ABSTRACT
The new termite genus Divinotermes is described, comprising D. allognathus comb.nov., previously included in Spinitermes, D. tuberculatus sp.nov. and D. digitatus sp.nov. The alate, soldier and worker castes of the new genus and the digestive tube and mandibles of workers are described, illustrated and compared with related genera. An identification key for soldiers and a distribution map for all species are provided. The new genus belongs to the South American Termes-group and has remarkable singular characters.
KEY WORDS: Isoptera; Termitinae; termites, Neotropical Region, taxonomy
Return to top
ABSTRACT
The Aenictus hottai group is established to include two species (a named and a new species) occurring in Southeast Asia: Aenictus hottai Terayama et Yamane, 1989 and Aenictus yamanei Wiwatwitaya et Jaitrong, sp. nov. Both are probably restricted to Sundaland and inhabit lowland primary forests.
KEY WORDS: Taxonomy, Formicidae, Aenictinae, Aenictus yamanei, army ants, new species
Return to top
ABSTRACT
In order to know the species of Silphidae (Coleoptera) in Western Jalisco, México a study was carried out from November, 2003 to December, 2004. Carrion traps baited with squid were used. Four species were collected, Nicrophorus mexicanus, N. olidus, Thanatophilus truncatus, and Oxelytrum discicolle. Nicrophorus olidus was the most common species; it was collected throughout the year at every single location. Nicrophorus mexicanus is more common at higher altitudes, while N. olidus is more abundant in lower locations. Male:female ratios for each species were: O. discicolle (0.34), T. truncatus (3), N. mexicanus (0.38), and N. olidus (0.94). N. mexicanus is bigger than N. olidus (mean: 15.04 mm and 13.43 mm, p< 0.01). N. mexicanus was more common in May and June; while N. olidus was more common from July to January. Species of Silphinae were less common. The least common species was Thanatophilus trucatus with only 4 specimens in one location.
KEY WORDS: Carrion beetles, community assemblage, size
Return to top
ABSTRACT
Workers of Neivamyrmex albacorpus, n. sp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ecitoninae) are described from ants collected at the Reserva de la Biosfera Barranca de Metztitlán, Hidalgo, México. The distinctive characteristics of the species are the smooth yellowish-white body and the absence of eyes. The holotype worker is deposited in the CNIN at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
KEY WORDS: Neivamyrmex albacorpus, new species, Metztitlán, Hidalgo
Return to top
ABSTRACT
Amblyopone boltoni sp. nov. is described from India. This is the fourth species of the genus known in India with A. bellii Forel,1900, A. rothneyi Forel,1900 and A. pertinax Baroni Urbani,1978 reported earlier. This also confirms the first record of the subfamily Amblyoponinae from Northwest Himalaya. An identification key to the worker caste of Indian species has been provided.
KEY WORDS: India, Amblyoponinae, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Amblyopone, new species
Return to top
ABSTRACT
Ant nests vary in their depth and internal complexity. They can be shallow or reach seven meters down into the soil, with many chambers connected by tunnels. In the case of leaf-cutting ants, the nest protects the colony and provides appropriate microclimate conditions for the ants and the symbiotic fungus garden. In the present study we compared the internal architecture and population size of Acromyrmex subterraneus molestans nests in an urban and a rural area. We excavated, molded and measured six nests in an urban area and five nests in a rural area. For each nest, we measured the total volume of fungus in the chambers and estimated the population by counting the workers, which were separated into four size classes. The nests of A. subterraneus molestans in the urban and rural areas were always found near the base of trees. In the urban area they were also found near the curb of sidewalks. Ants use old roots and debris to reinforce the structure of the nest tunnels and at the same time reduce the costs of excavation by taking advantage of pre-existing cavities. Nests from the rural area had only one chamber, whereas in the urban area they had up to four chambers. Fungus chambers showed non-defined shapes and were found near the soil surface, both in the urban and in the rural area. Closeness to the surface may pose a problem to the maintenance of the humidity levels required by the fungus garden. The accumulation of cut leaves over the nest, as observed for other species of leaf-cutting ants, in particular A. crassispinus, may be a strategy to solve this problem. Building superficial nests also helps reduce the costs of excavating, and saves energy in the transport of substrate to the fungus chamber. The nest tunnels were located in pre-existing cavities and almost always connected the external environment to the fungus chamber. There were also longer tunnels that opened at some distance from the nest. These tunnels allow an increase in the foraging area and reduce the risk of outside predation. With respect to population size, we noted that the small workers represented on average 50% of the population, with no difference between the proportion of workers of each size class between urban and rural nests. No significant differences were found in the volume of fungus between nests of the urban and rural area. There were no significant correlations between the volume of fungus and the total population of workers or the number of workers of each size class.
