First report of a gall midge as a parasitoid of weaver ants
| Autor: | Julien Haran, Christian Walter Werner Pirk, Robert S. Copeland, Abdullahi Ahmed Yusuf, Emilie Deletre, Bethelihem Mekonnen |
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| Přispěvatelé: | International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), ICIPE, University of Pretoria [South Africa], Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations (UMR CBGP), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Département Systèmes Biologiques (Cirad-BIOS), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad), Smithsonian Institution, Fonctionnement agroécologique et performances des systèmes de cultures horticoles (UPR HORTSYS), Département Performances des systèmes de production et de transformation tropicaux (Cirad-PERSYST), We are thankful to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for funding the PhD fellowship, the University of Pretoria, and icipe Capacity Building Program (ARPPIS) for hosting the (B.M) PhD student. We thank MS Michel Martinez (France) and Raymond J.Gagne (USA) for interesting exchanges on the biology of the Cecidomyiidae family. The authors are grateful to Sevgan Subramanian, a senior entomologist and insect pathologist at icipe (Plant Health Theme) for the beautiful photos. This work was supported through CIRAD, and icipe core funding provided by UK Aid from the UK Government, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and the Kenyan Government. |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Weaver ant
[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] Cecidomyiidae Parasitism Zoology Afrotropical region Hymenoptera Parasitoid Oecophylla longinoda [EN] Gall biocontrol biology Mangifera indica Parasitoïde endoparasitoids Oecophylla longinoda biology.organism_classification Endoparasite Entomologie Insect Science Midge L74 - Troubles divers des animaux Lutte biologique contre les ravageurs L72 - Organismes nuisibles des animaux |
| Zdroj: | Entomologia Generalis Entomologia Generalis, 2020, 40 (4), pp.437-441. ⟨10.1127/entomologia/2020/0908⟩ |
| ISSN: | 0171-8177 |
| Popis: | International audience; Gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) comprise a diverse family of small nematoceran flies. While most species are phytophagous, the family also includes predatory species, and endoparasitoids. Endoparasitic species have been reared from aphids and psyllids. We discovered parasitoid-infected weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda (Latreille) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in nests on mango trees in coastal Kenya. Examination of 5 colonies revealed the presence of parasitoids in all of them, with parasitism rates ranging from 2 to 21%. Morphological examination of larval parasitoids indicated that they were gall midges, and molecular data were consistent with the identification. Attempts to rear adults were unsuccessful. This study presents to the best of our knowledge the first report of Cecidomyiidae parasitising Hymenoptera, as well as the first report of a parasitoid of weaver ants. This species should be investigated further because its damage may limit the ability of weaver ants to control pests of cultivated fruits and other insects. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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