Hirtella physophora is a species of plant in the family Chrysobalanaceae. It forms an association with the ant species, Allomerus decemarticulatus. The ants live in honeycombed cylinders they attach to the plant's stems.[1] The plant nearly always has these ants associated with it.[2]
Hirtella physophora | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Chrysobalanaceae |
Genus: | Hirtella |
Species: | H. physophora
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Binomial name | |
Hirtella physophora Mart. & Zucc.
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References
edit- ^ Dejean A, Solano PJ, Ayroles J, Corbara B, Orivel J (2005). "Arboreal ants build traps to capture prey". Nature. 434 (7036): 973. doi:10.1038/434973a. PMID 15846335.
- ^ The effect of habitat fragmentation on communities of mutualists: Amazonian ants and their host plants Emilio M. Bruna, Heraldo L. Vasconcelos and Sylvia Heredia Biological Conservation Volume 124, Issue 2, July 2005, Pages 209-216