Leaf-cutting ants can become important pests for agriculture and forestation. Therefore, knowing their natural enemies is very important. This project focuses on armadillos, which are omnivorous mammals that include several insects in their diets, and parasitoid phorid flies, which are specialists insects that parasite certain ant species. The project studies the interactions of these predators with ants and with each other.
Phorid parasitoid (left) of Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants (right)
Parasitoid sampling over Acromyrmex’s nest
Armadillo (known as hairy armadillo) in Patagonian steppe
