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Myrmelachista schumanni (lemon ant), Sani Lodge, Ecuador (the ants are really in the photo...super tiny!)<br /> <br /> Some regret here as I failed to capture the following high tech biological process in a way that does it full justice. <br /> <br /> Our guides cut open the thick part of this plant&#039;s stem to reveal minuscule ants inside. These ants are nicknamed &quot;lemon ants&quot;. They are so tiny that to the naked eye they appear mostly as small black dots. So using a wet finger, you can scoop up a whole bunch of them. Next, you put them on your tongue and get the lemon sensation, and you can directly swallow as they&#039;re too tiny to chew.<br /> <br /> What I failed to realize whilst capturing this unusual ant and its edibility is that it&#039;s part of a Devil&#039;s Garden process. Here&#039;s a Devil&#039;s Garden we saw earlier in Colombia:<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/72175/devils_garden_la_isla_escondida_colombia.html" title="Devil&#039;s Garden, La Isla Escondida, Colombia"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/72175_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=ErF2BDadz%2BhZ4F3ECp03DpbqxYw%3D" width="200" height="114" alt="Devil&#039;s Garden, La Isla Escondida, Colombia A quick snap with the smartphone of some seemingly dull scenery. Yet there&#039;s some spectacular biology going on here...<br /> <br /> We&#039;re looking at a clearing in primary rain forest here. Yet not a man-made clearing. Which is strange, as in primary rain forests you&#039;ll be hard-pressed to find any clear area, as vegetation uses every inch of the forest floor in the battle for daylight.<br /> <br /> This natural clearing, called a Devil&#039;s Garden or Garden of Satan, is the result of the narrow tree you see in the middle. Species in the Duroia genus are capable of biochemical reactions that inhibit the growth of other plants in its surroundings. This specific species of tree is further aided by a symbiotic relation with the Lemon Ant, who helps to suppress plant growth around the tree by injecting acid into them. Not only that, the ant aggressively defends against other ant species as well as herbivores.<br /> <br /> The cost of this symbiotic relation to the tree is high: the Lemon ant will basically strip the tree clean of most of its leafs, as you can see in this shot. Colombia,Colombia 2018,Colombia South,Duroia hirsuta,La Isla Escondida,Putumayo,South America" /></a></figure><br /> A Devil&#039;s Garden is a clearing in a forest that is not man-made. Which tends to be impossible in tropical forests where every inch of the forest floor is fought for by plants. The clearing is a result of a relationship between the plant in the middle and the ants, which by means of chemical warfare, restrict the growth of competing plants in the direct surroundings. <br /> <br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/131472/duroia_hirsuta_sani_lodge_ecuador.html" title="Duroia hirsuta, Sani Lodge, Ecuador"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/131472_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=WYs6CjO3m%2BJeqOXqossg3VLEnhU%3D" width="102" height="152" alt="Duroia hirsuta, Sani Lodge, Ecuador Some regret here as I failed to capture the following high tech biological process in a way that does it full justice. <br /> <br /> Our guides cut open the thick part of this plant&#039;s stem to reveal minuscule ants inside. These ants are nicknamed &quot;lemon ants&quot;. They are so tiny that to the naked eye they appear mostly as small black dots. So using a wet finger, you can scoop up a whole bunch of them. Next, you put them on your tongue and get the lemon sensation, and you can directly swallow as they&#039;re too tiny to chew.<br /> <br /> What I failed to realize whilst capturing this unusual ant and its edibility is that it&#039;s part of a Devil&#039;s Garden process. Here&#039;s a Devil&#039;s Garden we saw earlier in Colombia:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/72175/devils_garden_la_isla_escondida_colombia.html<br /> A Devil&#039;s Garden is a clearing in a forest that is not man-made. Which tends to be impossible in tropical forests where every inch of the forest floor is fought for by plants. The clearing is a result of a relationship between the plant in the middle and the ants, which by means of chemical warfare, restrict the growth of competing plants in the direct surroundings. <br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/131471/myrmelachista_schumanni_lemon_ant_sani_lodge_ecuador.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/131469/duroia_hirsuta_-_details_sani_lodge_ecuador.html Duroia hirsuta,Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Geotagged,Sani Lodge,South America,Spring,World,Yasuni National Park" /></a></figure> Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Geotagged,Myrmelachista schumanni,Sani Lodge,South America,Spring,World,Yasuni National Park Click/tap to enlarge PromotedSpecies introCountry intro

Myrmelachista schumanni (lemon ant), Sani Lodge, Ecuador

(the ants are really in the photo...super tiny!)

