Ant nests found in mature pods of Cassia fistula L. and the extended phenotype of herbivores as house to opportunistic twig dwellers

Felipe G. Gonçalves; Maycon R. Silva; Gustavo Tsujimoto; José M. S. Bento; Marcoandre Savaris

doi:10.37486/2675-1305.ec07006

Authors

Felipe G. Gonçalves Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” Universidade de São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba, SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3986-9195
Maycon R. Silva Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” Universidade de São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba, SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9230-5586
Gustavo Tsujimoto Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” Universidade de São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba, SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9950-3610
José M. S. Bento Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” Universidade de São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba, SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8655-5178
Marcoandre Savaris Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” Universidade de São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba, SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9145-6059

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37486/2675-1305.ec07006

Keywords:

Formicidae, Urban ants, Fabaceae, Pods, Plant-ant interactions

Abstract

Ants can present specialized or opportunistic nesting habits; the latter not being restricted to a single or a narrow set of host species in an ecological interaction. Herein we report ant colonies belonging to seven species and four genera inside ripe pods of Cassia fistula L. (Fabaceae) with signs of previous occupation by herbivores. Among the species found nesting in pods previously excavated by phytophagous insects are Cephalotes targionii (Emery, 1894); Cephalotes eduarduli (Forel, 1912); Crematogaster aff. victima Smith, 1858 and Crematogaster sp. (Myrmicinae); Myrmelachista nodigera Mayr, 1887 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae); Pseudomyrmex gracilis (Fabricius, 1804) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Pseudomyrmecinae) and Tapinoma sp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae), all of which showed opportunistic behavior by using pods previously hollowed and holed by phytophagous insects. This is the first record of Cephalotes Latreille, 1802 ants nesting in structures other than trunks and branches.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ackonor, J. B. (1983) The nest and nesting habits of the ant Cataulacus guineensis F. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a Ghanaian cocoa farm. International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, 4(3): 267-283. doi: 10.1017/S1742758400001260

Andrade, M. L.; Urbani, C. B. (1999) Diversity and adaptation in the ant genus Cephalotes, past and present. Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. Serie B, Geologie und Paläontologie, 271: 1-889. https://biostor.org/reference/102758

Baccaro, F. B.; Feitosa, R. M.; Fernández, F.; Fernandes, I. O.; Izzo, T. J.; Souza, J. D.; Solar, R. (2015) Guia para os gêneros de formigas do Brasil. Manaus: Editora INPA, 388.

Bobadilla, D. (2015) First record of Cydia tonosticha (Meyrick) (Tortricidae) from Chile and a new host plant. The Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society, 69(4): 331-333. doi: 10.18473/lepi.69i4.a1

Boscardin, J.; Costa, E. C.; Garlet, J.; Murari, A. B. (2012) Damages caused by Pygiopachymerus lineola (Chevrolat, 1871) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) in seeds of chuva-de-ouro (Cassia fistula L.) used in urban afforestation of Santa Maria city, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Arborização Urbana, 7(4): 09-15. doi: 10.5380/revsbau.v7i4.66539

Byk, J.; Del-Claro, K. (2010) Nectar-and pollen-gathering Cephalotes ants provide no protection against herbivory: a new manipulative experiment to test ant protective capabilities. Acta Ethologica, 13: 33-38. doi: 10.1007/s10211-010-0071-8

Clement, L. W.; Köppen, S. C.; Brand, W. A.; Heil, M. (2008) Strategies of a parasite of the ant–Acacia mutualism. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 62: 953-962. doi: 10.1007/s00265-007-0520-1

Dawkins, R. (1989) O Gene egoísta (2 ed.), Trad. Rejane Rubino. São Paulo: Companhia das letras.

