New records and new host-parasitoid interactions of phorids (Diptera: Phoridae) parasitizing leafcutter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Argentina

Guillade, Andrea Cecilia; Goffré, Daniela; Folgarait, Patricia J.

doi:10.25085/rsea.763409

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The expansion of the geographical distribution of M. catharinensis to other locations was reported by Guillade et al (2017). In addition to the ants already mentioned, it has been associated with the species A. crassispinus, A. lobicornis, and A. hispidus.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Research with parasitism on leafcutting ants is advancing, yet slowly (Della Lucia & Amaral, 2020). Phorids related to these leaf-cutting ants are known to belong to the genera Apocephalus Coquillett, 1901, Neodohrniphora Malloch, 1914, and Myrmosicarius Borgmeier, 1928 (Guillade, Goffre, & Folgarait, 2017). In Brazil, research groups studying this ant-parasitoid interaction are few in number, occurring in the states of Rio de Janeiro (Elizalde & Queiroz, 2013) and Tocantins (Arruda, Teresa, Martins, Pesquero, & Bragança, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parasitism and behavioral responses of Acromyrmex coronatus (Fabricius, 1804) and Acromyrmex crassispinus (Forel, 1909) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) to Myrmosicarius catharinensis Borgmeier, 1928 (Diptera: Phoridae) in Londrina, PR

Almeida

Hoshino

Menezes

et al. 2021

Semina: Ciênc. Agrár.

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Leaf-cutting ants of the genus Acromyrmex cause serious damage to cultivated forest areas. Some flies of the family Phoridae are known to parasitize them, and the result of this interaction can provide a promising basis for the management of these ants. This study was developed to record the parasitism and behavioral responses of Acromyrmex spp. leaf-cutting ants to parasitoid phorids in the municipality of Londrina-PR, Brazil. Visual examinations and collections of leaf-cutting ants and associated phorids were carried out between October/2019 and April/2020 in selected anthills and their trails, located on the campus of the State University of Londrina (UEL) and at the Botanical Garden of Londrina. The collected insects were preserved in 70% alcohol, for later identification of the species. The behavioral response of the ants to the parasitoids was recorded individually and collectively, following protocols cited in the literature. The frequencies of the different response behaviors exhibited by the attacked ants were compared using analysis of variance. The leaf-cutting ant species Acromyrmex coronatus and Acromyrmex crassispinus were found at the two evaluated sites. Myrmosicarius catharinensis was the only species of parasitoid phorid found, which attacked both ant species. Although the occurrence of M. catharinensis has been reported in other Brazilian states and its association with A. crassispinus recorded in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this is the first report of the occurrence of the phorid in the state of Paraná with a new association for the species A. coronatus. Under foraging action by the parasitoid, 63.5% of the ants exhibited only one behavioral response, while 36.5% showed two. Accelerated walking, attempting to “bite” the parasitoid, and adopting a ‘C’ posture were the most frequent behavioral responses to avoid parasitism. Ants crowding together around a worker and the presence of “hitchhiker” workers on the transported leaf fragments were the observed changes in collective behavior, the latter being the most frequent. These changes occurred in all observed ant nests and, in two of them, the constancy of alteration in collective behavior was 53%. These results demonstrate the interference caused in nests of Acromyrmex spp. by the occurrence of M. catharinensis, a potential control agent for this pest.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasitism and behavioral responses of Acromyrmex coronatus (Fabricius, 1804) and Acromyrmex crassispinus (Forel, 1909) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) to Myrmosicarius catharinensis Borgmeier, 1928 (Diptera: Phoridae) in Londrina, PR

Almeida

Hoshino

Menezes

et al. 2021

Semina: Ciênc. Agrár.

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“…The natural history of leafcutter ants and their phorids has been summarized by Folgarait (2013). Updated information for Argentina has been published recently (Guillade et al, 2017;Elizalde et al, 2018b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phorid species from Acromyrmex’s hosts and effect on their survival of two fungi proposed for the control of leafcutter ants

Goffré

Folgarait

2019

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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Phorid flies (Diptera: Phoridae, Metopinini) are natural enemies of leafcutter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Attini), which are among the most important pests in the Neotropical region. These parasitoids lay their eggs inside worker ants, causing the death of the parasitized ants, and the oviposition attacks on foraging workers interfere with the collection of vegetal material used in fungal gardens, thereby affecting the whole colony. However, because of the large number of ants per colony, more than one type of biological control agent is needed to have a significant impact. We collected parasitized leafcutter ants Acromyrmex lundii (Guérin‐Méneville), Acromyrmex heyeri (Forel), and Acromyrmex ambiguus (Emery) from various places in Argentina and reared their parasitoids. We recorded developmental times, host and phorid sizes, and other aspects of the biology of the phorids Apocephalus neivai Borgmeier, Apocephalus noetingerorum Brown & Disney, Myrmosicarius gracilipes Borgmeier, Myrmosicarius catharinensis Borgmeier, Myrmosicarius crudelis Borgmeier, and Myrmosicarius cristobalensis Disney et al. This is the first record of A. ambiguus, an important pest of pine plantations, being a host of phorids. We found the first cases of gregarious parasitoidism of a parasitoid with no‐free pupae: M. catharinensis on A. lundii ants. We also evaluated the effect on pupal survival of two cosmopolitan fungi, Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuill. and Trichoderma lentiforme (Rehm) Chaverri et al., which are also considered as potential biological control agents of leafcutter ants. Suspensions of conidia were tested on Myrmosicarius and Apocephalus parasitoid pupae of different ages. No negative effect on pupal survival was found under either fungal treatment. Therefore, the use of both natural enemies separately but simultaneously, or the introduction of fungi‐inoculated pupae in the pest habitats, seems to be a promising strategy for the multiple biological control of leafcutter ants.

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New records and new host-parasitoid interactions of phorids (Diptera: Phoridae) parasitizing leafcutter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Argentina

Cited by 2 publications

References 10 publications

Parasitism and behavioral responses of Acromyrmex coronatus (Fabricius, 1804) and Acromyrmex crassispinus (Forel, 1909) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) to Myrmosicarius catharinensis Borgmeier, 1928 (Diptera: Phoridae) in Londrina, PR

Parasitism and behavioral responses of Acromyrmex coronatus (Fabricius, 1804) and Acromyrmex crassispinus (Forel, 1909) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) to Myrmosicarius catharinensis Borgmeier, 1928 (Diptera: Phoridae) in Londrina, PR

Phorid species from Acromyrmex’s hosts and effect on their survival of two fungi proposed for the control of leafcutter ants

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