Army ants (Eciton sp.) with inquilinous rove beetle and phoretic mite
Found at Ecolodge Itororó reserve, in/near Nova Friburgo municipality in state of Rio de Janeiro in southeastern Brazil.
I was lucky enough to stumble upon this army ant (Eciton sp.) column that seemed to be in the process of moving their bivouac. Saw some staphylinids/cephaloplectines (3-5mm) running along with the ants in the column.
One of the ants in this shot also has a phoretic mite attached to its left front leg.
Single exposure, slightly cropped, handheld, in situ. Canon MT-24EX flash unit, Ian McConnachie diffuser.
Army ants (Eciton sp.) with inquilinous rove beetle and phoretic mite
Found at Ecolodge Itororó reserve, in/near Nova Friburgo municipality in state of Rio de Janeiro in southeastern Brazil.
I was lucky enough to stumble upon this army ant (Eciton sp.) column that seemed to be in the process of moving their bivouac. Saw some staphylinids/cephaloplectines (3-5mm) running along with the ants in the column.
One of the ants in this shot also has a phoretic mite attached to its left front leg.
Single exposure, slightly cropped, handheld, in situ. Canon MT-24EX flash unit, Ian McConnachie diffuser.