A preserved collection of a Leptanilla colony shows a queen (at center) and piles of elongate larvae.

Kibale forest, Uganda
A preserved collection of a Leptanilla colony shows a queen (at center) and piles of elongate larvae.

Kibale forest, Uganda
Ponera worker and larvae.

Diamond Creek, Victoria, Australia
Ponera worker and larvae.

Diamond Creek, Victoria, Australia
First instar larvae in the brood nest of Tapinoma sessile, the odorous house ant.

Urbana, Illinois, USA
Tapinoma sessile - odorous house ant (nest with brood)
A Lasius pallitarsis worker feeds the carcasses of fungus gnats to hungry larvae in the brood nest. This species is among the most abundant ants in the Sierra Nevada.

Sagehen Creek Field Station, California, USA
Inside the brood nest, an Odontomachus brunneus trap-jaw ant larva feeds on the remains of a termite.  Unlike adult ants, larvae can consume solid food.

Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA
Little Ochetellus ants are a common but often overlooked element of the Australian ant fauna.  These workers tend to their larvae in the nest. 

Nhill, Victoria, Australia
Ponera worker and larvae.

Diamond Creek, Victoria, Australia
Ponera worker and larvae.

Diamond Creek, Victoria, Australia
Ponera worker and larvae.

Diamond Creek, Victoria, Australia
See photo in original gallery.
all images and text © Alex Wild 2001-2013