The hollow tendrils of N. bicalcarata are somtimes inhabited by
highly specialised ants. As far as I've heared the queen sits in the
hollow tendril and a part of the minute colony only consisting of
10-20 ants lives under the peristome and fishes for the plants'
victims in the fluid of the pitcher. The plant might be protected
from insect diseases and has to pay by giving som of it's victims
away.
There are some other insect/CP-relationships (...not the usual
predator-victim ones...anyway round...) e.g. bugs living on Byblis and
Roridula, Spiders (no insects of cause but nevertheless fascinating...)
inside Nepenthes pitchers, Diptera larvae living in pitcher fluids...
Bye
Andreas
Andreas Wistuba; Mudauer Ring 227; 68259 Mannheim; Germany
Inet: a.wistuba@dkfz-Heidelberg.de / a.wistuba@carnivor.rhein-neckar.de
Phone: +49-621-705471 Fax: +49-621-711307