Eucalyptus hopper
Often found in Eucalyptus trees in the south-east coastal open forests of Australia.
Hypnotic black-white eyes with a deep copper-blue-bronze patina through dark gloss and white patches on either shoulder and flank.
Usually attended and groomed by mid-sized, unknown local ant species.
The sheen and the colouring is partly attributable to brochosomes - tiny geodetic spherical structures a bit like Buckminster fullerenes.
They are only known to be produced by these creatures. They make them internally and after moulting, excrete some through their anus, spreading it all over their body in a grooming session. The resulting coating looks and behaves like a wax which protects the insect from the sticky sugary substances it makes later to feed ants. There are also suggestions that some species might use the brochosomes to protect their eggs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brochosome
Also see E fenestrata.
comments (4)