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alexwild > Portrait of a mutualism: a swollen-thorn Acacia with the ants that protect it. The hundreds of thorns on a mature tree can house colonies of up to 20,000 ants. filename: spinicola14
alexwild > In exchange for protection, swollen-thorn Acacia trees provide Pseudomyrmex ants with food and shelter. Here an ant harvests a protein-rich food body that will be fed to the ants' larvae. Panama. filename: spinicola13
alexwild > Pseudomyrmex spinicola acacia ants guarding a nest entrance. This species has a painful sting and a much more aggressive temperment than most other Pseudomyrmex, an effective deterrent to large vertebrate herbivores. Panama. filename: spinocola10
alexwild > Cutting open the surprisingly soft flesh of an Acacia thorn reveals larvae and pupae of the Pseudomyrmex acacia ant. Panama. filename: spinicola18
alexwild > Friend or Foe? Two Pseudomyrmex spinicola acacia ant nestmates evaluate each other at the nest entrance. Panama. filename: spinicola22
alexwild > A Pseudomyrmex spinicola acacia ant pauses outside the nest entrance. The ants cut a circular entrance hole to gain access to the inside of the hollow thorn. Panama. filename: spinicola16
alexwild > A Cecropia tree grows into a gap in the Panamanian rainforest. These fast-growing trees house colonies of fierce Azteca ants that protect the tree from herbivores. filename: Cecropia1
alexwild > Philidris workers guarding the entrance to their nest in a Myrmecodia ant-plant. Australia. filename: Philidris4
alexwild > An epiphytic Myrmecodia ant-plant in an Australian woodland. The swollen base of this plant is hollow, with an intricate gallery of chambers that house aggressive Philidris ants. The ants defend the plant (not very effectively in this case, judging from the holes in the leaves), and provide the plant with nutrients. filename: Myrmecodia2
Portrait of a mutualism: a swollen-thorn Acacia with the ants that protect it. The hundreds of thorns on a mature tree can house colonies of up to 20,000 ants.

filename: spinicola14
alexwild > Portrait of a mutualism: a swollen-thorn Acacia with the ants that protect it. The hundreds of thorns on a mature tree can house colonies of up to 20,000 ants. filename: spinicola14
Portrait of a mutualism: a swollen-thorn Acacia with the ants that protect it. The hundreds of thorns on a mature tree can house colonies of up to 20,000 ants.

filename: spinicola14
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all images and text © Alex Wild 2008

insect pictures, insect images, insect photos, insect photography, ant images, bug pictures, bug photographs, insect identification, ant pictures