Definition:

fond of, associated with, or benefited by ants

About the word:

Myrmeco- means "ant"; philous means "loving" or "having an affinity for."

Scientists use myrmecophilous to describe the positive relationships between ants and such species as butterflies, crickets, beetles, and mites that help ants flourish.

In 2010, Pulitzer Prize-winning entomologist E.O. Wilson published Anthill: A Novel, which includes an absorbing narrative presented from the ants' perspective ... and which reveals that the author himself is myrmecophilous.