Feitosa, R. M.; Dias, A. M. (2024) An illustrated guide for the identification of ant subfamilies and genera in Brazil. Insect Systematics & Evolution, 55(5): 451-571. doi: 10.1163/1876312x-bja10062

Fonseca-Cortés, A.; Sanabria-Baquero, E. (2022) First record of Crematogaster carinata (Formicidae) nesting in the fruits of Macropsychanthus (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae). Acta Biológica Colombiana, 27(2): 303-307. doi: 10.15446/abc.v27n2.90924

Hölldobler, B.; Wilson, E. O. (1990) The ants. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Kato, H., Yamane, S.; Phengklai, C. (2004) Ant-colonized domatia on fruits of Mucuna interrupta (Leguminosae). Journal of Plant Research, 117(4): 319-321. doi: 10.1007/s10265-004-0161-7

Keller, L. (1998) Queen lifespan and colony characteristics in ants and termites. Insectes sociaux, 45(3): 235-246. doi: 10.1007/s000400050084

Lima, W. R. D. S.; Marques, S. G.; Rodrigues, F. S.; Rebelo, J. M. M. (2013) Ants in a hospital environment and their potential as mechanical bacterial vectors. Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, 46(5): 637-640. doi: 10.1590/0037-8682-1607-2013

Lupo, A.; Galil, J. (1985) Nesting habits of Cardiocondyla wroughtonii Forel (1890) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Israel Journal of Entomology, 19(11).

MacGown, J. A. (2006) Hickory nuts used as nesting sites by ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Marginalia Insecta, 1: 1-3.

Nakano, M. A.; Feitosa, R. M.; Moraes, C. O.; Adriano, L. D. C., Hengles, E. P., Longui, E. L.; Morini, M. S. C. (2012) Assembly of Myrmelachista Roger (Formicidae: Formicinae) in twigs fallen on the leaf litter of Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Journal of Natural History, 46(33-34): 2103-2115. doi: 10.1080/00222933.2012.707247

Oliveira, G. V.; Corrêa, M. M.; Góes, I. M. A.; Machado, A. F. P.; Sá-Neto, R. J.; Delabie, J. H. C. (2015) Interactions between Cecropia (Urticaceae) and ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) along a longitudinal east-west transect in the Brazilian Northeast. Annales de La Société Entomologique de France, 51(2): 153-160. doi: 10.1080/00379271.2015.1061231

Oliveira, A. M.; Powell, S.; Feitosa, R. M. (2021) A taxonomic study of the Brazilian turtle ants (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Cephalotes). Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, 65(3). doi: 10.1590/1806-9665-rbent-2021-0028

Pereira, C. M.; Vogel, H. F.; Moura, M. O. (2015) Insetos predadores de sementes de Cassia leptophylla e a relação entre os períodos pré e pós-dispersivos. Revista de Biologia Neotropical, 12(2): 112-119. doi: 10.5216/rbn.v12i2.28302

Powell, S. (2008) Ecological specialization and the evolution of a specialized caste in Cephalotes ants. Functional Ecology, 22(5): 902-911. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2008.01436.x

Rocas, A. N. (2002) Cassia fistula L. In: Vozzo, J. A. (Ed.), Tropical tree seed manual, pp. 366-368. Washington: United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.

Smith, F. (1858) Catalogue of Hymenopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum: 6: Formicidae (Vol. 6). order of the Trustees.

Souza, A. A. F.; Pujol-Luz, J. R.; Pinheiro, C. P. M.; Miranda, H. S. (2022) First report on the use of Stryphnodendron adstringens (Fabaceae) live fruits as nests by Camponotus sp. and Nesomyrmex spininodis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a Neotropical savanna. Insectes Sociaux, 69(4): 375-381. doi: 10.1007/s00040-022-00883-3

Ward, P. S. (2017) A review of the Pseudomyrmex ferrugineus and Pseudomyrmex goeldii species groups: acacia-ants and relatives (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa, 4227(4): 524-542. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4227.4.3

Wetterer, J. K. (2010) Worldwide spread of the graceful twig ant, Pseudomyrmex gracilis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist, 93(4): 535-540. doi: 10.1653/024.093.0410

Yamashiro, A.; Yamashiro, T. (2008) Utilization on extrafloral nectaries and fruit domatia of Canavalia lineata and C. cathartica (Leguminosae) by ants. Arthropod-Plant Interactions, 2(1): 1-8. doi: 10.1007/s11829-008-9030-y