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Keywords = facultative myrmecophile

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12 pages, 1419 KiB  
Article
Chemical Camouflage Induced by Diet in a Pest Treehopper on Host Plants
by Luan Dias Lima, Amalia Victoria Ceballos-González, Amanda Prato, Adriano Cavalleri, José Roberto Trigo and Fábio Santos do Nascimento
Plants 2024, 13(2), 216; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13020216 - 12 Jan 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1882
Abstract
Ants patrol foliage and exert a strong selective pressure on herbivorous insects, being their primary predators. As ants are chemically oriented, some organisms that interact with them (myrmecophiles) use chemical strategies mediated by their cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) to deal with ants. Thus, a [...] Read more.
Ants patrol foliage and exert a strong selective pressure on herbivorous insects, being their primary predators. As ants are chemically oriented, some organisms that interact with them (myrmecophiles) use chemical strategies mediated by their cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) to deal with ants. Thus, a better understanding of the ecology and evolution of the mutualistic interactions between myrmecophiles and ants depends on the accurate recognition of these chemical strategies. Few studies have examined whether treehoppers may use an additional strategy called chemical camouflage to reduce ant aggression, and none considered highly polyphagous pest insects. We analyzed whether the chemical similarity of the CHC profiles of three host plants from three plant families (Fabaceae, Malvaceae, and Moraceae) and the facultative myrmecophilous honeydew-producing treehopper Aetalion reticulatum (Hemiptera: Aetalionidae), a pest of citrus plants, may play a role as a proximate mechanism serving as a protection against ant attacks on plants. We found a high similarity (>80%) between the CHCs of the treehoppers and two of their host plants. The treehoppers acquire CHCs through their diet, and the chemical similarity varies according to host plant. Chemical camouflage on host plants plays a role in the interaction of treehoppers with their ant mutualistic partners. Full article
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25 pages, 145307 KiB  
Article
Comparative Studies of Perianal Structures in Myrmecophilous Aphids (Hemiptera, Aphididae)
by Natalia Kaszyca-Taszakowska, Mariusz Kanturski and Łukasz Depa
Insects 2022, 13(12), 1160; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13121160 - 16 Dec 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2516
Abstract
There are three types of relationships between aphids and ants: non-myrmecophilous, obligatory and facultatively myrmecophilous. The degree of involvement in this mutualism is believed to be corelated with morphological adaptations of perianal structures. In this manuscript, we analyzed the differences of these structures [...] Read more.
There are three types of relationships between aphids and ants: non-myrmecophilous, obligatory and facultatively myrmecophilous. The degree of involvement in this mutualism is believed to be corelated with morphological adaptations of perianal structures. In this manuscript, we analyzed the differences of these structures in obligatorily (18 species) and facultatively (10 species) myrmecophilous aphids. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light stereoscopic microscopy (LSM) techniques were used for these studies. Comparison of structures showed no strict relationship between their morphology and the degree myrmecophily, with certain indication that the microsculpture of perianal cuticle may play role in protection of aphids against honeydew droplet in facultatively myrmecophilous aphids. Full article
(This article belongs to the Collection Hemiptera: Ecology, Physiology, and Economic Importance)
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13 pages, 1860 KiB  
Article
Varied Effects of Tending Ant Species on the Development of Facultatively Myrmecophilous Lycaenid Butterfly Larvae
by Takafumi Mizuno, Yasuo Hagiwara and Toshiharu Akino
Insects 2019, 10(8), 234; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10080234 - 1 Aug 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4609
Abstract
Ants often tend and protect the larvae of various myrmecophilous lycaenid species, which influences the fitness of butterflies by altering their growth and developmental time. Tending produces diverse effects depending on lycaenid sex and the lycaenid/ant species combination. Effects are widely variable, especially [...] Read more.
Ants often tend and protect the larvae of various myrmecophilous lycaenid species, which influences the fitness of butterflies by altering their growth and developmental time. Tending produces diverse effects depending on lycaenid sex and the lycaenid/ant species combination. Effects are widely variable, especially in facultatively myrmecophilous lycaenids such as Plebejus argyrognomon praeterinsularis, because they are associated with several ant species and can survive without any ant tending. We studied the effects of ant tending on the adult body mass and larval developmental time of P. argyrognomon praeterinsularis. Female larvae grew significantly heavier as adults when tended by Camponotus japonicus rather than by either Lasius japonicus or no ant species. Ant tending did not affect the body mass of adult males or the developmental time of either male or female larvae. Thus, tending by C. japonicus could increase the fitness of P. argyrognomon praeterinsularis by increasing the mass of females without prolonging the duration of vulnerable immature stages, because larger females generally lay more eggs. This means that even facultatively myrmecophilous lycaenids might gain fitness benefits from particular ant species, which could be important in the conservation and management of at-risk species of facultatively myrmecophilous lycaenids. Full article
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