KEY WORDS: leaf-cutting ants, nest architecture, Acromyrmex
Return to top
ABSTRACT
Ectatomma opaciventre (Formicidae: Ectatomminae) presents an individual foraging strategy in the epigeal stratum. It is a generalist predator, collecting a wide variety of live or recently dead arthropods. The objective of this study was to determine individual foraging pathways and identify prey types in the diet of this species. The individual foraging pathways of 3 colonies were determined by following foragers in the field and recording the time and maximum foraging distance from the nest. Diet was assessed by the collection and identification of the prey carried between the mandibles of the ants. Foragers collected mainly other species of ants. The maximum foraging distance was 5.14 m and the longest time spent foraging was 66 minutes. The pathways appeared to be spatially distributed in a way that avoids intersection with pathways from other nests and favors search for food in areas unexplored by other individuals.
KEY WORDS:
Return to top
ABSTRACT
The social Vespidae are important agents for biological control in agroecosystems and natural ecosystems. Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is the most important tomato pest in South America. This insect was introduced into Europe and the Mediterranean region of Africa, where it has caused great damage. Despite the importance of Vespidae, little is known about their activity as predators of pest insects. Thus, this study aimed to determine the importance of social Vespidae as predators of T. absoluta, to study the influence of climatic elements on their foraging activity, to establish techniques for sampling, and to study their predation behavior. The main predators of T. absoluta larvae were the social Vespidae, which preyed mainly caterpillars of the third and fourth instars. The social Vespidae predators of T. absoluta larvae were: Brachygastra lecheguana, Protopolybia exigua, Polybia ignobilis, Polybia scutellaris, Protonectarina sylveirae, Polybia fastidiosuscula and Synoeca cyanea. P. scutellaris and P. sylveirae were the most abundant ones. The social Vespidae showed predation activity from 2 to 11 hours after sunrise. Predation of T. absolute by Vespidae involved the behavior of locating the plant, locating of mines in the leaves, identification of mines with caterpillars, opening the mines, catching the caterpillars, transporting of caterpillars and body cleansing.
KEY WORDS: Social insects, Vespidae, tomato pinworm, predation behavior, foraging wasps
Return to top
ABSTRACT
Predatory behavior of the ponerine ant Diacamma rugosum (Le Guillou), a generalist predator, was studied in the laboratory. When T. molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae, Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) workers and C. formosanus soldiers, as representative prey with different morphological or defensive characteristics, were supplied to them, the foragers of D. rugosum showed similar capture sequences. However, their predatory actions were different in the way of prey detection, attack, carrying and transportation. The flexible predatory behavior of D. rugosum foragers makes them efficient in capturing a diversity of prey species. Moreover, prey selection of D. rugosum was tested when fed with two different combinations of C. formosanus workers and soldiers, living or dead. It was found that the number of living termite workers hunted by D. rugosum within 30 min was significantly larger than that of living soldiers, living termite workers were significantly preferred than dead ones by D. rugosum foragers, and the dead soldiers were the less preferred prey of D. rugosum foragers. It is suggested from the prey selection tests that the ponerine ant D. rugosum is an agent to be considered in the Integrated Pest Management of forest termites.
KEY WORDS: predatory behavior, prey selection, ponerine ants, Diacamma rugosum, termites
Return to top
ABSTRACT
Trials were conducted in 2007-2008 to test the discovery and consumption of a novel durable bait matrix by subterranean termites when compared to wooden monitoring devices. The durable bait was an experimental matrix intended to be installed instead of monitoring devices and serviced at intervals of up to one year. Subterranean termite species tested (and states in which trials were conducted) were as follows: Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (HI, LA); Heterotermes aureus (Snyder) (AZ); Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) (FL, MS, SC, TX, VA); R. malletei Clément (DE); R. hageni Banks (FL); and R. hesperus Banks (CA). Two treatments were tested, an extruded durable bait and wood monitors. Neither treatment tested in these trials contained active ingredient due to the need to preserve termite colonies in test sites and a desire to compare discovery rate and consumption without the effect of a toxicant. Trials were conducted for one year and were evaluated at 90 d intervals.
