Myrmelachista schumanni
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SPECIES
Myrmelachista schumanni

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 gardens. Using its own herbicide, they kill off all the plants in an area except for the myrmecophytes, or ant-plants, in which they reside.

Animal name origin

Lemon ants get their name from the lemony taste of acids produced as part of a glandular chemical defense system. When crushed or attacked, citronellal pheromones are created to communicate alarm to nearby individuals, which also produces a citrus odor.

Geography

References

1. Myrmelachista schumanni Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrmelachista_schumanni

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