Image: Ant - Pseudomyrmex species, on Bull Thorn Acacia (Acacia cornigera) with Beltian bodies, Caves Branch Jungle Lodge, Belmopan, Belize - 8505045055
Description: Ant - Pseudomyrmex species, on Bull Thorn Acacia (Acacia cornigera) with Beltian bodies, Caves Branch Jungle Lodge, Belmopan, Belize. Unlike other acacias, Bullhorn acacias don't have bitter alkaloids to defend the tree from predation by insects. Pseudomyrmex ants live in the hollowed-out thorns, and attack anything that tries to eat the leaves of the tree. One bit me when I took this series of photographs. It felt like a wasp sting - painful, but not long-lasting. The acacia's Beltian bodies (the little lumps on the ends of the leaves in this picture) provide protein for the ants.
Author: Judy Gallagher
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License: CC-BY-SA-3.0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
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