When data were summarized across all termite species and locations, termites discovered and consumed significantly (p < 0.01) more durable baits than wooden monitors. Results for individual species usually mirrored overall results, but differences were not always significant. Durable bait usually averaged about 15% more active stations than did wood monitors and the difference was relatively consistent across the four evaluation dates. Visual estimates of percent consumption of durable baits were about twice or more of that for wood monitors at each evaluation interval. The differences between these two treatments increased at each evaluation interval, indicating that termites continued to consume more durable baits than wooden monitors at each interval throughout the trials. Because the durable bait weighs more (150 gms) than the wood monitors (65 gms), average consumption by weight was about 88 gms for the durable bait and a little over 19 gms for the wood monitors at the 360 d evaluation. Durability ratings indicated that the durable bait matrix averaged only slight deterioration. Based on colonization and consumption, the durable bait matrix was equal to or superior to the wood monitors and was durable for a minimum of 1 yr. Thus, durable bait installed in all stations around a structure should provide termite control from the outset that is equal to that with conventional monitoring and baiting systems and should allow service intervals of up to one year.
KEY WORDS: Termite baiting, noviflumuron bait, bait durability, bait consumption
Return to top
ABSTRACT
The tailless gene belongs to the nuclear receptor gene superfamily that encodes ligand activated transcription factors (Pignoni et al.1990; Monaghan et al.1995). This gene encodes an orphan nuclear receptor termed tailless and is expressed during the development of the central nervous system in insects and vertebrate embryos. In our study, the tailless homolog (referred as PvTll) was cloned from the ant Polyrhachis vicina Roger (Hymenoptera:Formicidae). The full length of PvTll is 1634 base pairs, contains a 5´-untranslated region of 197 bp and a 3´- untranslated region of 177 bp. The open reading frame of PvTll encodes a 419-amino acid peptides with a predicted molecular mass of 47.8 kilo Daltons. Using real-time quantitative RT-PCR to study PvTll mRNA expression patterns indicated that this gene is differentially expressed during P. vicina development, in whole bodies of different castes as well as in heads of different castes. The high mRNA levels expression in both the embryos and adults suggest the essential role of tailless in ant development.
KEY WORDS: molecular cloning, PvTll, real-time quantitative RT-PCR, Polyrhachis vicina
Return to top
ABSTRACT
Pollen samples collected by Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera) from 2004, October/November and 2005, April/October, were intercepted from six bee hives, to identify plants that could be used as pollen sources for the bees. The samples were prepared by the acetolysis method and compared to reference slides and melissopalynologycal catalogues. The dominant pollen types (Eucalyptus sp., Arecaceae type, Myrcia type, Anadenanthera sp. and Philodendron sp.) were consistent during both years of the study, while Cecropia sp. and Miconia ligustroides were only observed in 2004 and Zinnia elegans only in 2005. The results confirm the importance of Eucalyptus sp.; Myrcia type (including Myrcia spp., Myrciaria spp., Eugenia spp., Psidium spp.); Anadenanthera sp.; Philodendron sp. and Arecaceae family plants as pollen sources for honeybees in this region. Additionally, it was observed that plants as M. ligustroides, Z. elegans, Raphanus spp., Trema spp. and Poaceae plants can become pollen suppliers, if they are present in large numbers in this area.
KEY WORDS: honey bees, Apis mellifera, pollen type
Return to top
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted in order to catalog the flora species visited by Apis mellifera in a cerrado area in the municipality of Cassilândia/MS/Brazil. To accomplish this, we analyzed the pollen present in honey samples collected monthly from Apis mellifera hives from May/2003 through June/2004. Pollen types were identified by means of descriptions obtained from the specialized literature. Twenty-seven pollen types were found, distributed among 13 plant families; the following types were dominant: Schinus sp. (Anacardiaceae), Tapirira sp. (Anacardiaceae), Montanoa sp. (Asteraceae), Mimosa scabrella (Fabaceae), Miconia sp. (Melastomataceae), Anadenanthera sp. (Fabaceae), and Eucalyptus sp. (Myrtaceae).
