Poneromorph Ants Associated with Parasitoid Wasps of the GenusKapalaCameron (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae) in French Guiana

Abstract

Eucharitid wasps are specific, specialized parasitoids of ants. The genusKapalaCameron is the most common in the Neotropics but few species are described, and information dealing with their biology, behavior and host associations is scarce. Numerous poneromorph ant colonies were inspected over 4 collection surveys in French Guiana. A diverse fauna of parasites and parasitoids was found, including mermithid nematodes, flies, eucharitids, and another gregarious endoparasitoid wasp. Five new host associations forKapalaare reported, all of them involving medium- to large-size poneromorph ant species from 4 genera:Ectatomma brunneumFr. Smith,Gnamptogenys tortuolosa(Fr. Smith),Odontomachus haematodus(L.),O. mayi Mann, andPachycondyla verenae(Forel). Three other associations involvingO. hastatus(Fabr.),P. apicalis(Latreille), andP. stigma(Fabr.), already reported for other countries but new for French Guiana, are confirmed. The data extend the number of hosts forKapalato 24 ant species from 7 genera. The high diversity of the ant host genera associated withKapala,combined with the fact that these ant genera are the most widely distributed among Neotropical poneromorph ants, could account for the dominant status of the genusKapalaamong the eucharitine wasps of Central and South America.