Shining Coconut Ant at Dunlop, ACT
Identification history
| Papyrius nitidus | 9 Dec 2019 | JonLewis | ||
| Papyrius nitidus | 9 Dec 2019 | CathB |
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User's notes
Various life-cycle stages of another insect (a psyllid?) underneath a clump of carton on a branch of a eucalypt sapling.
Similar insects can be seen under carton in sighting 4243452 from a different area.
Is it possible that the ants are 'farming' these insects under the carton clumps?
3 comments
JonLewis
wrote:
10 Dec 2019
Good observation Cath. The ants are often described as being dominant in an area, so even if they are not “farming” them, they have certainly monopolised them as a resource. Cheers, Jon
CathB
wrote:
10 Dec 2019
Thanks Jon. Does anyone know why the ants produce these clumps? And what is the white 'fluff' that seems to hold them together - is it produced by the ants or is it fungus, or something else?
JonLewis
wrote:
10 Dec 2019
Hi Cath, you need a real expert for these questions! Some of the white stuff does look like fungal hyphae, though whether it is useful to the ants or just decay of the tree or the psyllids is anyone’s guess.
Location information
- Maps Aranda Bushland
- Places Dunlop, ACT
Sighting information
- 101 - 1,000 Abundance
- 7 Dec 2019 04:09 PM Recorded on
- CathB Recorded by
Additional information
- Eucalyptus ?dives Associated plant
- ?Psyllids Associated Insect
- Less than 5mm Animal size
Species information
- Papyrius nitidus Scientific name
- Shining Coconut Ant Common name
- Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-Invasive
- 910 images trained Machine learning
- External link More information
Record quality
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Confirmed by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes
