Entedoninae wasps (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae) associated with ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in tropical America, with new species and notes on their biology

Christer Hansson,Jean-Paul Lachaud,Gabriela Pérez-Lachaud

doi:10.3897/zookeys.134.1653

Christer Hansson, Jean-Paul Lachaud + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.134.1653

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Journal: ZooKeys	Publication Date: Oct 6, 2011
Citations: 12	License type: CC BY 3.0

Affiliation: Natural History Museum, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur

Abstract

Three new species of Eulophidae associated, or presumed to be associated with ants are described: two species of Horismenus Walker and one species of Microdonophagus Schauff. Information on the biology is also included. The two Horismenus species are from Chiapas, Mexico. Horismenus myrmecophagus sp. n. is known only from females and is a gregarious endoparasitoid in larvae of the weaver ant Camponotus sp. ca. textor. The parasitoids pupate inside the host larva, and an average of 6.7 individuals develops per host. This is the second time a species of genus Horismenus is found parasitizing the brood of a formicine ant of genus Camponotus. Horismenus microdonophagus sp. n. is described from both males and females, and is a gregarious endoparasitoid attacking the larvae of Microdon sp. (Diptera: Syrphidae), a predator on ant brood found in nests of Camponotus sp. ca. textor. The new species of Microdonophagus, Microdonophagus tertius, is from Costa Rica, and known only from the female. Nothing is known about its biology but since another species in same genus, Microdonophagus woodleyi Schauff, is associated with ants through its host, Microdon larva (with same biology as Horismenus microdonophagus), it is possible that also Microdonophagus tertius has this association. A new distributional record for Microdonophagus woodleyi is also reported, extending its distribution from Panama and Colombia to Brazil.

Highlights

Natural enemies of ants include dipteran, strepsipteran and hymenopteran parasitoids (for a review see Wilson (1971), Kistner (1982), Hölldobler and Wilson (1990))
Four associations involving a eulophid wasp and an ant host have been reported to date, and all are genera belonging to the subfamily Entedoninae: an unidentified gregarious parasitoid, apparently closely related to the genus Paracrias Ashmead, was recorded parasitizing larvae of the myrmicine Crematogaster acuta (Fabr.) in Guyana (Wheeler and Wheeler 1924), the prepupae of another, unidentified species of Crematogaster were parasitized by Myrmokata diparoides Bouček (Bouček 1972) in Cameroon, Pediobius marjoriae Kerrich was reared from cocoons of Lepisiota sp. (Formicidae: Formicinae) in Uganda (Kerrich 1973), and Horismenus floridensis (Schauff & Bouček) was found parasitizing the pupae of Camponotus atriceps
Two species of Entedoninae are indirectly associated with ants as they parasitize insects living in ant nests: Kerrich (1973) reported Pediobius acraconae Kerrich from the last instar larva of Acracona remipedalis Karsh (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) living in a nest of Crematogaster depressa (Latreille) or C. africana Mayr (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in Nigeria, and Microdonophagus woodleyi Schauff parasitizes larvae of Microdon sp. (Diptera: Syrphidae), living in nests of Technomyrmex fulvus (Wheeler) (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) (Schauff 1986)

Summary

Introduction

Natural enemies of ants include dipteran, strepsipteran and hymenopteran parasitoids (for a review see Wilson (1971), Kistner (1982), Hölldobler and Wilson (1990)). Four associations involving a eulophid wasp and an ant host have been reported to date, and all are genera belonging to the subfamily Entedoninae: an unidentified gregarious parasitoid, apparently closely related to the genus Paracrias Ashmead (identified by Gahan), was recorded parasitizing larvae of the myrmicine Crematogaster acuta (Fabr.) in Guyana (Wheeler and Wheeler 1924), the prepupae of another, unidentified species of Crematogaster were parasitized by Myrmokata diparoides Bouček (Bouček 1972) in Cameroon, Pediobius marjoriae Kerrich was reared from cocoons of Lepisiota sp. Two species of Entedoninae are indirectly associated with ants as they parasitize insects living in ant nests: Kerrich (1973) reported Pediobius acraconae Kerrich from the last instar larva of Acracona remipedalis Karsh (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) living in a nest of Crematogaster depressa (Latreille) or C. africana Mayr (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in Nigeria, and Microdonophagus woodleyi Schauff parasitizes larvae of Microdon sp.

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