Nest architecture and colony size of the fungus-growing ant Mycetophylax simplex Emery, 1888 (Formicidae, Attini)

Abstract

Detailed measurements on nest architecture and colony size of the fungus-growing ant Mycetophylax simplex Emery, 1888 (Formicidae, Attini) are reported for the first time, based on excavations of 55 nests from two sites in southern Brazil. All nests were subterranean, with a single entrance hole. Most nests consisted of two chambers, an upper and a lower chamber, but one and three-chamber nests were also found. The chambers were more cone-shaped than rounded, and located at a depth ranging from 4.0 cm to 32.5 cm below the nest entrance. The chamber dimensions generally increased as the depth of the chambers increased, and the lower chamber was mostly wider than the upper one. The fungus garden was always found resting on the chamber floor. The average colony size was 264.1 workers, ranging from 67 to 610 workers. Colonies produced most sexuals during the summer (from December to March) and a few during the winter (July). Direct observations showed that colonies were mostly monogynous, but more than one queen was recorded in two nests, suggesting that polygyny may also occur in this species.

Digging beneath the surface: incipient nest characteristics across three species of harvester ant that differ in colony founding strategy

“…The architecture of mature nests is diverse in ants and has been described in numerous species (Buhl et al, 2004(Buhl et al, , 2006Cassill et al, 2002;Diehl-Fleig and Diehl, 2007;Forti et al, 2007;Mikheyev and Tschinkel, 2004;Rasse and Deneubourg, 2001;Sudd, 1971;Tschinkel, 2004Tschinkel, , 2005Verza et al, 2007;Vieira et al, 2007). Descriptions of the architecture of incipient ant nests, however, are sparse (Fernandez-Marin et al, 2005) but important for understanding nest founding behavior of single foundresses.…”

Locating, collecting, and maintaining colonies of fungus-farming ants (Hymenoptera: Myrmicinae: Attini)

“…Mound of craters, >1000 nest entrances (Autuori, 1942;Moreira et al, 2004;Weber, 1941Weber, , 1945Weber, , 1946Weber, , 1947Weber, , 1966Weber, , 1969bWeber, , 1972bWeber, , 1982Wheeler, 1907 (Adams and Longino, 2007;Dejean and Olmsted, 1997;Klingenberg et al, 2007;Mueller and Wcislo, 1998;Ramos-Lacau et al, 2012;Schultz et al, 2002;Weber, 1941Weber, , 1945Weber, , 1946Weber, , 1947Weber, , 1969bWeber, , 1972bWeber, , 1982Wheeler, 1907) (Bucher, 1974;Diehl-Fleig and Diehl, 2007;Klingenberg and Brandão, 2009;Klingenberg et al, 2007;Weber, 1941Weber, , 1945Weber, , 1969bWeber, , 1982Wheeler, 1907) Mycetosoritis x x x -Underground. 1 to 2 chambers Small mound, single entrance (Mueller et al, 2010;Wheeler, 1907) AJ, TRS, JSC unpublished.…”

Methodological remarks on rearing basal Attini ants in the laboratory for biological and evolutionary studies: overview of the genus Mycetophylax

“…The nests were located by nest mounds, which can be easily recognized by their specific characteristics. The entrances are located on the top of a small sand turret and surrounded by a sand crater, except in the case of M. morschi, which constructs larger craters without a sand turret (Weber, 1982;Diehl-Fleig and Diehl, 2007). A hole of about 1 m in depth was excavated exactly 10 cm from the nest mound.…”