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The diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) interacting with the invasive hibiscus mealybug Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green 1908) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) on ornamental and cultivated plants in Bahia, Brazil

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Abstract

Biological invasions by exotic species are among the major threats to biodiversity worldwide. The pink hibiscus mealybug (PHM) Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green 1908) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is an invasive mealybug species that has been reported in Brazil since 2010. This species is sometimes found in mutualistic association with ants, which help spread this pest and also prey on or remove its natural enemies. Here, we describe for the first time the interactions between ants and M. hirsutus in Brazil, focusing on cocoa trees, Theobroma cacao (L., Malvaceae), and on the ornamental species Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth (Mimosaceae), and hibiscus Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. (Malvaceae), all in the state of Bahia, Brazil. We collected M. hirsutus and associated ants on 50 randomly selected plants of these three species at three sites. We found a high diversity of ants (46 species) in trophobiotic interaction with the exotic mealybug. The highest ant species richness was found on hibiscus, with 33 species recorded interacting with the mealybug. Thirty ant species were observed associated with M. hirsutus on cocoa trees. We found significant differences in the ant assemblages according to site and plant species. Mutualisms with exotic species can cause profound alterations in the communities where they are inserted. This description of ant—M. hirsutus associations in Brazil is an initial step towards a better understanding of the mechanisms by which these mutual interactions become structured in the Neotropics and of their impacts on environment and agriculture.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank José Crispim Soares do Carmo for help in field collections, Wesley Duarte da Rocha for the photographs of ant/M. hirsutus interactions, and Jonathan J. Majer, for his detailed English revision. This study was supported by the PRONEX FAPESB/CNPq PNX0011/2009 project titled: “Rede Multidisciplinar de Estudos sobre Formigas Poneromorfas do Brasil”. JHCD and CSFM acknowledge their research fellowships from CNPq.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Rodovia Jorge Amado Km 16, Ilhéus, BA, 45662-900, Brazil

    Thamy E. D. Marques

  2. Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Instituto de Biologia, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Biomonitoramento, Rua Barão de Geremoabo, 147, Campus Ondina, Salvador, BA, 40170-290, Brazil

    Elmo Borges de Azevedo Koch

  3. Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Baiano Campus Santa Inês, BR 420, Km 2,5, Santa Inês, BA, 45.320-000l, Brazil

    Igor Silva dos Santos

  4. Laboratório de Mirmecologia, Centro de Pesquisa do Cacau (CEPEC-CEPLAC), Itabuna, BA, 45600-970, Brazil

    Thamy E. D. Marques, Elmo Borges de Azevedo Koch, José Raimundo Maia dos Santos, Cléa dos Santos Ferreira Mariano & Jacques H. C. Delabie

  5. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, BA, 45662-900, Brazil

    Cléa dos Santos Ferreira Mariano

  6. Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, BA, 45662-900, Brazil

    Jacques H. C. Delabie

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  1. Thamy E. D. Marques
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Correspondence to Thamy E. D. Marques.

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11829_2017_9563_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Supplementary material 1 (TIFF 5771 kb). Fig. S1 Similarity dendrogram (Jaccard’s distance) comparing the ant assemblages associated with the invasive hibiscus mealybug Maconellicoccus hirsutus on different plant species (CA = Theobroma cacao, HI = Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, and SA = Mimosa caesalpiniifolia) and localities (CAM = Camamu, EUN = Eunálopis, JEQ = Jequié)

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Marques, T.E.D., de Azevedo Koch, E.B., dos Santos, I.S. et al. The diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) interacting with the invasive hibiscus mealybug Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green 1908) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) on ornamental and cultivated plants in Bahia, Brazil. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 12, 237–246 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-017-9563-z

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