1. The ant was about half an inch long, its shiny appearance had the look its body was not tender.
2. The winged visitor suddenly looked like a dry leaf when I first spotted. Luckily I had the camera handy. It settled on an Aloe vera leaf. First time seeing this. Looks like a moth and not a butterfly. Which could be this?
The moth is in the family Geometridae; their larvae often are called inchworms or loopers; some 2000 species have been reported from India - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_moths_of_India_(Geometridae) and https://www.nhbs.com/geometrid-moths-of-india-book
The ant could be in the subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae; from its shape, I would not be surprised to find that it was a twig- or stem-boring species. More than 800 species of ants have been reported from India - https://www.antdiversityindia.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/Checklist_Indian_Ants_with_Benoit-2016.36220123.pdf
At least you are able to locate their family/subfamily.... very huge list I scrolled! Very difficult to pin point, obviously.
Ant - its tough body would have been an indicator as stem boring species.
Thanks Ed.
