Several somatic and sexual anomalies such as gynandromorphism and other morphological malformations have been described in ants, but cases of supernumerary legs in natural populations are rare, with only six cases reported to date. Moreover, few cases of abnormalities have been reported for the Ponerinae subfamily, with only three cases of genetic chimeras and five teratological cases worldwide. We report here a new case of teratology in this subfamily, with a seven-legged worker pupa found in a Neoponera villosa colony nesting in an epiphytic tank bromeliad. This is the second case for Mexico of a morphological anomaly in a ponerine ant, but the first report of a teratological case in the subfamily for this country.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13744-024-01168-z | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
A Neoponera villosa (Fabricius, 1804) Worker Pupa with too Many Legs (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
Neotrop Entomol
August 2024
El Colegio de La Frontera Sur, Dpto. Conservación de La Biodiversidad, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Several somatic and sexual anomalies such as gynandromorphism and other morphological malformations have been described in ants, but cases of supernumerary legs in natural populations are rare, with only six cases reported to date. Moreover, few cases of abnormalities have been reported for the Ponerinae subfamily, with only three cases of genetic chimeras and five teratological cases worldwide. We report here a new case of teratology in this subfamily, with a seven-legged worker pupa found in a Neoponera villosa colony nesting in an epiphytic tank bromeliad.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHydrocarbons in Formicidae: influence of chemical footprints on ant behavioral strategies.
Naturwissenschaften
April 2024
Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental, Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso Do Sul, Dourados, Mato Grosso Do Sul, 79804-970, Brazil.
When an insect walks, it leaves chemical cues that derive from the arolium, a tarsal structure. These cues may contain important information about other species that occur in their community and can then mediate interactions of competition, predation, and information about resources with ants from their own colony. The compounds of these cues are released into the substrate in the form of chemical footprints.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCohabitation with aggressive hosts: description of a new microhisterid species in nests of a ponerine ant with ecological notes.
Sci Rep
October 2023
Departamento de Conservación de la Biodiversidad, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Avenida Centenario Km 5.5, Chetumal, Mexico.
A new clown beetle species, Bacanius neoponerae, is described from Mexican nests of the arboreal ponerine ant Neoponera villosa found in the tank bromeliad Aechmea bracteata. Adult beetles were found in brood chambers or inner refuse piles, but also outside the ant nests, in decaying organic matter between the bromeliad leaves. No direct interactions between ants and microhisterid beetles could be observed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA new ant-butterfly symbiosis in the forest canopy fills an evolutionary gap.
Sci Rep
October 2021
Departamento de Conservación de La Biodiversidad, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Avenida Centenario Km 5.5, 77014, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Myrmecophilous butterflies can establish complex symbiotic relationships with ants. A caterpillar wandering among the brood of the aggressive ponerine ant Neoponera villosa was found inside the core of a nest built in the myrmecophytic bromeliad Aechmea bracteata. This is the first caterpillar found living inside a ponerine ant nest.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNest Site Selection during Colony Relocation in Yucatan Peninsula Populations of the Ponerine Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
Insects
March 2020
El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Conservación de la Biodiversidad, Avenida Centenario km 5.5, Chetumal 77014, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
In the Yucatan Peninsula, the ponerine ant nests almost exclusively in tank bromeliads, In this study, we aimed to determine the factors influencing nest site selection during nest relocation which is regularly promoted by hurricanes in this area. Using ants with and without previous experience of , we tested their preference for refuges consisting of leaves over two other bromeliads, and . We further evaluated bromeliad-associated traits that could influence nest site selection (form and size).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!