Rickia wasmannii

Rickia wasmannii is a species of the widely distributed entomoparasitic order of fungi Laboulbeniales. It is an obligatory parasite of ants of the genus Myrmica. The thalli penetrate outer layer of the cuticle, and appear on the host body surface. Little is known about its effect on the host ant, but it is usually regarded as a rather neutral symbiont. Contrarily, however, a recent study has documented an increased need of drinking water and a shortened life-span of infected ants.

The known host species of Rickia wasmannii are various Myrmica species, the most frequent being Myrmica scabrinodis. The fungus was reported from many European countries such as Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

References

• Bezdĕčka P et al. (2011) First record of the myrmecophilous fungus Rickia wasmannii (Ascomycetes: Laboulbeniales) in Slovakia. Folia faunistica Slovaca 16(2): 71–72.
• Cavara F (1899) Di una nuova Laboulbeniacea Ricka wasmannii. Malpighia 13: 173-187.
• Csata E et al. (2013) Comprehensive survey of Romanian myrmecoparasitic fungi: new species, biology and distribution North-Western Journal of Zoology 9 (1): no. 131101.
• Csata E et al. (2014) Effects of the ectoparasitic fungus Rickia wasmannii on its ant host Myrmica scabrinodis: changes in host mortality and behavior. Insectes Sociaux - in press
• Haelewaters D (2012) The first record of Laboulbeniales (Fungi, Ascomycota) on Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in The Netherlands. Ascomycete.org
• Tartally A, Szücs B, Ebsen JR (2007) The first records of Rickia wasmannii CAVARA, 1899, a myrmecophilous fungus, and its Myrmica LATREILLE, 1804 host ants in Hungary and Romania (Ascomycetes: Laboulbeniales, Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 10: 123.