Myrmelachista - # - Alex Wild Photography - Insect Photography - Insect Pictures

Myrmelachista

is a tree-dwelling formicine genus found in the warmer regions of Central and South America. Some species engage in specialized relationships with host plants resulting in "devil's gardens", patches of ant-plant monoculture where the ants suppress the growth of competing plant species.

gallery pages: 1 2 >

< 1 of 15 >

Myrmelachista workers with brood and mealybugs inside a domatium of a Tococa plant.

Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Myrmelachista workers with brood and mealybugs inside a domatium of a Tococa plant. This ant's gaster is swollen with honeydew collected from the mealybugs.

Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Myrmelachista workers with mealybugs inside a domatium of a Tococa plant.

Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Alex Wild surveys a Devil's Garden of Tococa plants.

Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Clidemia bush growing in an Amazonian devil's garden. The garden is caused by symbiotic Myrmelachista ants that inject formic acid into the saplings of competing plants, killing them.

Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Clidemia bush growing in an Amazonian devil's garden. The garden is caused by symbiotic Myrmelachista ants that inject formic acid into the saplings of competing plants, killing them.

Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Partners in a devil's garden: Myrmelachista ants and the Clidemia plants they live in. The swellings on the plant stem are hollow domatia that house the ant colony.

Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Cutting open the hollow base of a Tococa leaf reveals a colony of tiny Myrmelachista ants.

Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Partners in a devil's garden: Myrmelachista ants and the Clidemia plants they live in. The swellings on the plant stem are hollow domatia that house the ant colony.

Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Myrmelachista workers with brood and mealybugs inside a domatium of a Tococa plant.

Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Myrmelachista workers with brood and mealybugs inside a domatium of a Tococa plant.

Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Myrmelachista workers with brood and mealybugs inside a domatium of a Tococa plant.

Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Canon EOS 7D |

More details: exif |

Original size: 4560x3156 |

Current: 800x554 |

Share photo: links, forums, blogs |

Keywords: ecology symbiosis pseudococcidae ant plant interactions ants and plants

gallery pages: 1 2 >

< 1 of 15 >

Comments

|

all images and text © Alex Wild 2001-2013

Available Feeds

Gallery Photos:

Atom |

RSS