Paraschivescu, D.

English

Paraschivescu D.

University of Szeged

STUDIES ON ANTS AND THEIR COMMENSAL INSECTS D. Paraschivescu Paraschivescu, D. (1993): Ecological studies on ants and their commensal insects. - Tiscia 27, 29-31. Abstract. In Dobrudja (Roumania, South-West Europe) Atelura formicaria Heyder and A. pseudolepisma Grassi (Tisanura) were found in the nest of Messor structor Latr. Formica pratensis Retz, was proved to be the host species of Lepisma aurea Dufour (Tisanura) and Lomechusa strumosa F. (Coleóptera: Staphilinidae). Atropos formicaria Hagen (Psocoptera) was present in the nest of Lasius fuliginosus (Latr.). Experimental laboratory researches were carried out on behavioural and ecological aspects of the relations between M. structor and A. formicaria. Key words: commensal insects. D. Paraschivescu, Institute of Biology, Rumanian Academy of Sciences, Bukarest, Rumania Introduction Among the papers dealing with myrmecophily, Jannet (1897), Halifman (1964), Hölldobler (1967) and Gösswald (1989) gave summarizations and reviews. Bernard (1968) enumerated 241 commen-sal insect species from the nests of 193 ant species in Western and Southern Europe. Our previous stud-ies described the trophic relations between Lachni-dae and Formicidae (Paraschivescu, 1973; 1975; 1976a, c). This paper presents the results of the field and laboratory studies on commensal insect of ants in Dobrudja, Rumania, from the period of 1968-1991, focused mainly onto the first part of it. Material and Methods The observations were carried out in South-western Dorudja (Rumania) in the localities of Valului Traian and Palas-Constanta Agigea. The nest populations of ants and their commensal insect guests were collected in the field by excavating the nests and preserved in 70 % ethanol. The commen-sal insects were studied from the nests of Messor structor (Latr.), Formica pratensis Retz, and Lasius fuliginosus Latr. Altogether ten nests of these spe-cies were sorted and the guest insects were identi-fied. Field observations were compared with the results of laboratory studies. Artificial nests (Jannet, 1897; Paraschivescu, 1972) were used to maintain ant colonies with their guest insects in laboratory conditions. The nest walls were made of plexiglass and paraffin oil was employed to prevent ants to leave the nest. Results (1) Field observations Atelura formicaria Heyder was found in the nests of Messor structor (Table 1) together the ant workers, usually in the oval chambers with the rem-nants of Gramineae plants, the seeds of which are collected by Messor. Its flattened body helps to disappear very rapidly among ant workers if the nest is disturbed as well as to approach regurgitating ants to collect food drops from them during tro-phallaxis. The other species collected from Messor nests was A. pseudolepisma Grassi and Roseli. The other three species of commensal insects (Lepisma aurea Dufour, Lomechusa strumosa F. and Atropos formicaria Hagen) were found in the nests of Formica pratensis and Lasius fuliginosus (Table 1) in a number much less than in the case of Atelura formicaria. 29 TISCIA 27 Table 1. Number of individuals of commensal insects found in nests of different ant species. species date commensal species individual number of commensal species Messor structor Latr. 15.06.1979 * 1 Atelura formicaria Heyder 14 ·· 2 13 Messor structor Latr. 17.06.1979 1 9 » 2 6 » * 3 ·· 15 * 4 7 ·· * 5 Atelura pseudolepisma 3 Grassi and Roselli Formica pratensis Retz. 17.06.1979 1 Lepisma aurea Dufor 2 ·· 2 Lomechusa strumosa F. 9 Lasiusfuliginosus Latr. 17.06.1979 « * 1 Atropos formicaria Hagen 3 Total 3 species 5 commensal insect species 81 individuals * nest built in the soil; * * nest with middle mound (2) Laboratory experiments In each of the three artificial nests of Messor, there were particular chambers, where Atelura formicaria individuals were seen. Since the total number of Atelura specimens was 49 with 589 ants, their appearance and activity rates were high in these chambers, therefore a tendency of aggregation is establish. All the pairs of food changing ants were surrounded by two or three Atelura as a rule, and the ratio of food taken from the ants is high. Their high efficiency is explained by the high speed of Atelura movement. Acknowledgment. Commensal insects were identified in the Taxonomic Laboratory of Institute of Biology, Jassy University. Author would like to thank for this courtesy. References Bemard, F. (1968): Les Fourmis d'Europe occidentale et septentrionale. - Paris 3,79-367. Gősswald, К. (1989): Die Waldameise I. Biologische Grundlagen. - Ökologie und Verhalten, Aula Verlag, Wiesbaden. Halifman, I. (1964): Parola antenelor incrucisate. - Ed. St. Bucuresti, pp. 208-218. Hölldobler, B. (1967): Zur Physiologie der Gast-Wirt-Beziehungen (Myrmeciphilie) bei Ameisen I. Das Gastverhältnisse der Atemeies und Lomechusa Larven (Col. Staphylinidae) zu Formica (Hym. Formicidae. - Z. Vol. Physiol. 56, 1-21. Jannet, Ch. ( 1897): Rapports des animaux myrmécophyles avec les Fuurmis (Limoges). - Mem. Soc. Zool. France 10, 302-323. Paraschivescu, D. (1969): Cercetari experimentale privind nutritia la fumica granivora Messor structor Latr. (Hym. Formicidae). - Prima consfatuire Nationala de Entomologie Il-a, 149-162. Paraschivescu, D. (1972): Relatia trofica dintre Formica pratensis si Cinara pinea (de pe pin) si Buchneria pectinate (de pe brad). - Studi! si Cercetari de Biologie, ser. Zool. 24, 355-362. Paraschivescu, D. (1973): Un nou tip de instalatie experimentala pentru studierea formicidelor eu unul sau mai multe cuiburi. - Studii si Cercetari de Biologie, ser. Zool. 25, 289-291. Paraschivescu, D. (1975): Über die trophischen Beziehungen zwischen einigen Formiciden (Hymenoptera), Aphididen und Lachniden (Homoptera) an Wildpflanzen in Rumänien. -Polskié Pismo Entomoloezene 45,67-80. Paraschivescu, D. (1976): Morphologische Untersuchungen über die Ameisenarbeiterinnen von Formica pratensis Retz. im Hindblick auf ihre trophischen Beziehungen zu Lachniden-Aphiden Arten. - Waldhygiene 11, 171-172. Paraschivescu, D. (1976): Vergleichende Untersuchungen zur Trophobiose von Fornica polyetena Forst, und Formica pratensis Retz. zu verschiedenen Umgebung von Wür/.buig - Waldhygiene 11, 173-178. Paraschivescu, D. (1976): Die Tages- und Jahreszeitlichen Veränderungen der Belaufdichte von Formica pratensis Retz. in Wechselbeziechungen mit Lachniden-Aphiden-vorkommen einiger Waldbiotope bei Würzburg. Waldhygiene 11,179-185. 30 TISCIA 27 Paraschivescu, D. (1976): Experimentelle Untersuchungen im Waldbiotop über die trophischen Beziechungen zwischen den verschiedenen Lachniden- und Forraiciden-Arten. Waldhygiene 11, 185-188. Pohl, L. (1955): Vergleichende anatomisch-històlogische Untersuchungen an Lepisma saccharina L. und der myrmecophylen Atelura formicaria Heyder. - Beitrag, Diss. Inst. Angewandte Zool. Würzburg 91,57. 31 TISCIA 27 

Ecological studies on ants and their commensal insects

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Ecological studies on ants and their commensal insects

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