Artigo

Manipulation of wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) behavior by the entomopathogenic fungus ophiocordyceps humbertii in the atlantic forest in Ceará, Brazil1

Behavioral manipulation of hosts by parasites is important to increase the parasite fitness. Some species within the genus Ophiocordyceps, notably pathogens of ants, induce changes in the host's behavior, leading the host to die outside the colony and locking its mandibles on the edge of leaves. Thi...

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Autor principal: Sobczak, Jober Fernando
Outros Autores: Paiva Arruda, Italo Diego, Fonseca, Emily Oliveira, Queiroz Rabelo, Paulo Julião, Sousa Nóbrega, Francisco Ageu de, Pires, Joedson Castro, Somavilla, Alexandre
Grau: Artigo
Idioma: English
Publicado em: Entomological News 2020
Acesso em linha: https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/16535
Resumo:
Behavioral manipulation of hosts by parasites is important to increase the parasite fitness. Some species within the genus Ophiocordyceps, notably pathogens of ants, induce changes in the host's behavior, leading the host to die outside the colony and locking its mandibles on the edge of leaves. This study was conducted in Massif of Baturité, and for the first time, we describe the interaction between fungi and wasps in Northeastern Brazil. We found 24 specimens, eight of each species of wasp, all infected with Ophiocordyceps humbertii. The wasps were Agelaia pallipes, Apoica flavissima, and Polybia chrysothorax. All the hosts were found with their mandibles biting along the edges of leaves. © 2020 BioOne. All rights reserved.