Life on the wattle - detail

Mealy bugs (Pseudococcidae) sucking on the sap of a Sydney golden wattle (Acacia longifolia). The ants (Iridomyrmex rufoniger) are harvesting the honeydew excreted by the mealy bugs. Leaf marks are probably the result of feeding by the acacia spotting bug (Rayieria tumidiceps). Como NSW Australia, December 2008.

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