movements as a form of deception.

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#11961892

19 January 2025

Stilt-legged flies, which belong to the family Micropezidae, exhibit various behaviors to mimic other insects, such as wasps or ants. Known for their unique backward walking and a ''moonwalk''-like motion, one such fly was observed sitting on a leaf in the forest at Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on January 19, 2025.

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#11961894

19 January 2025

Stilt-legged flies, which belong to the family Micropezidae, exhibit various behaviors to mimic other insects, such as wasps or ants. Known for their unique backward walking and a ''moonwalk''-like motion, one such fly was observed sitting on a leaf in the forest at Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on January 19, 2025.

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#11524229

29 August 2024

''Hammerhead worms,'' or ''Broadhead planarians'' (genus Bipalium), are large predatory, carnivorous, and even cannibalistic land planarians. Some species prey on earthworms, while others may also feed on mollusks. They are called hammerhead worms due to the distinctive shape of their head region. Land planarians are unique in possessing a ''creeping sole,'' a highly ciliated region on the ventral epidermis that aids in their movement over substrates. Native to Asia, several species have become invasive in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Some studies have begun investigating the evolutionary ecology of these invasive planarians. Reproduction in Bipalium can be either asexual or sexual, and all species are hermaphroditic. A hammerhead worm was observed in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on August 28, 2024, displaying its characteristic slender or elongated body, moving in a snake-like fashion with its head bobbing from side to side.

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#11524232

29 August 2024

''Hammerhead worms,'' or ''Broadhead planarians'' (genus Bipalium), are large predatory, carnivorous, and even cannibalistic land planarians. Some species prey on earthworms, while others may also feed on mollusks. They are called hammerhead worms due to the distinctive shape of their head region. Land planarians are unique in possessing a ''creeping sole,'' a highly ciliated region on the ventral epidermis that aids in their movement over substrates. Native to Asia, several species have become invasive in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Some studies have begun investigating the evolutionary ecology of these invasive planarians. Reproduction in Bipalium can be either asexual or sexual, and all species are hermaphroditic. A hammerhead worm was observed in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on August 28, 2024, displaying its characteristic slender or elongated body, moving in a snake-like fashion with its head bobbing from side to side.

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#10896538

7 January 2024

An abandoned boat is lying upside-down on the dried land of Lake Urmia's northwest coast in West Azerbaijan Province, about 604 km (375 miles) northwest of Tehran, Iran, on January 14, 2014. Once the largest lake in the Middle East and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, Lake Urmia is a majestic expanse of salt and water, nestled between the East and West Azerbaijan provinces in northwestern Iran. This endorheic salt lake holds a unique place in the region's natural heritage.

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#10896544

7 January 2024

A view of the dried lands along the northwest coast of Lake Urmia is seen in West Azerbaijan Province, approximately 604 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of Tehran, Iran, on January 14, 2014. Once the largest lake in the Middle East and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, Lake Urmia is a majestic expanse of salt and water, situated between the East and West Azerbaijan provinces in northwestern Iran. This endorheic salt lake holds a unique place in the region's natural heritage.

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