KEY WORDS: bees, cerrado, honey, pollen type
Return to top
ABSTRACT
In order to study the nestmate recognition signal in Odontomachus bauri, behavioral tests and chemical analyses of the mandibular (MG) and postpharyngeal gland (PPG) compounds were performed. Behavioral bioassays consisted of placing two workers (a nestmate and an alien) on the foraging area in the surroundings of the O. bauri nest; three types of treatments were applied. These were: whole bodies, body parts and gland extracts. In each treatment, the ant behavior was quantified. Chemical analyses of MG volatiles were performed using the headspace-solid phase microextraction technique and PPG hydrocarbons were analyzed by the solid sample technique. Then both were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Workers recognized conspecifics and body parts from other colonies as aliens, showing that recognition signals are found over the whole body. Dummies impregnated with MG and PPG extracts were recognized as aliens, but the thorax with MG alien extract received more attacks than the thorax with the nestmate extract. Chemical analyses showed that MG volatiles have intercolonial variation. Most of the behavioral and chemical evidence show that MG volatiles are involved in the nestmate recognition system.
KEY WORDS: HS-SPME, Mandibular gland, Nestmate recognition, Odontomachus bauri, Postpharyngeal gland
Return to top
ABSTRACT
Genetic diversity of Turkish honey bee populations was examined by PCR-RFLP of an anonymous nuclear DNA locus named 1231 region. The two halves of this locus, E1N and NE2, were amplified from 70 bee colonies from 9 different localities. The restriction site differences responsible for the allelic RFLP patterns were determined. In one half of the 1231 region, E1N, was digested with BclI, HhaI and XhoI. The other half of this 1231 region, NE2, was digested with AluI, NsiI, PstI, XhoI, HhaI and HindIII. One to seven different restriction patterns for each restriction enzyme were found in Turkish honey bees and reference samples, European and African honey bees.
KEY WORDS: Apis mellifera, nDNA, RFLP, genetic diversity, Turkey
Return to top
ABSTRACT
Three new species of the ant genus Stenamma Westwood collected in the Himalaya and Hengduan Mountains are described, i.e., S. ailaoense sp. nov., S. wumengense sp. nov., and S. yaluzangbum sp. nov. A revised key to the 24 known species of Palaearctic and Oriental regions is provided.
KEY WORDS: Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Stenamma, Taxonomy, New species, China
Return to top
ABSTRACT
Cytochemical and histochemical tests applied to the venom glands of Neoponera villosa worker ants showed the presence of specific elements, such as lipids, polysaccharides (including glycogen), total protein, RNA, DNA and nucleolus organized regions (NORs). It was observed that protein is the most abundant element, since all portions of the gland reacted with strong positivity to the bromophenol blue test, especially the secretion, revealing the protein characteristics of the venom. Lipids were also present throughout the majority of the venom glands. The polysaccharides were more evident within the cells of the convoluted gland. The secretion, meanwhile, showed a weak positive reaction to this test. Despite the large number of protein elements in the secretion, was observed that the protein is not always in free form and is often associated with other elements, probably forming complexes. Tests to demonstrate RNA, DNA and NORs showed intense cell activity along the different portions of the gland and showed different stages of cell cycles. Tests for the dosage of protein in individuals collected in the summer (February-March) and winter (August-September) showed that there are differences in the total concentration of protein in the glands. Proteins with different molecular weights were detected in the final secreted product.
KEY WORDS: ants, electrophoresis, lipids, polysaccharides, Ponerinae, proteins, venom glands
Return to top
ABSTRACT
The mite Varroa destructor (Anderson & Truemann 2000) (Acari: Varroidae) is one of the most studied parasites of Apis mellifera, as it causes many losses in apicultural business worldwide. Several research studies have demonstrated distinct levels of virulence of the mite and increased colony mortality rates due to its infestation; however only a few studies report the mite's effects on specific tissues, glands or other organs in bees. In this context, this study was conducted with the aim of studying the parasitic effect of the mite V. destructor on hypopharyngeal glands of Africanized A. mellifera. Mean gland cell areas for bees with and without mite infestations were significantly different. Variations in the number of vesicles and the presence of reduced-size glands and abundant nuclei were also observed. The secretion produced by the hypopharyngeal glands is important to the development of the broods and queen nutrition, thus a decrease in secretion production has a negative effect in the colony fitness as a whole.
