Cardoso, D. C. and Cristiano, M. P. and da Costa-Milanez, C. B. and Heinze, J. (2016) Agro-predation by Megalomyrmex ants on Mycetophylax fungus-growing ants. INSECTES SOCIAUX, 63 (3). pp. 483-486. ISSN 0020-1812, 1420-9098
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Fungus-growing ants are a remarkable taxon of New World ants that engage in a mutualistic symbiosis with basidiomycete fungi. Their fungus-gardens are valuable resources and are exploited in countless ways by parasites and other beneficiaries outside of the ant-fungi mutualism. Here, for the first time, we report on the agro-predatory behavior of the ant Megalomyrmex incisus on Mycetophylax conformis and Mycetophylax morschi fungus-growers from sand dunes near Ilh,us, Brazil. Me. incisus workers raided colonies of My. conformis and My. morschi and aggressively antennated, pulled, bit, and stung the fungus-growers, which played dead or retreated on the fungus. Me. incisus quickly usurped the fungus-garden and expelled all Mycetophylax workers. The usurpation closely resembled that described for raids of Me. wettereri on Cyphomyrmex longiscapus, in that the fungus-growers remained passive and avoided confrontation. This passive behavior suggests that Me. incisus uses chemical weapons that facilitate the exploitation of the host colony resources.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | FOREL HYMENOPTERA-FORMICIDAE; GENUS MYCETOPHYLAX; ATTINI; EMERY; BRAZIL; HOST; Predation; Behavior; Fungus-garden; Formicidae; Attini; Restinga |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 570 Life sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie (Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heinze) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Apr 2019 11:38 |
| Last Modified: | 03 Apr 2019 11:38 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/3605 |
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