Tj. Slowik et al., DETECTION OF MAGNETISM IN THE RED IMPORTED FIRE ANT (SOLENOPSIS-INVICTA) USING MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING, Bioelectromagnetics, 18(5), 1997, pp. 396-399
Red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) workers, queens, and alates
were analyzed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the presence of
natural magnetism. Images of ants showed distortion patterns similar
to those of honey bees and monarch butterflies, both of which possess
ferromagnetic material. The bipolar ring patterns of MRI indicated the
presence in fire ants of small amounts of internal magnetic material,
which may be used in orientation behaviors, as in the honey bees. (C)
1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.