Meanings
plural myrmecophiles
- An organism, especially an insect, that lives in close association with or shares a nest with a species of ant.
1 more example
Ants are integral components of terrestrial ecosystems, owing to their manifold interactions with other organisms. They serve as seed dispersers for plants (myrmecochory), mutualists with sap-sucking insects (trophobionts), and hosts for a wide range of associate organisms (myrmecophiles) and act as both predator and prey.
2022 September 19, Schultheiss et al., “The abundance, biomass, and distribution of ants on Earth”, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, page 1, column 1
Origin
Translations
Finnish muurahaisvieras, myrmekofiili
- muurahaisvierasorganism that lives in close association with ants
- myrmekofiiliorganism that lives in close association with ants
Russian мирмекофи́л, мирмекофи́лы
- мирмекофи́л (mirmekofíl)organism that lives in close association with ants
- мирмекофи́лы (mirmekofíly)organism that lives in close association with ants
Cite this entry
myrmecophile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/myrmecophile
“myrmecophile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/myrmecophile. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “myrmecophile,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/myrmecophile.
Source: myrmecophile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.