Some regret here as I failed to capture the following high tech biological process in a way that does it full justice.

Our guides cut open the thick part of this plant's stem to reveal minuscule ants inside. These ants are nicknamed "lemon ants". They are so tiny that to the naked eye they appear mostly as small black dots. So using a wet finger, you can scoop up a whole bunch of them. Next, you put them on your tongue and get the lemon sensation, and you can directly swallow as they're too tiny to chew.

What I failed to realize whilst capturing this unusual ant and its edibility is that it's part of a Devil's Garden process. Here's a Devil's Garden we saw earlier in Colombia:

Devil's Garden, La Isla Escondida, Colombia A quick snap with the smartphone of some seemingly dull scenery. Yet there's some spectacular biology going on here...<br /> <br /> We're looking at a clearing in primary rain forest here. Yet not a man-made clearing. Which is strange, as in primary rain forests you'll be hard-pressed to find any clear area, as vegetation uses every inch of the forest floor in the battle for daylight.<br /> <br /> This natural clearing, called a Devil's Garden or Garden of Satan, is the result of the narrow tree you see in the middle. Species in the Duroia genus are capable of biochemical reactions that inhibit the growth of other plants in its surroundings. This specific species of tree is further aided by a symbiotic relation with the Lemon Ant, who helps to suppress plant growth around the tree by injecting acid into them. Not only that, the ant aggressively defends against other ant species as well as herbivores.<br /> <br /> The cost of this symbiotic relation to the tree is high: the Lemon ant will basically strip the tree clean of most of its leafs, as you can see in this shot. Colombia,Colombia 2018,Colombia South,Duroia hirsuta,La Isla Escondida,Putumayo,South America

A Devil's Garden is a clearing in a forest that is not man-made. Which tends to be impossible in tropical forests where every inch of the forest floor is fought for by plants. The clearing is a result of a relationship between the plant in the middle and the ants, which by means of chemical warfare, restrict the growth of competing plants in the direct surroundings.

Duroia hirsuta, Sani Lodge, Ecuador Some regret here as I failed to capture the following high tech biological process in a way that does it full justice. <br /> <br /> Our guides cut open the thick part of this plant's stem to reveal minuscule ants inside. These ants are nicknamed "lemon ants". They are so tiny that to the naked eye they appear mostly as small black dots. So using a wet finger, you can scoop up a whole bunch of them. Next, you put them on your tongue and get the lemon sensation, and you can directly swallow as they're too tiny to chew.<br /> <br /> What I failed to realize whilst capturing this unusual ant and its edibility is that it's part of a Devil's Garden process. Here's a Devil's Garden we saw earlier in Colombia:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/72175/devils_garden_la_isla_escondida_colombia.html<br /> A Devil's Garden is a clearing in a forest that is not man-made. Which tends to be impossible in tropical forests where every inch of the forest floor is fought for by plants. The clearing is a result of a relationship between the plant in the middle and the ants, which by means of chemical warfare, restrict the growth of competing plants in the direct surroundings. <br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/131471/myrmelachista_schumanni_lemon_ant_sani_lodge_ecuador.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/131469/duroia_hirsuta_-_details_sani_lodge_ecuador.html Duroia hirsuta,Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Geotagged,Sani Lodge,South America,Spring,World,Yasuni National Park

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The Lemon Ant

''Myrmelachista schumanni'', also known as the lemon ant, is a species of ant from South America. It is notable for the creation of Devil's garden. Using its own herbicide they kill off all the plants in an area except for the myrmecophytes, or ant-plants, in which they reside.

Info 1 0
Similar species: Wasps, Bees, Sawflies And Ants
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
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By Ferdy Christant

All rights reserved
Uploaded Mar 14, 2022. Captured Nov 16, 2021 16:34 in 67C6X698+22.
country flag of Ecuador Explore Ecuador 1,787 846 0
  • NIKON D850
  • f/16.0
  • 1/60s
  • ISO64
  • 105mm

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