KEY WORDS: Apis mellifera, parasitism, hypopharyngeal glands, Varroa destructor, Varroosis
Return to top
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to analyse ant communities in different physiognomies of the Atlantic Forest in southern Bahia, at various degrees of anthropic alterations. It was conducted at the Michelin Ecologic Preservation Area at Ituberá, Bahia. Ant communities associated with three physiognomies were analysed using litter sifting with Winkler extraction and pitfall trapping: a preserved forest fragment, a ‘capoeira’ fragment, and a cocoa-rubber agro-forestry system. The data were submitted to Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) for physiognomy ordination according to fauna composition. The observed and the expected richness of species were provided by the rarefaction curve (Mao Tau) and the first-order Jackknife estimators calculated through the EstimateS program. The Morisita similarity index was calculated using the PAST program. According to the analyses performed, the preserved forest fragment and the ‘capoeira’ fragment were more homogeneous than the cocoa-rubber agro-forestry system. Our results provide information for the taxonomic and ecological knowledge of ant species living in forest remnants of the Atlantic Forest biome in southern Bahia.
KEY WORDS: agro-forestry; litter dwelling ants; pitfall trapping
Return to top
ABSTRACT
Peltophorum species are widely distributed in South America and dependent on bees for pollination and fruit production. Observations and capture of insect flower visitors of P. dubium were conducted in an area of grassland in the municipality of Dourados/MS, Central-Western Brazil. The aim of this study was to identify and catalogue the floral visitor community in P. dubium. Floral buds were tagged to monitor their development. Peltophorum dubium has yellow flowers, with terminal racemes and a diurnal anthesis pattern (begins at 6:40 to 8:30 h). The sugar concentration in nectar was 34%. The most frequent flower visitors were: Apis mellifera, representing 37.5% of specimens captured, Trigona spinipes (13.2%), Xylocopa sp. (10.2%), Geotrigona mombuca (4.8%) and Exomalopsis sp.3 (4.1%). These bees were most abundant between 7:00 and 14:00 h. Except for A. mellifera, the time of day influenced the frequency and distribution of these bees. As for the foraging behavior on flowers of P. dubium, Xylocopa sp., Bombus sp. and Oxaea flavescens were considered effective pollinators. The other bees, A. mellifera, T. spinipes, Scaptotrigona depilis, G. mombuca, Paratrigona sp. and Exomalopsis sp.3 were occasional pollinators or pillagers, while other insects were only pillagers.
KEY WORDS: Canafistula, entomofauna, richness
Return to top
ABSTRACT
Three new species of the ant genus Myopias Roger collected in China are described, i.e., M. luoba sp. nov., M. menba sp. nov., and M. hania sp. nov. New supplemental data for M. conicara Xu is provided based on recently collected specimens. A key to the 5 known Chinese species is provided based on the worker caste.
KEY WORDS: Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myopias, Taxonomy, New species, China
Return to top
ABSTRACT
The flight activities of the stingless bee Lepidotrigona hoozana and honeybee Apis cerana were studied diurnally and periodically to examine temporal and climactic foraging niche differentiation in Taiwan. Statistical analyses showed that the level of flight was correlated with the temperature and light intensity in both species. Both species could fly under dry and moderately wet conditions. We conducted a principle components analysis (PCA) to tease apart the effects of different environmental variables. The first PCA factor for L. hoozana was temperature limits on flights and foraging. For A. cerana, the PCA revealed that light intensity was the most important limiting factor. In most cases, A. cerana foragers had more departure flights per unit time and spent more time flying than foragers of L. hoozana. The minimum flight temperatures for L. hoozana ranged from 11ºC to 16ºC, and were higher than the minimum flight temperatures of 8ºC to 10ºC for A. cerana. Thus, A. cerana colonies exhibited greater flight activity during cooler times of the year than L. hoozana. This was more of a benefit in A. cerana than L. hoozana because of the physiological predominance.
KEY WORDS: Honeybees, flight activity, stingless bee, thermal foraging niche
Return to top