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Substantial, and significant, expansion of ant hosts range for Myrmicinosporidium Hölldobler, 1933 (Fungi)

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Abstract

Six new genera, three tribes and one subfamily are added to the list of known hosts for the enigmatic endoparasitic fungus Myrmicinosporidium Hölldobler. Aphaenogaster senilis, Cataglyphis hispanica, Crematogaster auberti, Goniomma hispanicum, Messor barbarus, Tapinoma nigerrimum and Tapinoma simrothi were collected from olive groves and detected as infected with spores of the fungus. Pheidole pallidula and Tetramorium semilaeve were also found to be infected. The finding of seven hosts (seven genera, three subfamilies) from a single olive grove is an evidence that the fungus has a phylogenetically wide host spectrum and is, therefore, a generalist microparasite. Portugal is also a new country for Myrmicinosporidium.

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Acknowledgments

Comments by two reviewers added value to the manuscript. This study was financially supported by FEDER Funds through the Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade—COMPETE and National Funds through the FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, within project PTDC/AGR-PRO/111123/2009: The use of biological indicators as tools for assessing the impact of agricultural practices in the sustainability of olive groves. X.E. is currently supported by Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología MCYT-FEDER grant CGL2010-18182.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bioscience Department, Polytechnic Institute of Beja, School of Agriculture, R. Pedro Soares, 7800-295, Beja, Portugal

    C. Gonçalves & I. Patanita

  2. Ecology Unit, Faculty of Biosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain

    X. Espadaler

Authors
  1. C. Gonçalves
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  2. I. Patanita
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  3. X. Espadaler
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Correspondence to X. Espadaler.

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Gonçalves, C., Patanita, I. & Espadaler, X. Substantial, and significant, expansion of ant hosts range for Myrmicinosporidium Hölldobler, 1933 (Fungi). Insect. Soc. 59, 395–399 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-012-0232-z

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