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Pérez-Lachaud G, Klompen H, Poteaux C, Santamaría C, Armbrecht I, Beugnon G, Lachaud JP. Context dependent life-history shift in Macrodinychus sellnicki mites attacking a native ant host in Colombia. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8394. [PMID: 31182745 PMCID: PMC6557818 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44791-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ant parasitoidism has been reported in seven of the 26 recognized species of the mite genus Macrodinychus (Machrodynichidae). Macrodynichus sellnicki, previously reported as a parasitoid of the invasive ant Nylanderia fulva in Colombia, is now reported, in the same region, as attacking a native host, Ectatomma sp. 2 (E. ruidum complex). The mite develops within the protective silk cocoon of an Ectatomma pupa and waits for the emergence of the young ant before leaving the cocoon, unmolested. Overall nest prevalence was relatively high (34.6% of the 52 nests containing cocoons) but pupae prevalence was low (4.0%, n = 1401 cocoons). Mite life-history (parasite or parasitoid) was context dependent, shifting according to the intensity of the attack on a same host. Contrary to the strictly parasitoidic association of M. sellnicki with N. fulva, single mite attacks against E. ruidum did not result in host killing and solitary M. sellnicki (78.6% of the cases) behaved as parasites. However, in 21.4% of the attacks (0.9% of all available host pupae) more than one mite was involved and behaved as parasitoids, draining the host of its internal fluids and killing it. This is the first association of a macrodinychid mite with a species of the subfamily Ectatomminae, and the first ant associated mite for which such a context dependent life-style shift is described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Pérez-Lachaud
- Departamento de Conservación de la Biodiversidad, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Chetumal, 77014, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Hans Klompen
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43212, USA
| | - Chantal Poteaux
- Laboratoire d'Éthologie Expérimentale et Comparée, EA 4443, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 93430, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Carlos Santamaría
- Departamento de Biología, Grupo GEAHNA, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
| | - Inge Armbrecht
- Departamento de Biología, Grupo GEAHNA, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
| | - Guy Beugnon
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université de Toulouse UPS, CNRS-UMR5169, UPS, 31062, Toulouse, Cedex 09, France
| | - Jean-Paul Lachaud
- Departamento de Conservación de la Biodiversidad, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Chetumal, 77014, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université de Toulouse UPS, CNRS-UMR5169, UPS, 31062, Toulouse, Cedex 09, France.
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