A single lycaenid caterpillar gets an ant‐constructed shelter and uninterrupted ant attendance

Ekka, Priya Aradhya; Rastogi, Neelkamal

doi:10.1111/eea.12859

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…However, the carpenter ant, Cm. compressus , is a ground-nesting, extrafloral nectar foraging species (Ekka and Rastogi 2019) which builds its long-lasting main nest in moist wood, especially at the base of trees (Ayyar 1935) and temporary satellite nests in moist soil (Kumari et al 2016). They tend plant-sap-sucking insects like aphids and treehoppers and preferentially visit plants with extrafloral nectaries and/or those harbouring honeydew excreting hemipterans (Kumari and Rastogi 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative analysis of mandible morphology in four ant species with different foraging and nesting habits

Chowdhury

Rastogi

2021

Preprint

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Mandibles of ants can be considered as one of the most vital tools for the survival and success of their colonies since these are extensively utilised for defence, nest maintenance and foraging activities. We hypothesised that mandibular design is strongly dependent on the respective ecological niche and foraging habit of an ant species. In the present study, we compared the external morphology and zinc content in the mandibles of four species of ants by using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The ant mandible morphology varied significantly in accordance with their species-specific foraging and nesting strategies. The sickle-shaped mandibles of the strongly predaceous, Oecophylla smaragdina worker ants were characterised by a large number of pointed teeth which would be of immense utility for subduing the prey, while the shovel-shaped, highly sclerotized mandibles of Cataglyphis longipedem ants appear to be adaptations for the solitary scavenging habit and nest maintenance in arid habitats. The large-sized mandibles of Camponotus compressus ants and the stout mandibles of the predatory, Tetraponera rufonigra forager ants, have apparently evolved for collection of sugary secretions by the former and for the solitary foraging and arboreal nesting habit of the latter. The mandibular zinc content was highest in T. rufonigra ants and the lowest in the mandibles of the sugar-loving Cm. compressus ants. The diversity in the arrangement of bristles and the type of mandibular concavities, have also evolved accordingly. Thus, this study might prove to be instrumental in evaluating the various physical mechanisms involved in the evolution of insect mandibles for their defined function.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative analysis of mandible morphology in four ant species with different foraging and nesting habits

Chowdhury

Rastogi

2021

Preprint

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“…The plantderived carbohydrate resources are the most commonly used currencies in ant-plant and anthemipteran mutualistic associations (Rudolf and Palmer, 2013). The plant-visiting ants may obtain rich carbohydrate resources directly from the extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) of plants (Ekka and Rastogi, 2019) or indirectly by interacting with the aphids, the latter being phloem feeders can easily provide the reward in the form of the excreted honeydew. Hence, both the highly active ant foragers, searching for the easily accessed caloric reward and the vulnerable and sedentary aphids have adapted by evolving a facultative mutualistic association, in which the aphid-tending ants collect honeydew from aphids and in return they provide protection from predators and parasitoids (Delabie, 2001;Stadler and Dixon, 2005;Nelsen et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumptive and Non-consumptive Effects of a Generalist and a Specialist Arthropod Predator on Ant-tended Aphids

Nivedita¹,

Rastogi²

2021

IJZI

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The present study sheds light on the consumptive effects (CEs) and the non-consumptive effects (NCEs) of a generalist, Oxyopes javanus Thorell, and a specialist arthropod predator, Coccinella transversalis Fabricius, on an aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, a pest of an extrafloral nectar-bearing, Clerodendrum infortunatum L. plant. Our results revealed that the percentage of aphids consumed (i.e. CE) by the two species of arthropod predators was significantly higher in the absence of the two species of plant-visiting ants, Camponotus compressus (Fabricius) and Crematogaster subnuda Mayr, than in the presence of either of the two ant species. Further, the ladybird beetle, Coccinella transversalis consumed a significantly higher percentage of aphids in the presence of the ant Crematogaster subnuda than in the presence of Camponotus compressus, indicating the differential effects of the two ant species on the CEs of the aphidophagous ladybird beetle. The NCEs of the predators on the aphids was insignificantly higher in the absence of both of the ant species. The inclusion of ants along with the two species of arthropod predators in the experimental arena significantly reduced the anti-predatory escape response exhibited by the aphids. This suggests that the facultative ant-aphid mutualistic association influences the CEs as well as the NCEs of the arboreal predators on the aphid pests. These results have significant implications in the use of arthropod predators as biocontrol agents in the management of honeydew producing hemipteran pests, under field conditions.

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The Natural History of Caterpillar-Ant Associations

Pierce

Dankowicz

2022

Fascinating Life Sciences

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The caterpillars of many Lepidoptera are neither attacked nor tended by ants but nevertheless appear to be obligately ant-associated and benefit from the enemy-free space created by ants. Obligate myrmecophiles that do not attract ants through stridulatory or chemical signaling are limited to habitats where ants are reliably present for other reasons, either among ant-attended hemipterans, on ant-plants, or around ant nests. Particularly in the tropics, obligate ant associates that passively coexist with ants are more diverse than previously recognized, including, for example, hundreds of African species in the lycaenid subfamily Poritiinae. Mutualists and parasites of ants have been reported in eleven families: Tineidae, Tortricidae, Cyclotornidae, Coleophoridae, Crambidae, Erebidae, Notodontidae, Hesperiidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae, and Riodinidae. Altogether, myrmecophily has originated at least 30 times in Lepidoptera, and many groups may remain undiscovered. The butterfly families Lycaenidae and Riodinidae contain the vast majority of ant-associated species: larvae of at least 3841 (71%) of the ~5390 described Lycaenidae and 308 (20%) of the ~1562 described Riodinidae are known or inferred to be ant-associated, and both families possess specialized, convergently developed exocrine glands and stridulatory devices to communicate with ants. Many caterpillar-ant relationships previously characterized as mutualisms may actually be parasitic, as caterpillars can manipulate ants and ultimately exert a fitness cost. In the family Lycaenidae, highly specialized and obligate ant associations are found largely in the Old World tropics, Australia, and Southern Africa, where the stoichiometry of soil micronutrients, particularly sodium and phosphorus, climate, host plants, and geography may all selectively shape caterpillar-ant associations.

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A single lycaenid caterpillar gets an ant‐constructed shelter and uninterrupted ant attendance

Cited by 6 publications

References 21 publications

Comparative analysis of mandible morphology in four ant species with different foraging and nesting habits

Comparative analysis of mandible morphology in four ant species with different foraging and nesting habits

Consumptive and Non-consumptive Effects of a Generalist and a Specialist Arthropod Predator on Ant-tended Aphids

The Natural History of Caterpillar-Ant Associations

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