Parasite morphs ant into ripe red berry

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When the ant Cephalotes atratus is infected with a parasitic nematode its normally black abdomen turns red resembling the many red berries in the tropical forest canopy. According to researchers this is a strategy concocted by nematodes to entice bir ...
When the ant Cephalotes atratus is infected with a parasitic nematode, its normally black abdomen turns red, resembling the many red berries in the tropical forest canopy. According to researchers, this is a strategy concocted by nematodes to entice birds to eat the normally unpalatable ant and spread the parasite in their droppings. (Steve Yanoviak/University of Arkansas)

A newly discovered parasite so dramatically transforms its host, an ant, that the ant comes to resemble a juicy red berry, ripe for picking, according to a report accepted for publication in The American Naturalist. This is the first example of fruit mimicry caused by a parasite, the co-authors say.


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All News summaries for January 16, 2008