Billen, Johan

Espadaler, Xavier

Tartally, Andras

Tragust, Simon

English

Sydney eScholarship

6Thalli on compound eye (left) and antenna (lower right). Note intact cuticle. Attachment of Laboulbeniales fungi on their ant hosts: ultrastructural studyAndrás TARTALLY1, Simon TRAGUST2, Xavier ESPADALER3 & Johan BILLEN41Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, H-4032, Debrecen, Hungary, tartally.andras@science.unideb.hu; 2University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, Animal Ecology I/NW I, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany; 3Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain; 4Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Zoological Institute, University of Leuven, Naamsestraat 59-Box 2466, 3000 Leuven, BelgiumIntroduction and AimLaboulbeniales (Ascomycetes) are ectoparasitic fungi growing on the cuticle of arthropod hosts. Among social insects only termites and ants are known to harbour some species of Laboulbeniales. Although the existence of Laboulbeniales on ants has been known for more than a century, the interactions with their hosts remained understudied. We were especially interested how fungal thalli anchored in the cuticle of their hosts and whether cuticle perforations indicative of nutrient uptake by the fungus from the host were obvious.MethodsUsing Scanning Electron Microscopy (1-5, 7-17) and  Light Microscopy (6, 18) we compared four of the only six ant-parasitizing Laboulbeniales species. Results and DiscussionGenerally Laboulbeniales are considered parasitic as it is assumed that they draw nutrients from their hosts. In our study, however, we did not find any indication that fungi associated with ant hosts actually penetrating the cuticle (see especially: 6, 17-18). This finding challenges the parasitic status of Laboulbeniales associated with ant hosts and raises the question how and what nutrients can be gained by Laboulbeniales living on social insect hosts.Laboulbenia camponotion Camponotus sylvaticusLaboulbenia formicarumon Lasius neglectusRickia wasmanniion Myrmica scabrinodisRickia n.sp.on Messor wasmannii 234589111213141516Thallus on frontal part of head. Note intact cuticle. brain18ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: We thank Alex Vrijdaghs and An Vandoren for their help in scanning microscopy and tissue sectioning. AT was supported by a Marie Curie Career Integration Grant within the 7th European Community Framework Programme and by a ‘Bolyai János’ scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA). 17Rest of artificially removed R. wasmannii  thallus. Note intact cuticle. 1107

Attachment of Laboulbeniales fungi on their ant hosts: ultrastructural study

https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/11404/4/Poster003.pdf

Attachment of Laboulbeniales fungi on their ant hosts: ultrastructural study

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