Tonight’s challenge is another entomological mystery structure. What are the little pearl-like objects at left?
Ten points to the first person to provide a correct answer.
The cumulative points winner for the month of April will win their choice of 1) any 8×10-sized print from my photo galleries, or 2) a guest post here on Myrmecos.
Sorry about being a few hours late on this mystery- I’ve been on the road.
Good luck!
It’s a long shot, but “ground pearls” (Hemiptera: Margarodidae)?
Those are the yeast fungus gardens to a Cyphomyrmex species.
Yeah, that seams right! I wonder if that’s a bit of frass that they’re growing on…
yeah, the fungal fruiting bodies are growing on caterpillar frass collected by the workers.
Endoparasitoid larvae of a braconid, maybe that genus you’ve been working on lately.
That yummy edible thingy on seeds?
No wait! Now I think they’re Beltian bodies of Cecropia inside a crudded up internode inhabited by a Camponotus parasite of the Azteca-Cecropia system.
caddisfly larva making its case? :$
just found out that MrIlovetheants is right … The yeast globules of some Cyphomyrmex ..neat!
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