a dramatic scene on a tree trunk in Singapore; Leptogenys ants carry away a nestful of newborn scolopendrid centipedes. Scolopendrid mothers guard their young fiercely, so it’s likely these ants had to fight her off to steal the brood, if they didn’t kill her too.
Leptogenys are often specialist feeders on isopods or millipedes, but have occasionally been known to hunt easy prey usually not on the menu. a brooding centipede and her offspring would be highly vulnerable to attack, so it’s no surprise to me they went after a defenseless meal.
as the ants streamed down the trunk, a lichen huntsman spider wisely ignored them and their venomous stings.