First Record of Myrcia magna D.Legrand (Myrtaceae) as a Myrmecophyte Host for Myrcidris epicharis Ward, 1990 (Formicidae: Pseudomyrmecinae)

Abstract

The association of the ant Myrcidris epicharis with the plant Myrcia magna is reported for the first time. This association was registered in two localities along the Negro river basin, in the region of Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil. The ants inhabit swollen shoots in apical and subjacent nodes of the branches. This record represents the second plant species of Myrtaceae to be associated with Myrcidris epicharis.

The basitarsal sulcus gland, a novel exocrine structure in ants

“…Nothomyrmecia macrops forage on trees for insect prey, also feeding on sugary substances when available in the Mallee Woodlands in southern Australia (Hölldobler and Wilson, 1990). Myrcidris epicharis forage on its myrmecophyte hosts Myrcia madida and M. magna in the Amazon rainforest, and likely feeds on scale insects' exudates (Ferreira and Vasconcelos, 2010;Gaem et al, 2019). Tetraponera is widespread in the Old-World tropics, and may forage on vegetation or on ground in habitats that range from urban parks, to deserts, to grasslands, to rainforests, feeding on exudates or preying on other arthropods (Russell et al, 2009;Brian L. Fisher, pers.…”

A taxonomic account of Myrcia (Myrtaceae) at the sites of the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Amazonas, Brazil

“…This species is readily identified by the presence of domatia in the nodes (Fig. 6d; see also Gaem et al 2019b), a rare condition in Myrtaceae. Leaves are relatively large and have raised venation on both surfaces.…”

A taxonomic account of Myrcia (Myrtaceae) at the sites of the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Amazonas, Brazil

“…This species is readily identified by the presence of domatia in the nodes (Fig. 6d; see also Gaem et al 2019b), a rare condition in Myrtaceae. Leaves are relatively large and have raised venation on both surfaces.…”