Coccus celatus (coffee green scale).

The female lays eggs which hatch within a matter of hours. There are three nymphal stages which are mobile. The adult female is sedentary and covered by an ovoid, green scale, about 3.5 mm long and only slightly convex. All stages feed principally on the underside of the leaf generally close to a vein but may also be found on green shoots, fruits and other parts of the plant. In Uganda it was reported (as C. consimilis) to be found on the collar of the plant at or just below ground level (De Lotto, 1960). Associations: Ants such as Tetramorium aculeatum (Uganda; De Lotto, 1960) and Solenopsis geminata (Papua New Guinea; Buckley and Gullan, 1991) which feed on the honeydew, build earth covers over the colonies. Oecophylla longinoda (Ivory Coast; Couturier et al., 1985), Crematogaster sp. (Papua New Guinea; Murphy, 1985), Paratrechina sp. (Papua New Guinea; Murphy, 1985), Pheidole sp. (Papua New Guinea; Murphy, 1985) and Technomyrmex albipes (Papua New Guinea; Murphy, 1985) also tend colonies. The presence of ants undoubtedly hinders attacks by natural enemies both by shielding the colonies and by removing honeydew. Murphy et al. (2011) attest that in Papua New Guinea 14 species of ant attend C. celatus/C. viridis populations of which only two are native (Rhoptromyrmex sp1 and Rhoptromyrmex melleus). By contrast six exotics and six species (origin unknown) attend the scales. The three spatially most common and abundant exotic species were Anoplolepis gracilipes (yellow crazy ant), Pheidole megacephala (African big-headed ant) and T. albipes (white footed ant).

Re-Analysis of Abdominal Gland Volatilome Secretions of the African Weaver Ant, Oecophylla longinoda (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The African weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda, is used as a biological control agent for the management of pests. The ant has several exocrine glands in the abdomen, including Dufour’s, poison, rectal, and sternal glands, which are associated with pheromone secretions for intra-specific communication. Previous studies have analyzed the gland secretions of Dufour’s and poison glands. The chemistry of the rectal and sternal glands is unknown. We re-analyzed the secretions from Dufour’s and poison glands plus the rectal and sternal glands to compare their chemistries and identify additional components. We used the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technique to collect gland headspace volatiles and solvent extraction for the secretions. Coupled gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis detected a total of 78 components, of which 62 were being reported for the first time. These additional components included 32 hydrocarbons, 12 carboxylic acids, 5 aldehydes, 3 alcohols, 2 ketones, 4 terpenes, 3 sterols, and 1 benzenoid. The chemistry of Dufour’s and poison glands showed a strong overlap and was distinct from that of the rectal and sternal glands. The different gland mixtures may contribute to the different physiological and behavioral functions in this ant species.

Impact des fourmis rouges Oecophylla longinoda Latreille (Hymenoptera : Formicidae) sur la dynamique des populations de Coelaenomenodera lameensis Berti & Mariau (Coleoptera : Chrysomelidae), principal ravageur du palmier à huile Elaeis guineensis JACQ. en Côte d’Ivoire

