What is it about?
The Black Crazy Ant is an important invasive species worldwide. In Brazil it is seen as a nuisance for hospitals and homes, where the sheer number and resilience of ants will contaminate instrumentation and available food. However, the ants themselves carry endogenous fungi. These are described in the present publication, based on a standard microbiological assay done with wandering workers from Brazil. A list of identified fungi by culturing and morphology is given.
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Why is it important?
Endogenous fungi usually include important pathogens to their host. Therefore a list of fungi identified from an invasive species will contain the names of important biological control candidates and natural enemies for that pest species.
Perspectives
The produced fungi are to be further investigated as potential biocontrol agents, apart from including taxa which have never been studied before. Ideally, similar culturing protocols ought to be applied to all important ant species, drawing a panorama of endogenous fungal diversity among invasive species. The possibilities are endless. Hope more colleagues will catch this thread.
Dr Eduardo G P Fox
IBCCF / UFRJ
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Preliminary List of Microfungi Found inParatrechina longicornis(Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Florida Entomologist, December 2010, Florida Entomological Society,
DOI: 10.1653/024.093.0429.
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