The ants bug

By Francesco Tomasinelli

This is one of the most surprising insect in the world: the assassin bug (Reduvidae) Acanthaspis sp. from from dry forests of Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. It hunts ants, especially the very common weaver ants, Oechophylla, killing them with a strong rostrum. Then attaches the dead, consumed ants bodies to his back, as camouflage! The bug is also protected by formic acid contents released by ants. Would-be predators leave it well alone assuming it is just a pile of ants corpses.

 

 

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News

29-06-2010 New pictures exhibition till 31-10-2010 at Jardin des Plantes des Paris, Museè d'Histoire Naturelle: Inventaires sans frontieres (with pictures by F. Tomasinelli, X. Desmer, P. Richaud)

07-05-2010 New pictures exhibition till 01-08-2010 at Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali di Torino: "Sette storie di biodiversità"

30-03-2010 New gallery on Animals living in Italian cities 

10-03-2010 New gallery on different jobs in Genova Port for Genoa Port Center

17-02-2010 Four new small photo stories in Strange but true section

16-01-2010 New reportage on Quirimbas National Park in Mozambico

05-12-2009 New exhibit at Natural Science Museum of Bergamo, Italy - Predatori del Microcosmo until 31-01-2010

12-09-2009 More invading species pictures added

01-06-2009 More orchid mantis pictures. New gallery "Shared places" about Genoa port, landscape and citizens.

02-04-2009 New photo story on entomophagy: Insect as food

20-03-2009 Updated Caves life gallery, a look at biospeleology.

About this site

Welcome to Isopoda.net, website of Italian biologist and science photographer Francesco Tomasinelli. My favourite subjects are neglected animals, like insects, arachnids and reptiles, but I work on many other nature topics, travel, events and general photography too.

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