procr,


pror

atp/


prnr


\tibs


aas


-tdgt


~-an
-bra
--aed


Fig. 6. Pseudophilippia quaintancii, adult male, from Ray and Williams 1980.


the scale-infested stem or twig. The ant tent pro-
vides some protection from the weather, but
more importantly, shields the colony from attack
by parasites and predators. In the southeastern
United States, fire ants commonly tend soft scale
colonies in this fashion.
 A more direct benefit of ant tending is the
removal of honeydew from the soft scale colony.
Honeydew serves as a medium for the growth of


sooty mold which often contaminates the colony
and can cause a reduction in numbers within the
colony. Ants and other hymenopterous insects
are often seen feeding on droplets of honeydew
excreted by soft scale insects. Ants have been
observed "fondling" the soft scale in the area of
the anal plates with their antennae. The soft
scale reacts to this fondling by slowly extruding a
droplet of honeydew from its rectum which the


/ocs

, vhs