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Hairy Panther Ant - side view, Bellavista, Ecuador Fairly large ant found on a leaf, seemingly drinking something. Large jaws and lengthy antennae.<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126816/hairy_panther_ant_large-jawed_ant_bellavista_ecuador.html" title="Hairy Panther Ant, Large-jawed ant, Bellavista, Ecuador"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/126816_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=mk%2BVfMuqFXRHgmUMwuYNYVF5kA0%3D" width="120" height="152" alt="Hairy Panther Ant, Large-jawed ant, Bellavista, Ecuador Fairly large ant found on a leaf, seemingly drinking something. Large jaws and lengthy antennae. I found this pretty extensive guide but might still be difficult or impossible to ID:<br /> https://www.antweb.org/taxonomicPage.do?rank=genus&amp;countryName=Ecuador&amp;images=true<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126817/large-jawed_ant_-_side_view_bellavista_ecuador.html Bellavista Cloud Forest,Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Geotagged,Neoponera villosa,South America,Spring,World" /></a></figure><br /> The spider that mimicks this species, found a few days later:<br /> <br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/129214/sphecotypus_niger_finca_heimatlos_ecuador.html" title="Sphecotypus niger, Finca Heimatlos, Ecuador"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/129214_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=iV3MjYW%2FLDrySOcixaoWSGU6MoQ%3D" width="200" height="164" alt="Sphecotypus niger, Finca Heimatlos, Ecuador &quot;Guys look at me, I&#039;m an ant. Just like you! Want to hang out?&quot;<br /> <br /> Only noticed the oddity back home, when zooming. This is a jumping spider mimicking a Hairy Panther Ant (Neoponera villosa). This is what the real ant looks like, photographed a few days earlier:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126817/hairy_panther_ant_-_side_view_bellavista_ecuador.html<br /> Some ant-mimicking spiders aim to blend in with ants in order to prey on them, but that&#039;s not what&#039;s happening here. It&#039;s mimicking an ant known to have a very painful sting, and this away it avoids predation.<br /> <br /> Great photos and info on several ant-mimicking spiders:<br /> https://www.alexanderwild.com/Ants/Natural-History/Ant-Mimics/ Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Finca Heimatlos,Geotagged,South America,Sphecotypus niger,Spring,World" /></a></figure> Bellavista Cloud Forest,Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Geotagged,Hairy Panther Ant,Neoponera villosa,South America,Spring,World Click/tap to enlarge

Hairy Panther Ant - side view, Bellavista, Ecuador

Fairly large ant found on a leaf, seemingly drinking something. Large jaws and lengthy antennae.

Hairy Panther Ant, Large-jawed ant, Bellavista, Ecuador Fairly large ant found on a leaf, seemingly drinking something. Large jaws and lengthy antennae. I found this pretty extensive guide but might still be difficult or impossible to ID:<br /> https://www.antweb.org/taxonomicPage.do?rank=genus&countryName=Ecuador&images=true<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126817/large-jawed_ant_-_side_view_bellavista_ecuador.html Bellavista Cloud Forest,Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Geotagged,Neoponera villosa,South America,Spring,World

The spider that mimicks this species, found a few days later:

Sphecotypus niger, Finca Heimatlos, Ecuador "Guys look at me, I'm an ant. Just like you! Want to hang out?"<br /> <br /> Only noticed the oddity back home, when zooming. This is a jumping spider mimicking a Hairy Panther Ant (Neoponera villosa). This is what the real ant looks like, photographed a few days earlier:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126817/hairy_panther_ant_-_side_view_bellavista_ecuador.html<br /> Some ant-mimicking spiders aim to blend in with ants in order to prey on them, but that's not what's happening here. It's mimicking an ant known to have a very painful sting, and this away it avoids predation.<br /> <br /> Great photos and info on several ant-mimicking spiders:<br /> https://www.alexanderwild.com/Ants/Natural-History/Ant-Mimics/ Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Finca Heimatlos,Geotagged,South America,Sphecotypus niger,Spring,World

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The Hairy Panther Ant

''Neoponera villosa'', known generally as hairy panther ant, is a species of ant in the family Formicidae. Other common names include the greater Texas bullet ant and giant hunting ant.

Info 2 0
Similar species: Wasps, Bees, Sawflies And Ants
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
View Ferdy Christant's profile

By Ferdy Christant

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Uploaded Jan 1, 2022. Captured Nov 7, 2021 10:05 in X8M9+JM Tandayapa, Ecuador.
country flag of Ecuador Explore Ecuador 1,787 846 0
  • NIKON D810
  • f/11.0
  • 1/200s
  • ISO64
  • 105mm