Ants tending treehoppers for honeydew
These treehopper nymphs (black and white: Guayaquila xiphias, Membracidae & Aetalion reticulatum, Aetalionidae) were filmed in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. They feed upon sugar containing sap of a plant. Excess sap is excreted as honeydew which is collected by ants (Camponotus sp.) that feed upon the sugar and, in return, protect the treehoppers from predators. This is an example of mutualism, a form of symbiosis where both species benefit.
More videos from Ecuador at rumble.com/user/EcuadorMegadiverso
Ants tending treehoppers for honeydew
These treehopper nymphs (black and white: Guayaquila xiphias, Membracidae & Aetalion reticulatum, Aetalionidae) were filmed in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. They feed upon sugar containing sap of a plant. Excess sap is excreted as honeydew which is collected by ants (Camponotus sp.) that feed upon the sugar and, in return, protect the treehoppers from predators. This is an example of mutualism, a form of symbiosis where both species benefit.
More videos from Ecuador at rumble.com/user/EcuadorMegadiverso