Brandão, Carlos Roberto Ferreira

Vanzolini, P. E.

English

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Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia MUSEU DE ZOOLOGIA DA UNIVERSIDADE DE SAO PAULO ISSN 031-1049 Papéis Avulsos Zool., S. Pauk), Vol 36(3): 31-36 15.111.1985 NOTES ON INCUBATORY INQUILINISM BETWEEN SQUAMATA (REPTIUA) AND THE NEOTROPICAL FUNGUS-GROWING ANT GENUS ACROMYRMEX (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) Carlos Roberto Ferreira Brandão P.E. Vanzolini Abstract Egg clusters of Leptodeira annulata and of an unidentified snake species were found within two distinct fungas chambers of a nest of the neotropical gardening ant, Acromyrmex octospinosus, in a cacao farm at Caucagua, Estado Miranda, Venezuela. Literature reports on oviposition and development of reptiles in South American ant nests are reviewed. iNTRODUCnON In March 15, 1982, while collecting ants from a very large nest of Acromyrmex octospinosus, in a cacao farm at Caucagua, Estado Miranda, Venezuela (10.°, 17'N, 66.°, 22'W), one of us (CRFB) found two clusters of eggs within two distinct fungus-gardens chambers. The embryos of one the clusters could be assigned to the colubrid snake Leptodeira annulata. The eggs of the other group (fig. 1) were too immature for identification. The nest, comprising at least ten interconnected fungus chambers, fully ocoupied a rotten trunk about 3 meters long and 1 m in diameter. The colony consisted of one mated queen, several alates of both sexes, workers and brood. Nest population was estimated at about 100,000 individuais, an unusually high number for this particular species (Weber, 1945, 1946; Lewis, 1975). The fungus chambers where the eggs were found had no distinctive features in relation to the remaining chambers. No aggressive behavior of the ants toward the eggs was observed. Discussion The systematics of A. octospinosus and its subspecies was revicwed by Wheeler (1937) and Gonçalves (1961). Weber (1945, 1974) discusscd the distribution, nest structure, colony foundation and establishment of the fungus garden, nest sites, myrmecophiles and predators of the species. He opened several nests in Trinidad, Guyana, Barro Colorado (Panamá), the Orinoco delta and other localities in Venezuela, but never found any reptilian egg within the fungus chambers (personal communication to CRFB). Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo. 32 Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia oclospinosus^ 0t unidentmed snake ^hin the íungus chamber of Acromyrmex * alí .co'workers C970' 1973, 1976) revised the known cases of mcubatory mqmhni&m in neotropical ant nests; we include their data in lable 1. Table 2 hsts the kterature records of adult Squamata found within neotropical ant aests. In only two cases Acromyrmex was not the ant involved in oviposiüon. Goeldi (1987) observed eggs of Anops kingii (Amphisbaenidae) mside a nest of an umdentified Camponoíus. It is well established, however ? ,T/a0?Z!US antS ™ly occuPy deserted nests of other ant species. Aze- vedo (1894:52) reported the discovery of an unidentified amphisbaenid inside Oecodoma cephalotes (= Atta cephalotes ora A. Attini, the myrmícine fungus-growing tribe, can rear pure colonies of symbiotic fungi The ants nourish the fungus in order to eat the goneylidia (mflated tips of hyphae). Among the eleven recognized genera of Attini onlv Aíta, Acromyrmex and Trachymyrmex cut leaves and flowers to culture the fungus. The remaming genera use as substrate for their gardens the corpses of arthropods (mamly insects), insect faeces, dead plant matter or fragments of rotten wood. Atta and Acromyrmex can buid very large nests with up to a thousand chambers filled with bulky masses of fungus (Wilso 1971). Perhaps these two genera are the only Attini with suitable nest sizes Vol. 36 (3), 1985 33 o ON 03 - - O a 9» oè CO •t3 « u. 