The swollen red abdomen and unusually shrunken head of this Cephalotes porrasi turtle ant suggests she is carrying a parasitic mermithid nematode.

Armenia, Belize
Cephalotes clypeatus, focus-stacked composite image of a preserved museum specimen.

Mbaracayú forest reserve, Paraguay
Cephalotes clypeatus, focus-stacked composite image of a preserved museum specimen.

Mbaracayú forest reserve, Paraguay
Cephalotes porrasi - intercaste worker, presumably the result of mermithid worm parasitism.

Armenia, Belize
Cephalotes angustus

Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
Cephalotes maculatus is among the smallest species of turtle ant.

Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Cephalotes maculatus

Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
The adult form of this treehopper (bottom left) mimics the abdomen of the Cephalotes atratus ants that tend it for honeydew.

Morretes, Paraná, Brazil
The adult form of this treehopper (bottom left) mimics the abdomen of the Cephalotes atratus ants that tend it for honeydew.

Morretes, Paraná, Brazil
The swollen red abdomen and unusually shrunken head of this Cephalotes porrasi turtle ant suggests she is carrying a parasitic mermithid nematode.

Armenia, Belize
The swollen red abdomen and unusually shrunken head of this Cephalotes porrasi turtle ant suggests she is carrying a parasitic mermithid nematode.

Armenia, Belize
The swollen red abdomen and unusually shrunken head of this Cephalotes porrasi turtle ant suggests she is carrying a parasitic mermithid nematode.

Armenia, Belize
See photo in original gallery.
all images and text © Alex Wild 2001-2013