How common is trophobiosis with hoppers (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha) inside ant nests (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)? Novel interactions from New Guinea and a world-wide overview

0488549 - BC 2019 RIV AT eng J - Journal Article
Klimeš, Petr - Borovanská, Michaela - Plowman, Nichola S. - Leponce, M.
How common is trophobiosis with hoppers (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha) inside ant nests (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)? Novel interactions from New Guinea and a world-wide overview.
Myrmecological News. Roč. 26, FEB 01 (2018), s. 31-45. ISSN 1994-4136
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GB14-36098G
EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 669609 - Diversity6continents
Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) FNRS-17-04
Program: Bilaterální spolupráce
Institutional support: RVO:60077344
Keywords : ants * Fulgoroidea * Formicinae
OECD category: Ecology
Impact factor: 2.619, year: 2018

Trophobiotic interactions between ants and honeydew-providing hemipterans are widespread and many of them occur inside ant nests. However, these cryptic associations are poorly understood. We studied tree-dwelling ant and Hemiptera communities in nests along the Mt. Wilhelm elevational gradient in Papua New Guinea. In particular, we focus here on a novel case of symbiosis between Pseudolasius ants and planthoppers. We provide also a worldwide review of other ant-hopper interactions inside ant-built structures and compare their nature (obligate versus facultative) and distribution within the suborder Auchenorrhyncha. Morphology and molecular data of the planthoppers indicated four related species of the family Flatidae associated with Pseudolasius. This apparent partner-specificity is rare: worldwide, there are only about ten reported cases of obligate symbiosis in ant nests, distributed in five of the thirty-three Auchenorrhyncha families. Those trophobioses are randomly dispersed across the families phylogeny, and thus likely originated multiple times independently.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0284083