Alex Wild on insects, science, and photography
Ok, I feel bad about last week’s Black Post. So here are a few real photographs from the inside of ant nests:
Wasmannia auropunctata- the little fire ant - Ecuador
Formica fusca - California
Ochetellus sp. - Australia
Atta cephalotes - Central America
Just remember, though – these scenes normally exist in complete darkness.
A personal blog by Illinois-based biologist and photographer Alex Wild.
Myrmecos- derived from the ancient greek word for "ant"- hosts Alex's musings about these and other little creatures that share our planet.
Questions? Email alwild [at] myrmecos.net; or follow @Myrmecos on Twitter.
The alveolate structure of the Atta fungus garden is new to me, and both very sensible and aesthetic.
(PS – And that Formica is so F. subaenescens!)
James- what is the latest on those California “fusca”? Are they really subaenescens?
Good question, but I’d rather call them that than fusca, which seems to be strictly Eurasian. Indeed, among North American ants in that group, F. accreta is more like Eurasian F. fusca than anything else on this continent. Yes, some questions remain . . .
I like the Ochetellus….they look like little jelly candies