EOL-media-542-9529767484

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
TitleNanny Ants at Work
Rating2.5
VettedTrusted
Original URLhttps://farm3.staticflickr.com/2811/9529767484_485fba7d2c_o.jpg
Description
A Florida carpenter ant shields a ceraunus blue caterpillar as it's partner rushes into position in response to the approach of a predatory wasp. Nanny ants protecting their baby butterfly! A dorsal nectary organ (visible at the top of the caterpillar) rewards the ants with sweet honeydew. Another example of the mutualistic relationship between ants and Lycaenid butterflies called myrmecophily. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrmecophilyen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemiargus_ceraunus
photographer<a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/50152666@N02'>Bob Peterson</a>
providerFlickr Group
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith