Some caterpillars of blue butterflies ( Lycaenidae) seek out ants’ care and protection in exchange for a concentrated sugar solution secreted by a gland on their back. Many myrmecophilous relationships are truly reciprocal. You scratch my thorax, and I’ll scratch yours The beetle has mastered these mechanisms so well that its larvae end up getting a bigger helping of food than the young ants themselves. The ingenious larvae of beetles have learnt to not only mimic the food-begging behavior of the ants’ own larvae, but they mask their intrusive presence by releasing a pheromone which triggers brood-tending behaviour. To live a luxurious life here, you need to get under the radar. Here, ants tend to their larvae day and night, guarding them fiercely, and feeding them generously. The myrmecophile VIPs have adapted to gain exclusive access to the most precious confines of any nest: the brood chamber. It waits for ants heavily laden with food, and like a highwayman of the undergrowth, gets the ant to regurgitate food by drumming on its head with its antennae.Īntennophorus stroke the ant’s antennae with their legs in a way which mimics the touch signals from other ants requesting food - and hey presto, the host presents a globule of food, glorious food. One species which takes advantage is the Amphotis beetle. The trails of foraging ants can also offer an easy meal. So apart from lapping up food as it is passed from one ant to another, Antennophorus stroke the ant’s antennae with their legs in a way which mimics the touch signals from other ants requesting food - and hey presto, the host presents a globule of food, glorious food.
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It’s also nutrition on tap for intruders who know how to say the magic word. Patting someone’s head for a snack might not be recommended in human society, but for ants, sharing regurgitated food after a few antennae-taps is a way to communicate and strengthen social bonds among nest-mates. Although it would be better for the ant if these thieves of regurgitated food weren’t there at all, this balancing act somewhat reduces the problem. Taking up positions on either side of the ant’s head or abdomen, they create a balanced load. When the ant needs to use its claws as gripping hooks, the mite’s legs bend to serve the same purpose.Īntennophorus mites are another kind of ‘considerate’ parasite. So the mite earns its keep by converting its whole body into an extra ant’s foot. But army ants can’t do their job with a bad foot they form protective clusters by hooking each other’s claws together. The highly specialised mite Macrocheles rettenmeyeri just can’t resist a sip of army ant blood, and to get its meal it latches onto the ant’s last foot segment.
Many mites - tiny arachnids - feed on ants as parasites. But if you’re tiny, good at holding on for dear life, or look like a nightmare straight out of Ridley Scott’s Alien, then the bodies of ants can be your home. The nest’s surroundings can yield rich pickings, too - the foraging routes, for instance. There are chambers for the brood, guards, the queen, and for food storage. But there’s always an adaptive fee to pay.
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And if there’s one thing all living things agree upon, it’s that you don’t say ‘no’ to a free bed and meal. If you can somehow get on good terms with your ant hostesses, you’re guaranteed a temperature-regulated shelter free of predators. Ants’ nests are prime real estate for the enterprising and the brave.
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