The brain of Cataglyphis velox (a desert ant known for its navigation ability) is very complex, perhaps able to do task that perform parietal lobes in vertebrates. For instance, ants sometimes need to walk backwards. In a recent paper of Current biology (January 19, 2017 http://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdfExtended/S0960-9822(16)31466-X https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170119125404.htm http://www.elcolombiano.com/medio-ambiente/las-hormigas-pueden-memorizar-una-ruta-y-tener-referencias-estelares-para-orientarse-FN5780711) it was shown that Cataglyphis velox, a desert ant, can walk backwards. The study explains that this doesn't prevent these ants from finding their way back to their nest. We have observed, in our dissertation at UTSA, that fire ants (Solenopsis Invicta Buren) can also walk backwards when they climb. If they can do similar task that those that they do when they walk forward, this suggest that a coordinate transformation is possible from a retina-centric coordinate system to a more sophisticated (e.g. holonomic) reference frame. Does anybody knows what ant species can walk backwards?

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