4> h CO > O r- o\ r» ON GO V V fc r*í U 2 ^ 00 I 11 o\ oo •o s o a S a a CO 1 & u -*>• O - S 9 •? H § S a 1 co <0 a (5 V CO -o • «■o Im d s3 vJ-g <S? « --5 <U I H I i * I ^ a 5 o -o ^ 0 c < v. -C }-( • S V. 5 V o ü eO T3 • **4 u, X> 3 õ u <u eO "O co Q 2 = 20 s o •o 1 'C ^ JD a d 4> CO 2 *C Si «Ô J eO . ■§s^ ^ 53 O I s §. -ti 'S -2 -S  ü.s M ^ a a í-g, Pl •1 •2 EJ s; .11 i-a 60 *3 q Q a c ao «o " Q E-al-S ^ âtl g ^ Q O *3 -2 Ofaí a § 5 o •2 o •>«» H : *> s v. >% S O v. O X V CO •o • m* Ul "fl c o % ^ eO « T3 Oo •C 2 3 0 ô* I > ««5 a •a I- H ! %> s V. PS i V. o V eo *o • w* Im S> d 4Í Q eo O •O w 31 11 Oo a ««3 3 -O O ál -5 u a a a a S2 -2 .2 5 a. 03 a a •S? 5 S a * ■ p^. 5 o w u eo 2 H a o ?s 03 ,3 5 E-. •o c •s ss a T3 '2 *3 •o < s* X) -O T3 Ô <3 X3 a < -a a <3 a -a C <3 00 -O -Q -O 05 •— a a s. -a ■a a c a a 5 X o a i: a H <h 2 v. PS 2 o s O vt 2 s PS H o s o X 3-1 2 s >. 5 a s <J co a «/j a w. o a O a 2 a U co 2 m i.s li g CO >»._. S.s O w s ~ s< V E CO c c o E E o u •o c d O Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia 8 g i* W & O r- os C3 vo os 93 •o " ^ *8 - .§ s ^ 5 - «- ^ Tf os o -o Uc *C3 Ü u, rV Ui N Cg > £? o X) V IH Qh «y -r CA c cg O 1-4 I CA V a cg U §• Ui O V c .*2 a •o c s cg a Cg I a 3 JU a (t> Pd V cg •O H ^3 S Q •2 v! s v» s a -s: ■»-* -s: cx o c 5 O «u Cg 3 'ã o cg X> 3 o* 'eu >» 0 o a •»-» eu o a 1 4) 1 H-l CA 1 a a 1 •S a -a o #CJ a vÜ a S . o o CA CA Cu a. -S .a -a ^a a. a. o a a. Kl <u Cg 3 'S <u Cg X» CA IH t < •= Jü •^t rs I s; o u, C < d) -s; >< s o CJ V. d) -c 5 V. s O V. o X E .S "Ci O * Cü S 5 d> *<3 a cu s V. ?s I V. CJ ^3 a J "1 >4. -Q a V. a I d>«A Vol. 36 (3), 1985 35 for reptilian oviposition. One possible explanation of why reptílian eggs other than amphisbaenians have never been found in Atta nests may be that thc soldíers of this genus are much larger and more powerful biters than thc largest workers of Acromyrmex. Vaz-Ferreira et al. (1970, 1973, 1976) suggested that reptiles scarch ant nests for oviposition sites to prevent predation, keep the immatures in stable condítíons of temperature and humidity (thus avoiding desiccation) and to prevent infestation of the eggs by other species of fungí. For equatorial and tropical snakes hygroscopic stability may well bc thc most important factor, since ambient temperature does not oscillate too widely. Reptile eggs lose water continuously to compensate for metabolic heat. Embryos developing within an egg raise the temperature of the egg and eggshell slightly above that of lhe surrounding air mass. Thc corresponding difference in vapor pressure of water drives the evaporation from egg surfacc to the atmosiphere (Adolph, 1932). Eggs obtained from ant nests always have a moist surface (present observation and Vaz-Ferreira et al., 1970, 1973). Leptotyphlopid, typhlopid and colubrid snakes are able to follow phero- mone trails of various ants and termites selectively (Gehlbach et al., 1971 and references; Vanzolini, 1970). Although these observations were actually related to predation, it is also possible that snakes and other Squamata use olfactory stimuli to locate Acromyrmex nests to lay heir eggs. Acknowledgments The collecting trip in Venezuela was supported in part by a grant from the Fundacion Instituto Internacional de Estúdios Avanzados, Caracas, Ve- nezuela, to Dr. Klaus Jaffé. Dr. Lúcio A. de O. Campos and Prof. Jorge Valenzuela took part in this trip and helped in collecting the Acromyrmex nest. The pioture in Fig. 1 was taken by Dr. Pierre Jaisson. Dr. William L. Brown Jr. revised the manuscript. References Adolph, E. F., 1932, The vaoor pressure tension of frogs. Bio. Buli., 62: 112-25. Autuori, M., 1942. Contribuição para o conhecimento da saúva (Aíta spp. — Hyme- | noptera — Formicidae). III. Escavação de um sauveiro (Aíía sexdens rubropilosa Forel, 1908). Arq. Inst. Biol., S. Paulo, 13 (14): 137-48. Azevedo. A. G. S., 1984. Saúva ou Manhu-uára. Monographia como subsídio a História da Fauna Paulista. São Paulo. 