autothysis

English

Etymology

From the Ancient Greek roots αὐτός (autós, “self”) and θυσία (thusía, “sacrifice”); proposed by Maschwitz and Maschwitz in 1974 to describe the defensive mechanism of the carpenter ant Camponotus saundersi.

Noun

autothysis (uncountable)

1. (biology) A process by which an animal destroys itself via internal rupture or explosion of an organ.
   • 2018 April 29, Killian Fox, The Observer‎^[1]:

     Another example of autothysis, or defensive suicidal rupturing, can be found in Neocapritermes taracua.