Phorid Flies Parasitizing Leaf-Cutting Ants: Their Occurrence, Parasitism Rates, Biology and the First Account of Multiparasitism

Abstract

The leaf-cutting ants Atta sexdens (Linnaeus) and Atta laevigata (Smith) were parasitized by the following phorid flies: Apocephalus attophilus Borgmeier, Apocephalus vicosae Disney, Myrmosicarius grandicornis Borgmeier and species of Eibesfeldtphora Disney. It is also related here that the area of occurrence of phorids parasitizing A. sexdens was extended to include Central Brazil. The rate of parasitism on A. sexdens was three times lower than the rate found on A. laevigata; most common flies were, respectively, M. grandicornis in A. sexdens and A. attophilus in A. laevigata. This last phorid showed the shortest life span but the higher percentage of emergence. Multiparasitism on workers of A. sexdens and of A. laevigata involving three combinations of four phorid species was rare and is here related for the first time for leaf-cutting ants.

Keywords

• Savannah
• host-parasite association
• natural enemies
• Phoridae
• Atta sexdens
• Atta laevigata