1 RESUME Objectif : Le palmier à huile, source d’huile végétale, est sujet aux attaques de ravageurs dont la mineuse des feuilles, Coelaenomenodera lameensis BERTI ET MARIAU (Coleoptera : Chrysomelidae, Hispinae). Ce ravageur cause d’importants dégâts dans les palmeraies en Côte d’Ivoire. Dans un contexte actuel d’agriculture durable et de préservation de l’environnement, l’on se tourne de plus en plus vers la lutte biologique en réduisant l’utilisation de produits chimiques. Cette étude a donc été initiée, avec pour objectif de contribuer à la lutte intégrée contre C. lameensis par l’utilisation d’un ennemi naturel, les fourmis Oecophylla longinoda Latreille (Hymenoptera : Formicidae). Méthodologie et Résultats : L’étude a été conduite sur des parcelles d’âges différents (4 ans, 10 ans et 12 ans) à la station CNRA de la Mé où la dynamique des populations de C. lamensis a été suivie en relation avec la présence de O. longinoda. Les résultats révèlent qu’il existe une forte corrélation négative entre la densité des larves et des adultes de C. lameensis et le taux de présence de O. longinoda. Les populations de C. lameensis sont réduites avec la présence de O. longinoda sur les palmes. Conclusion : Les fourmis oecophylles sont donc de potentiels agents de lutte biologique pour le contrôle des populations de C. lameensis. Impact of red ants Oecophylla longinoda Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on the population dynamics of Coelaenomenodera lameensis Berti & Mariau (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), the main pest of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis JACQ. in Côte d'Ivoire. ABSTRACT Objective: Oil palm, a source of vegetable oil, is prone to pest attacks, including the leaf miner, Coelaenomenodera lameensis Berti And Mariau (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Hispinae). This pest causes significant damage in the palm groves in Côte d’Ivoire. In a current context of sustainable agriculture and preservation of the environment, we are turning more and more towards biological control by reducing the use of chemicals. This Kouassi et al., 2019 Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences (J.Anim.Plant Sci. ISSN 2071-7024) Vol.41 (1): 6757-6766. https://doi.org/10.35759/JAnmPlSci.v41-1.3 6758 study was therefore initiated, with the aim of contributing to the integrated control of C. lameensis by the use of the natural enemy, the ants Oecophylla longinoda Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Methodology and Results: The study was conducted on plots of different ages (4 years old, 10 years old and 12 years old) at the CNRA station in La Mé, where the population dynamics of C. lamensis were monitored in relation to the presence of O. longinoda. The results reveal that there is a strong negative correlation between larval and adult density of C. lameensis and the rate of occurrence of O. longinoda. The populations of C. lameensis are reduced with the presence of O. longinoda on the palms. Conclusion: Oecophyllous ants are therefore potential biological control agents for the control of C. lameensis populations.

Diversity of Ants and Termites of the Botanical Garden of the University of Lomé, Togo

Ants and termites are used as bioindicators in many ecosystems. Little knowledge is available about them in Togo, especially ants. This study aimed to find out how ants and termites could be used to assess the restoration of former agricultural land. These insect groups were sampled within six transects of 50 x 2m2 (using pitfall traps, monoliths, baits for ants and hand sampling for termites) in two consecutive habitats: open area (grassland) and covered area (an artificial forest). Seventeen termite species and 43 ant species were collected. Seven ant species were specific to the covered area against four for the open area, while four unshared species of termite were found in the open area against three in the covered area. The presence of unshared species was linked to vegetation, as Trinervitermes (Holmgren, 1912), a grass feeding termite, was solely found in open area. Also, for some ant species like Cataulacus traegaordhi (Santschi, 1914), Crematogaster (Lund, 1831) species, Oecophylla longinoda (Latreille, 1802) and Tetraponera mocquerysi (Brown, 1960), all arboreal species, vegetation was a determining factor for their presence. The occurrence of these species together with Basidentitermes mactus (Sjöstedt, 1911), Strumigenys bernardi (Brown, 1960) and S. sistrura (Bolton, 1983), suggest a more advanced level of restoration of the covered area.

Weaver Ant Oecophylla longinoda Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Performance in Mango and Cashew Trees Under Different Management Regimens

Weaver ants are used for biological control of insect pests in plantation crops. To obtain proper pest control, ant densities need to be high. Food availability and nesting facilities on host plants and management practices may affect ant performance. In the present study, we tested the effect of two host plant species (mango and cashew) and three different management practices (ants only, ants fed with sugar and ants combined with the soft chemical insecticide Spinosad) on weaver ant performance. Performance was assessed over a 22 month period, as an index value based on the number of ant trails per tree and as the number of ant nests per tree. A total of 216 trees (72 per treatment) were observed in each crop. In all treatments, the ants performed better in mango compared to cashew. Using the index based performance measure, ants also performed better in the sugar treatment as compared to the two other treatments, whereas this was not the case in cashew. We conclude that sugar feeding can be used to increase ant populations in mango. We also found that the treatment with Spinosad in combination with ants showed performance equal to the treatments with only ants, suggesting that Spinosad did not negatively affect ant populations. We therefore conclude that Spinosad is compatible with the use of weaver ants in integrated pest management programs.