From my and Bill Brown’s early studies, various of which we published singly or together, a first picture of dacetine biology emerged. First, physiologists came to realize that the closing of the mandibles is one of the fastest movements that exist in the animal kingdom. Also the spongelike collar around the dacetine’s waist was discovered by later researchers to be the source of a chemical that attracts springtails, drawing them closer to the mandibular snare.
