Mycocepurus

Mycocepurus
Mycocepurus goeldii worker
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Mycocepurus
Forel, 1893
Type species
Atta smithii[1]
Forel, 1893
Diversity[2]
6 species
Synonyms

Descolemyrma Kusnezov, 1951

Mycocepurus is a Neotropical genus of fungus-growing ants (tribe Attini) in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The genus is known from Mexico, south to Brazil and Argentina. Like other attines, they primarily grow fungi of the tribe Leucocoprini (family Agaricaceae). They use many different substrates for growing their fungi, from dry leaves and caterpillar dung to fruit matter.[3] One of its species, Mycocepurus smithii, which lives in South America, reproduces by cloning – all ants in a colony are clones of the queen.[4] M. castrator is a parasite of M. goeldii.[5][6]

Species

References

  1. ↑ "Genus: Mycocepurus". antweb.org. AntWeb. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  2. ↑ Bolton, B. (2014). "Mycocepurus". AntCat. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  3. ↑ Mackay, W. P.; Maes, J.-M; Fernández, Patricia Rojas; Luna, G. (2004). "The ants of North and Central America: the genus Mycocepurus (Hymenoptera : Formicidae)". Journal of Insect Science 4 (27): 1–7.
  4. ↑ Jamieson, Alastair (16 April 2009). "Females get along fine without males - in the world of tropical ants". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "Discovery: Deadbeat ant species branched off as parasite inside its own colony". Smithsonian Science. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  6. ↑ Rabeling, Christian; Schultz, Ted R.; Pierce, Naomi E.; Bacci Jr., Maurício (21 August 2014). "A Social Parasite Evolved Reproductive Isolation from Its Fungus-Growing Ant Host in Sympatry". Current Biology (Cell Press). doi:10.1016/j.cub.2014.07.048. Retrieved 28 August 2014. (subscription required (help)).

External links