A note on Szelenyiopria pampeana (Loiácono) n. comb., parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae) attacking the fungus growing ant, Acromyrmex lobicornis Emery (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Attini) in La Pampa, Argentina

Diapriids are predominately known as parasitoids of fly pupae. According to Huggert and Masner (1983), representatives of three subfamilies of ants (Myrmicinae, Formicinae and Dorylinae) are the known hosts of myrmecophilic diapriinae wasps (Diapriidae: Diapriinae); within the Myrmicinae, the genera known to be associated with diapriines are Solenopsis Westwood, Tetramorium Mayr and possibly Myrmica Latreille. Acromyrmex ambiguus (Emery) (Myrmicinae), is known as larval host of Szelenyiopria lucens (Loiácono) (Loiácono 1987). Masner and García (2002) noted that this is the first member of the tribe Diapriini in the New World to be positively reared from ants. Gymnopria pampeana Loiácono was reared from A. lobicornis Emery in Argentina (Loiácono et al. 2000). Fernández Marin et al. (2006) provided details of the biology of the diapriine wasps Acanthopria spp. and Mimopriella sp., both of which attack larvae of Cyphomyrmex fungus-growing ants.

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Review of the New World genus Acrotaphus Townes, 1960 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae), with descriptions of fifteen new species

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4719.1.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4719 (1) ◽

pp. 1-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

DIEGO G. PÁDUA ◽

ILARI E. SÄÄKSJÄRVI ◽

RICARDO F. MONTEIRO ◽

MARCIO L. OLIVEIRA

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Male Genitalia ◽

New World ◽

Parasitoid Wasps ◽

First Time

Acrotaphus Townes, 1960 is a moderately large New World genus of spider attacking parasitoid wasps. Previously, it comprised 11 species. The present study aims to review the genus, and includes descriptions of 15 new species: A. amajari sp. n., A. amazonicus sp. n., A. bodoquenaensis sp. n., A. cuzconus sp. n., A. dolichopus sp. n., A. homeofranklini sp. n., A. jackiechani sp. n., A. kourou sp. n., A. micrus sp. n., A. monotaenius sp. n., A. nambilloensis sp. n., A. pseudoamazonicus sp. n., A. pseudomexicanus sp. n., A. venezuelanus sp. n. and A. zampieronae sp. n.. In addition, we present new characters for the study of the genus and describe the male genitalia for the first time. An illustrated key and maps to the species of the genus are provided. Acrotaphus franklini Gauld, 1991 and A. pseudoamazonicus sp. n. were recorded from the nests of Trypoxylon (Trypargilum) lactitarse Saussure, 1867 (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae).

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Molecular analysis of parasitoid linkages (MAPL): gut contents of adult parasitoid wasps reveal larval host

Molecular Ecology ◽

10.1111/j.1365-294x.2010.04918.x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 179-186 ◽

Cited By ~ 66

Author(s):

RODOLPHE ROUGERIE ◽

M. ALEX SMITH ◽

JOSE FERNANDEZ-TRIANA ◽

CARLOS LOPEZ-VAAMONDE ◽

SUJEEVAN RATNASINGHAM ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Analysis ◽

Gut Contents ◽

Parasitoid Wasps ◽

Larval Host ◽

Adult Parasitoid

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Patterns of diversity and abundance of fungus-growing ants (Formicidae: Attini) in areas of the Brazilian Cerrado

Revista Brasileira de Zoologia ◽

10.1590/s0101-81752008000300009 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 445-450 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Heraldo L. Vasconcelos ◽

Bruna B. Araújo ◽

Antonio J. Mayhé-Nunes

Keyword(s):

New World ◽

Brazilian Cerrado ◽

Cerrado Biome ◽

Ant Nests ◽

Attine Ants ◽

Fungus Growing Ants ◽

Abundance And Distribution ◽

Unique Species ◽

World Fauna ◽

Forest Habitats

Fungus-growing ants (tribe Attini) are characteristic elements of the New World fauna. However, there is little information on the patterns of diversity, abundance, and distribution of attine species in their native ecosystems, especially for the so-called "lower" genera of the tribe. A survey of attine ant nests (excluding Atta Fabricus, 1804 and Acromyrmex Mayr, 1865) was conducted in a variety of savanna and forest habitats of the Cerrado biome near Uberlândia, Brazil. In total, 314 nests from 21 species of nine genera were found. Trachymyrmex Forel, 1893 was the most diverse genus with 10 species. Eighteen species were found in the savannas, including Mycetagroicus cerradensis Brandão & Mayhé-Nunes, 2001, a species from a recently-described genus of Attini, whereas in the forests only 12 species were found. Forest and savannas support relatively distinct faunas, each with a number of unique species; the species present in the forest habitats did not represent a nested subset of the species found in the savannas. Furthermore, although many species were common to both types of vegetation, their abundances were quite different. The density of attine nests is relatively high at some sites, exceeding an estimated 4,000 nests per hectare. In this sense, attine ants can be regarded as prevalent invertebrate taxa in the Brazilian Cerrado.

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