A new species of ant-tended soft scale of the genus Cryptostigma Ferris (Hemiptera: Coccidae) associated with bamboo in Peru

Kondo, Takumasa; Gullan, Penny J.

doi:10.1590/s1519-566x2004000600009

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…C. mirabilis is thus similar to many other tropical arboreal ants, which feed mostly on honeydew or extrafloral nectar but take prey opportunistically (Davidson et al, 2003). All the bamboospecialist Camponotus tend coccids that have recently been described as the new species Cryptostigma guadua (Kondo and Gullan, 2004), and we observed numerous coccids in the ant-occupied culms of the bamboo we collected.…”

Section: Bait Preferences Of Leaf Litter and Canopy Ant Assemblagessupporting

confidence: 65%

Salt intake in Amazonian ants: too much of a good thing?

et al. 2012

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Although herbivory is widespread among insects, plant tissues rarely provide the optimal balance of nutrients for insect growth and reproduction. As a result, many herbivorous insects forage elsewhere for particular amino acids and minerals. Recent studies have shown that both herbivory and recruitment to sodium are commonplace among tropical rainforest ants, but little is known about how ants regulate their sodium intake at the individual and colony levels. In social insects, foragers may respond not only to their own nutritional deficiencies but also to those of their nestmates, who may have different nutritional requirements depending on their developmental stage, sex, or caste. Here, we investigate how salt stress among rainforest ants affects their preferences for salt and subsequent survival. We found that ants recruited more to salt than to any other bait type tested, confirming the strong preference for salt of ants in this region. Initially, we observed similarly high recruitment to salt among workers of the arboreal, herbivorous/omnivorous ant species Camponotus mirabilis. However, when provided with unrestricted access to high concentrations of salt, C. mirabilis workers suffered significantly higher mortality relative to controls, suggesting that C. mirabilis workers forage for sodium to the point of toxicity. Nonetheless, surviving workers showed reduced preference for salt at the end of the experiment, so some but not all individuals were able to regulate their salt intake beneath lethal dosages. We discuss how salt intake regulation may depend on colony members other than workers.

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Section: Bait Preferences Of Leaf Litter and Canopy Ant Assemblagessupporting

confidence: 65%

Salt intake in Amazonian ants: too much of a good thing?

et al. 2012

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“…Mutualistic interactions between Neotropical Camponotus ants and soft scale insects of the genus Cryptostigma Ferris have only been reported previously for C. longipilis Emery, C. mirabilis Emery and C. ( Pseudocolobopsis ) sp. inhabiting bamboo plants in Peru [40] and for C. novogranadensis Mayr within a termitary of Amitermes excellens (Silvestri) in British Guiana [41]. Only three predatory salticid spiders have been identified from the nests of O. smaragdina (Fabricius) and O. longinoda (Latreille) or their proximity: Cosmophasis bitaeniata (Keyserling) [42] and Myrmarachne plataleoides (Pickard-Cambridge) [43] in Australia and Asia, and M. foenisex Simon in Africa [44].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arboreal Ant Colonies as ‘Hot-Points’ of Cryptic Diversity for Myrmecophiles: The Weaver Ant Camponotus sp. aff. textor and Its Interaction Network with Its Associates

Pérez‐Lachaud

Lachaud

2014

PLoS ONE

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IntroductionSystematic surveys of macrofaunal diversity within ant colonies are lacking, particularly for ants nesting in microhabitats that are difficult to sample. Species associated with ants are generally small and rarely collected organisms, which makes them more likely to be unnoticed. We assumed that this tendency is greater for arthropod communities in microhabitats with low accessibility, such as those found in the nests of arboreal ants that may constitute a source of cryptic biodiversity.Materials and MethodsWe investigated the invertebrate diversity associated with an undescribed, but already threatened, Neotropical Camponotus weaver ant. As most of the common sampling methods used in studies of ant diversity are not suited for evaluating myrmecophile diversity within ant nests, we evaluated the macrofauna within ant nests through exhaustive colony sampling of three nests and examination of more than 80,000 individuals.ResultsWe identified invertebrates from three classes belonging to 18 taxa, some of which were new to science, and recorded the first instance of the co-occurrence of two brood parasitoid wasp families attacking the same ant host colony. This diversity of ant associates corresponded to a highly complex interaction network. Agonistic interactions prevailed, but the prevalence of myrmecophiles was remarkably low.ConclusionsOur data support the hypothesis of the evolution of low virulence in a variety of symbionts associated with large insect societies. Because most myrmecophiles found in this work are rare, strictly specific, and exhibit highly specialized biology, the risk of extinction for these hitherto unknown invertebrates and their natural enemies is high. The cryptic, far unappreciated diversity within arboreal ant nests in areas at high risk of habitat loss qualifies these nests as ‘hot-points’ of biodiversity that urgently require special attention as a component of conservation and management programs.

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“…longipilis, which was overrepresented in both bamboo areas and live bamboo culms and appears to be nutritionally dependent on coccids (Cryptostigma guadua, Kondo and Gullan, 2004;authors' unpubl. data).…”

Section: Bamboo Specializationmentioning

confidence: 99%

An experimental study of bamboo ants in western Amazonia

Davidson

Arias

Mann³

2006

Insect. Soc.

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Numerous ant taxa naturally inhabit stems of live and dead Guadua bamboo (Bambusoidea, Poaceae) in western Amazonia. In an experiment at the onset of the wet season in Peru's Manu National Park, we augmented potential nest sites in stems of live bamboo, dead bamboo and dead caña brava (Gynerium sagittatum, another woody grass) at fi ve stations within each of ten bamboo patches and ten control areas outside those patches. Each experimental stem possessed three vacant and available internodes, pre-drilled with, respectively, large, small and linear holes, mimicking the range of forms of surveyed natural entrances. After 24 days, approximately 13 % of 798 available internodes had been colonized, the majority by fragments of existing colonies. Ignoring entrance type, which did not affect colonization for any species or species group, and censoring non-independent internodes of the same stem, we used individual stems as independent sample units in other tests. One specialist in live bamboo (Camponotus longipilis), and a likely specialist in dead bamboo (Camponotus depressus), were identifi ed based on overrepresentation in bamboo habitat and disproportionate occurrence in live or dead bamboo stems. A third species, Camponotus (Pseudocolobopsis sp.) was more abundant in bamboo areas but colonized both dead bamboo and dead caña. Relatively high abundance of standing dead stems in Guadua forests may account for the presence of a dead stem specialist. The experiment missed detecting specialization in one live culm specialist (Camponotus mirabilis), likely due to its failure to simulate conditions required for the species' unique modes of colony establishment and spread into new culms. Most opportunistic stem nesters colonized dead bamboo at signifi cantly greater rates than dead caña, but were either equally well represented in bamboo and control areas, or underrepresented in bamboo habitat. Given low colonization rates overall, underrepresentation in bamboo cannot be attributed to competition from bamboo specialists for nesting space. Rather, it may be due to combined effects of seasonal fl ooding of bamboo habitat, and greater importance of food limitation, relative to nest site limitation, in that habitat.

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A new species of ant-tended soft scale of the genus Cryptostigma Ferris (Hemiptera: Coccidae) associated with bamboo in Peru

Cited by 10 publications

References 9 publications

Salt intake in Amazonian ants: too much of a good thing?

Salt intake in Amazonian ants: too much of a good thing?

Arboreal Ant Colonies as ‘Hot-Points’ of Cryptic Diversity for Myrmecophiles: The Weaver Ant Camponotus sp. aff. textor and Its Interaction Network with Its Associates

An experimental study of bamboo ants in western Amazonia

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