First record of Cyphoderus innominatus Mills, 1938 (Collembola: Paronellidae) in Early Colonies of the Leaf-cutting Ant Atta sexdens

Abstract

Cyphoderus innominatus Mills, 1938 (Collembola: Paronellidae) was first observed in early colonies of Atta sexdens leaf-cutting ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The colonies were collected on February 6, 2019, from a transition area between the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, located in the municipality of Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. A total of four colonies collected had an average population density of 227 ± 212 C. innominatus individuals, and most of the latter were found in peripheral areas inside the fungus-garden-growing chamber of the colony. In addition, we observed a possible defensive behavior on the part of workers when C. innominatus individuals were present in the fungus garden chamber. Thus, this is the first record of C. innominatus living in association with early colonies of A. sexdens. Cyphoderus innominatus Mills, 1938 (Collembola: Paronellidae) foi observado pela primeira vez nas primeiras colônias de formigas cortadeiras Atta sexdens rubropilosa , Forel, 1908 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Essas colônias foram coletadas em 6 de fevereiro de 2019, em uma área de transição entre a Mata Atlântica e o Cerrado, localizada no município de Botucatu, São Paulo, Brasil. Um total de quatro colônias coletadas teve uma densidade populacional média de 227, de C. innominatus , ea maioria dos últimos foram encontrados em áreas periféricas dentro da câmara de cultivo do jardim de fungo da colônia. Além disso, observamos um possível comportamento defensivo por parte dos trabalhadores quandoC. innominatus estava presente presentes na câmara do jardim de fungos. Assim, este é o primeiro registro de C. innominatus vivendo em associação com colônias iniciais de A. sexdens rubropilosa .

Nest Architecture and Animals Associated with Neoponera verenae (Forel) (Formicidae, Ponerinae)

“…These habitats can present a complex network of interactions between tenants and those with hosts, which may include predations and parasitism (Parmentier et al, 2016). Currently, there are few studies showing which species of animals live with ants inside their nests (Pérez- Lachaud & Lachaud, 2014;Castaño-Meneses et al, 2019;Rocha et al, 2020;Mota Filho et al, 2021). Some of these studies are limited to certain groups of animals such as mites (Uppstrom & Klompen, 2011), Coleoptera (Päivinen et al, 2002) and Myriapoda (Stoev & Lapeva-Gjonova, 2005).…”