A pair of Pseudomyrmex ants on a bullthorn Acacia from Belize. These organisms have a mutualistic, or mutually beneficial relationship. The acacia provides shelter (via hollow spines) and food (by producing nectar and lipid-rich excretions called Beltian bodies) for the ants, and in return, the ant colony protects the tree from herbivores. Amazingly, some species even go so far as to attack and kill surrounding plants to decrease competition for the acacia.
Dolichoderus bispinosus worker from Belize.
Scoliid wasp (Scoliidae, most likely a male Campsomeris) from Monteverde, Costa Rica. This relatively small family of wasps (~560 species) are solitary parasitoids of scarab beetle larva, making them useful biocontrol agents against pest species like the Japanese Beetle.
