Azteca andreae
Azteca andreae is an arboreal ant species found in the tropics of South America, most notably in French Guiana. They are most notable for their predatory skills and strength. They are ambush predators that are able to capture and eat other insects much greater than their own size. Physical characteristics Azteca andreae have dark brown, shiny bodies covered in white hair. The workers are a little less than 3mm in length, and the queen is slightly more than 5mm in length. Habitat The ants live in the hollow internodes, or the spaces in between nodes on the plant stem, of select plant species. When the queens start a new colony, they apparently limit their colonies to Cecropia trees. They will inhabit multiple different species of tree, but they have a preference for Cecropia obtusa. Up to 8350 workers live in each tree. The queens initially start the colonies inside of the tree, but the ants will eventually build external carton nests. The ants will also build their nests near the wasp species Polybia rejecta in order to protect the nests from other predators. The wasp is highly aggressive towards any mammal or other predator that approaches their nest. Plant-ant symbiosis