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Ant Infected With Nematode Eggs (Image 3)
Ant Infected With Nematode Eggs (Image 3)
When the tropical ant Cephalotes atratus is infected with the parasitic nematode Myrmeconema neotropicum (or roundworm), its normally black abdomen turns red, resembling the many red berries in the tropical forest canopy.
Researchers believe this change is intended to dupe birds into eating the gasters, which are full of nematode eggs. The eggs are transported to new ant colonies via the bird's feces, which are frequently collected by this species of ant. The research is published in the April 2008 issue of The American Naturalist. The discovery was made by Robert Dudley, a professor of integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and colleagues. To learn more about this research, see UC press release "Ant Parasite Turns Host Into Ripe Berry, Biologists Discover.". (Date of Image: June 2007) [Image 3 of 3 related images. Back to Image 1.]
Credit: Steve Yanoviak, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
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