Intranest mutualisms between the forest fire ant Solenopsis virulens (Fr. Smith) (Hymenoptera; Formicidae) and two families of Hemiptera (Membracidae, Monophlebidae) in Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Thalles Platiny Lavinscky Pereira; Freddy Bravo; Jacques Hubert Charles Delabie

doi:10.12741/ebrasilis.v14.e966

Authors

Thalles Platiny Lavinscky Pereira Museum of the North, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2075-3643
Freddy Bravo Departamento de Ciências Biológicas (DCBIO), Laboratório de Sistemática de Insetos (LASIS) - Feira de Santana, BA http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0959-0767
Jacques Hubert Charles Delabie Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA/Cocoa Research Center - CEPLAC - Ilhéus, Bahia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2695-1061

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12741/ebrasilis.v14.e966

Keywords:

Agroforests, Bahia, Endoiastinae, entomology, Scytodepsa tricarinata

Abstract

Hemipterans and ants are frequently recorded in trophobiotic associations, generally mutualism. Nests of the fire-ant Solenopsis virulens (Smith) found at the base of trees in the Atlantic Forest biome, Brazil, were investigated for their commensal fauna. The present study provides new information about the mutualism between the fire-ant with hemipterans Membracidae and Monophlebidae found in their nests, this report is the first mention of this kind of relationships in South America. Such associations are very common between ants and treehoppers but have seldom been reported with the family Monophlebidae.

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