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Pseudacteon lontrae Phorid Fly
& Linepithema oblongum
Jujuy, Argentina

photograph © Alex Wild 2009

Wham!  A phorid fly plants her ovipositer between the abdominal sclerites of a Linepithema worker ant.  The oviposition takes less than a second- this was a very luck shot!  The hapless ant will later be consumed alive by the developing fly larva.

 
Argentina, Jujuy: 
5 km N Termas de Reyes
24º07.5'S 65º29.5'W 1900m
21.iii.2009 Montane Riparian Forest.
Flies attack ant nest in rotting log.

This image is copyrighted by the photographer and cannot be used without permission. To obtain permission to use this image, please email Alex Wild. (alwild (at) myrmecos.net).  Most of the photographs on myrmecos.net are reduced from their original size and compressed for more efficient web transmission.  In some cases, higher quality versions are available.

This image was captured with a Canon EOS 20D, using a Canon 65/2.8 MPE 1-5x Macro lens.