Ants cultivating afids on Digitalis purpurea - Purple Foxglove - Roter Fingerhut - Hesse - Germany - 05

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Camera location50° 00′ 33.5″ N, 8° 33′ 50.12″ E View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap 50.009305; 8.563923.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;background-color:#f8f9fa;padding:5px;font-size:95%;border-spacing:2px;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0;width:100%}.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr{vertical-align:top}.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr>td,.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr>th,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr>td,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr>th{padding:4px}.mw-parser-output.fileinfo-paramfield{background:#ccf;text-align:right;padding-right:0.4em;width:15%;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table+table.commons-file-information-table,.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table+div.commons-file-information-table>table{border-top:0;padding-top:0;margin-top:-8px}@media only screen and (max-width:719px){.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table,.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table.fileinfotpl-type-information{border-spacing:0;padding:0;word-break:break-word;width:100%!important}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table>tbody,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody{display:block}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr>td,.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr>th,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr>td,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr>th{padding:0.2em 0.4em;text-align:left;text-align:start}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr{display:flex;flex-direction:column}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table+table.commons-file-information-table,.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table+div.commons-file-information-table>table{margin-top:-1px}.mw-parser-output.fileinfo-paramfield{box-sizing:border-box;flex:1 0 100%;width:100%}} Description: Deutsch: Ameisen (Myrmica rubra) melken Blattläuse (Aphis fabae) auf rotem Fingerhut (Digitalis purpurea), Hessen, Deutschland. Im markierten Bereich des Bildes (siehe Bildnotiz) ist eine parasitierende Wespe zu sehen. Solche Wespen können ungestört von den Ameisen ihre Eier in den Blattläusen ablegen, weil sie Botenstoffe produzieren, die die Ameisen glauben lassen, die Wespen seien Blattläuse oder Ameisen. English: Ants (Myrmica rubra) cultivating/milking afids (Aphis fabae) on Purple Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), Hesse, Germany. In the marked part of the image (cf. image note), a parasitic wasp is visible. Parasitic wasps can lay eggs in aphids undisturbed by the ants, because they have a chemical camouflage such that the ants think that they are either other ants or are aphids. Acknowledgement: Many thanks to Hugh Loxdale, Richard Harrington and to the user Biopics for their help in assigning the aphid species and for providing additional information. According to the two experts Hugh Loxdale and Richard Harrington, the aphid species on the photo is apparently Aphis fabae. Date: 2 June 2012. Source: Own work. Author: Norbert Nagel.