74 p. Freiberg, M. A., 1951. Nuevo hallazgo de Leptotyphlops borrichlana Degerbol en Argentina. Physis, 20 ( 58): 259-62. Gallardo, J. M., 1951. Sobre un Teiidae (Reptilia, Sauria) poco conocido para la fauna argentina, Comun. Mus, argent. Cienc. nat. B. Rivadavia, Zool., 2 (1): 1-8. Gans, C. & Rhodes, C., 1964. A systematic revlsion of Anops Bell, 1833. Am. Mus. Nov., 2186: 1-25. Gehlbach, F, R., Watkins, J. F., II, & Kroll, J. C., 1971. Pheromone trail-íollowing studies of typhlopid, leptotyphlopid and colubrid snakes. Behaviour, 40 (3-4) ; 282-94. Goeldi, E., 1897. Die Fortpflanzungsweise von 13 brasil. Reptilien. Zool. Jahrb., (Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol.), 10 : 640-74. Gonçalves, C. R., 1961. O gênero Acromyrmex no Brasil (Hym. Formicidae). Studia ent., 4: 113-80. Tschudi, J. J., 1866. Viagens às Províncias do Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo. (São Paulo, Martins, 1953. Biblioteca Paulista). 36 Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia Vanzolinl, P.E., 1970. Climbing habits of Leptotyphlopidae (Serpentes) and "WalVs theory of the evolution of the ophidian eye. Pap. Avuls. Zool., S. Paulo 23(2): 13-16. Vaz-Ferreira, R.; Zolessi, L. C. 8c Achaval, F., 1970. Oviposición y desarrollo de ofidios y lacertilíos en hormigueros de Acromyrmex. Physis, 29 ( 79): 431-9. Vaz-Ferreira, R.; Zolessi, L. C. & Achaval, F., 1973. Oviposición y desarrollo de ofidios y lacertilíos em hormigueros de Acromyrmex. II, Trab. V Congr. Lati- noamer. Zool., Montevideo, xii, 1973. I: 232-44. Vaz-Ferreira, R.; Zolessi, L. C. & Achaval, F., 1976. Incubación de huevos de reptiles en la naturaleza y en cautividad. 19 Congr. Parques Zool. dei Cono Sur, Durasno, v, 1976. Weber, N.A., 1945. The biology of the fungus-growing ants. Part. VIII. The Trinidad, B. W. I., species. Rev. de Entomol., Rio de Janeiro, 16 (1-2): 1-83. Weber, N. A., 1946. The biology of the fungus-growing ants. Part IX. The British Guiana species, Rev. de Entomol., Rio de Janeiro, 17 (1-2): 114-72. Weber, N. A., 1947. Lower Orinoco river fungus-growing ants. Boi. ent. venez., 6 (2-4): 143-61. Wheeler, W. M., 1937. Mosaics and other Anomalies among Ants: Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, Mass., 95 p. Wilson, E. O., 1971. The Insect Societies. Belknap Press of the Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, Mass., 548 p. Note added in proof We have received a paper by Gotwald (1984, Sociobiology, 9(1):9-<18) on a find of eggs of Gonatodes humeralis (Gekkonidae) in an arboreal paper carton nest of the neotropical ant Azteca sp. Gotwald considers egg-laying by geokos in Azteca nests as occasional, which does not seem to be the case of reptiles laying in subterranean Acromyrmex nests. Gotwald lists two references míssed in our review. Donisthorpe (1927, The Guests of British Ants. Their Habits and Life-Histories, George Routledge & Sons, Ltd., London, 244 p.) mentions an unidentified amphisbaenid and a misidentified caecilian as living in fungus- growing ant nests in the Amazon and Guiana. Weber (1972, Gardening Ants. The At tines. American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, 146 p) collected a snake (possíbly Elapomorphus lemniscatus) in a nest of Acromyrmex lobicornis in Patagônia and observed snake eggs several times in the fungus gardens of Atta colombica tonsipes in Panamá. 

Notes on incubatory inquilinism between Squamata (Reptilia) and the Neotropical Fungus-Growing Ant genus Acromyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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Notes on incubatory inquilinism between Squamata (Reptilia) and the Neotropical Fungus-Growing Ant genus Acromyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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