Abstract
Tropical plants frequently live in association with ants that protect their foliage from defoliators. Among them, myrmecophytes have evolved mutualisms with a limited number of plant-ants that they shelter and feed, and, in return, benefit from some protection. Hirtella physophora (Chrysobalanaceae), for example, houses Allomerus decemarticulatus (Myrmicinae) that build gallery-shaped traps to catch large prey. In French Guiana, we frequently observed the assassin bug Zelus annulosus (Reduviidae, Harpactorinae) on the leaves of H. physophora. Here, we studied the distribution of Zelus annulosus among understory plants in the Guianese rainforest and found it only on pubescent plants, including H. Physophora, whether or not it was sheltering an A. decemarticulatus colony, but only rarely on other myrmecophytes. The relationship between Z. annulosus and its host plants is, then, also mutualistic, as the plant trichomes act as an enemy-free space protecting the nymphs from large predatory ants, while the nymphs protect their host-plants from herbivorous insects. Through their relationship with A. decemarticulatus colonies, Z. annulosus individuals are protected from army ants, while furnishing nothing in return. In those cases where H. physophora sheltered both an A. decemarticulatus colony and Z. annulosus nymphs, certain plant individuals repeatedly sheltered nymphs, indicating that female bugs may select not only pubescent plants but also particular H. physophora treelets having characteristics more favourable to the development of their progeny.
Highlights
Tropical plants frequently live in association with ants that protect their foliage from defoliators
Because some Harpactorinae complement their diet by exploiting extrafloral nectaries or biting the plant to suck the sap [15,17], each time we found Z. annulosus on a H. physophora treelet, we observed their behaviour during 15 minutes and noted if they bit the leaves and the position of the extremities of their rosters on the extrafloral nectaries
The nymphs of all instars were noted on H. physophora whether or not they were sheltering an A. decemarticulatus colony as well as on pubescent plants
Summary
Tropical plants frequently live in association with ants that protect their foliage from defoliators. Plant-ants protect their host myrmecophytes from defoliators, competitors and pathogens [1]. Plant-ants are very aggressive toward alien arthropods likely to be found on their host myrmecophytes, some species of spiders, coleopterans and lepidopterans are tolerated [6,11], and social and solitary wasps can even install their nests on myrmecophytes. They benefit from protection from army ants, but provide nothing in return to the myrmecophyte or to the plant-ant, resulting in a form of commensalism [12,13]. Ant colonies can tolerate commensalists such as isopods, millipedes, collembolans, orthopterans, lepidopterans and coleopterans [14]
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