Template:POTD/2011-08-19
Meat ants (Iridomyrmex purpureus) eating a cicada. Found throughout Australia, meat ants are omnivorous scavengers that get their name from their use, by farmers, to remove carcasses. However, the main portion of their diet comes from honeydew secreted by hemipterous insects—they even maintain mutualistic relationships with certain species of leafhoppers and caterpillars.Photo: John O'Neill