Predation on Swollen-Thorn Acacia Ants by White-faced Monkeys, Cebus capucinus

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Abstract
White-faced monkeys, Cebus capucinus, intensively preyed on the ant Pseudomyrmex belti, that obligatorily occupies and protects swollen-thorn acacias, primarily Acacia collinsii, at the study site. The Cebus obtained ants and probably ant larvae from acacias by ripping off branches and opening thorns with their teeth. This action often resulted in extensive physical destruction of the acacia, loss of the ant colony and subsequent death of the plant. Implications of this predation and other interactions between monkeys and myrmecophytes are discussed.

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