Pseudomyrmex apache. Ants of the genus Pseudomyrmex inhabit pre-existing cavities in wood and vegetation, in this case an old wood-boring beetle burrow. Tucson, Arizona, USA - Alex Wild Photography - Insect Photography

Arboreal Ants: Life in the Treetops

In the warmer regions of the world, a rich and colorful ant fauna lives entirely in the trees.

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Although the most famous weaver ants are in the genus Oecophylla, many weaving species also occur in Polyrhachis. Here, a Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) robsoni worker sits atop a nest fashioned from a rolled leaf. The leaf is bound by silk spun from the ants' larvae.

Cape Tribulation, Queensland, Australia

A new world weaver ant (Camponotus sp.) guards the nest entrance.

Misahuallí, Napo, Ecuador

Weaver ants construct their nests by binding leaves together using larval silk. Although the best known weavers are the old world Oecophylla, several Amazonian species in the tribe Camponotini have converged on the same lifestyle. This nest belongs to a Camponotus species.

Misahuallí, Napo, Ecuador

Peeling back a leaf reveals a colony of Camponotus weaver ants.

Misahuallí, Napo, Ecuador

Monomorium floricola ranks among the most traveled of all ants. This diminutive species has spread with human commerce to nearly every lowland tropical region. Here, a worker tends to a mealybug in Panama.

Isla Contadora, Panama

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.

Chiriqui, Panama

Not all of the thorns on a swollen-thorn Acacia house the ants' larvae, but those that do are heavily guarded. Here, Pseudomyrmex spinicola patrol a nest entrance, ready to use their stings if the photographer approaches too close.

Chiriqui, Panama.

Pseudomyrmex pallidus

Tucson, Arizona, USA

Pseudomyrmex apache. Ants of the genus Pseudomyrmex inhabit pre-existing cavities in wood and vegetation, in this case an old wood-boring beetle burrow.

Tucson, Arizona, USA

Canon EOS 20D |

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Original size: 3504x2332 |

Current: 800x533 |

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Keywords: ants insects arboreal formicidae pseudomyrmecinae pseudomyrmex elongate twig ants pseudomyrmex apache slender orange ant beetle burrow

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Arboreal Ants: Life in the Treetops

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