Myrmecia Pilosula Research Articles

INSECTICIDAL CONTROL OF MYRMECIA PILOSULA F. SMITH (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE)

AbstractFour chemicals registered for ant control in Tasmania and available in household packs (bendiocarb, chlorpyrifos, diazinon and permethrin) are effective in the control of jackjumper ant, Myrmecia pilosula. Chlordane also gave control but was slow to act. Propoxur was ineffective.

Chromosomal polymorphisms involving telomere fusion, centromeric inactivation and centromere shift in the ant Myrmecia (pilosula) n=1

Detailed karyological surveys of the ant Myrmecia pilosula species group, which is characterized by the lowest chromosome number in higher organisms (2n=2), were attempted. We revealed that this species has developed highly complicated chromosomal polymorphisms. Their chromosome numbers are in the range 2n=2, 3, and 4, and six polymorphic chromosomes are involved, i.e., two for chromosome 1 (denoted as SM1 and ST1), three for chromosome 2 (A2, A′2, and M2), and M(1+2) for the 2n=2 karyotype. We suggested that these chromosomes were induced from a pseudo-acrocentric (A1M) and A2 as follows: (1) A1M→SM1 or ST1 by two independent pericentric inversions; (2) A2→A′2→M2 by chromosomal gap insertion and centromere shift; and (3) ST1+A2→M(1+2) by telomere fusion, where (3) means that the 2n=2 karyotype was derived secondarily from a 2n=4 karyotype. It is a noteworthy finding that active nucleolus organizer (NOR) sites, in terms of silver staining, are tightly linked with the centromere in this species, and that both the centromere and NOR of A2 were inactivated after the telomere fusion.

Effect of a Gregarine Parasite on the Color of Myrmecia pilosula (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Soft-bodied brown ants were found in some colonies of the black ant Myrmecia pilosula (F. Smith) during the season when young adult workers eclose. Brown workers were previously thought to be young callows whose cuticle had not yet darkened. Strong evidence is presented against this hypothesis. Furthermore, all brown ants dissected (n = 50) were found to contain very many spores of a gregarine protozoan parasite. Normal black workers of M. pilosula usually contained no gregarine spores. Aberrant brown workers discovered in two other species of Myrmecia were also found to have hemocoeles filled with gregarine spores. It seems likely that the gregarine parasite, when present in very large numbers, interferes with the normal darkening of cuticle in the pupal stage, leading to abnormal brown ants.

EVIDENCE FOR SEVERAL SIBLING BIOLOGICAL SPECIES CENTRED ON MYRMECIA PILOSULA (F. SMITH) (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE)

AbstractChromosome numbers of 2n = 2,9,10,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,30,31 and 32 were found for Myrmecia pilosula (F. Smith). Karyotopic and morphological evidence indicates the presence of a “M. pilosula” complex with at least 3 biological species.

Modes of spontaneous chromosomal mutation and karyotype evolution in ants with reference to the minimum interaction hypothesis.

Aspects of chromosomal mutation and karyotype evolution in ants are discussed with reference to recently accumulated karyological data, and to detailed karyotype analyses of several species or species complexes with low chromosome number and unusual chromosomal mutations (the complexes of Myrmecia pilosula (Smith) (n = 1, 5 or 9 to 16); M. piliventris Smith (n = 2, 3-4, 17 or 32), and Ponera scabra Wheeler (n = 3 or 4, 2n = 7 or 8). Translocations and Robertsonian polymorphisms are confirmed to be non-randomly distributed among ants -the former are found at high frequencies in species with low chromosome numbers (n less than or equal to 12), while the latter predominate in those with high numbers (n greater than 12). This situation is consistent with the minimum interaction hypothesis of Imai et al. (1986), under which translocations are expected to occur most frequently in low-numbered karyotypes, and that the resulting genetic risks are minimized by increases in chromosome and/or arm numbers through centric fission and pericentric inversion. Centric fusion is considered to be a transient event in karyotype evolution, resulting from telomere instability in acrocentric chromosomes.

The natural history of sensitivity to jack jumper ants (Hymenoptera formicidaeMyrmecia pilosula) in Tasmania

There are no records of the natural history of allergic reactions to "jack jumper ant" (Myrmecia pilosula) stings, but a letter to Tasmanian newspapers asked that persons who had not received prophylactic injections for such stings to report any reactions that they had experienced. Two hundred replies were received from a population of 400,000 persons, which shows that these reactions are widespread and that victims are often terrified at the thought of a further sting. Persons who responded were sent a circular and their reactions were classified. The first 100 replies were analysed: 49 persons reported an immediate generalized reaction from the first sting; 31 of these 49 persons and 18 others had a generalized reaction to further stings; and there was a tendency for local reactions at the sting site to become generalized to the whole body. Of the 15 persons who had had no reaction to a first sting, 12 claimed to have developed a generalized reaction on receiving a subsequent sting. Although self-selection may have provided an exaggerated view of the frequency with which reactions to the stings of jack jumper ants become generalized, the problem is clearly one of considerable magnitude which requires further research and attention.

Myrmecia pilosula , an Ant with Only One Pair of Chromosomes

A new sibling species of the primitive Australian ant Myrmecia pilosula has a chromosome number of n = 1. C-banding techniques confirm that the two chromosomes of workers are homologous. Males are haploid, as in other Hymenoptera, and their somatic cells contain only a single chromosome. This new species is potentially of great importance in both laboratory and field studies on gene organization.

RELATEDNESS OF NORMAL QUEENS (MACROGYNES) IN NESTS OF THE POLYGYNOUS ANT MYRMICA RUBRA LATREILLE.

EvolutionVolume 36, Issue 1 p. 107-112 ArticleFree Access RELATEDNESS OF NORMAL QUEENS (MACROGYNES) IN NESTS OF THE POLYGYNOUS ANT MYRMICA RUBRA LATREILLE Barrie Pearson, Barrie Pearson Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Furzebrook Research Station, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5AS EnglandSearch for more papers by this author Barrie Pearson, Barrie Pearson Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Furzebrook Research Station, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5AS EnglandSearch for more papers by this author First published: January 1982 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.1982.tb05015.xCitations: 15 Corresponding Editor: D. J. Futuyma AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume36, Issue1January 1982Pages 107-112 ReferencesRelatedInformation