Anomotaenia brevis is a tapeworm which has been found to be one of many parasite species able to manipulate their host's behavior.

The tapeworm alters the appearance and behavior of the T. nylanderi ant in order to ensure transmission to the woodpecker, where it can complete its life cycle.

[3] The ant larva is infected after feeding on bird faeces contaminated with A. brevis eggs.

The tapeworm penetrates the ant's gut wall and develops into a cysticercoid within the haemocoel.

They smell different from and are smaller than their nest-mates, their cuticles turn yellow instead of the usual brown color, and they tend to stay sitting in the nest.