Myrmeleon brasiliensis's Parasitoids (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) in the South Pantanal, Brazil
Keywords:
Antlion, Bombyliidae, Chalcididae, Hockeria eriensis, Paravilla sp.Abstract
Antlions (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) are predators commonly found in the tropical regions. There are few studies on their biology and natural enemies in the Neotropics. The aim of this study was to sample larvae of Myrmeleon brasiliensis (Navás 1914) in natural environments in order to identify their parasitoids and estimate levels of parasitism. Larvae of M. brasiliensis, from first to third instars, were collected in a natural forest in Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, from Feb 2001 to Jan 2002. In total, 161 larvae of M. brasiliensis were collected and reared in the laboratory. They were fed daily with leaf-cutting antworkers and third instar larvae of fruit flies. Two parasitoid species emerged from larvae of M. brasiliensis: Hockeria eriensis (Wallace 1942) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) and Paravilla sp. near stheno (Wiedemann 1828) (Diptera: Bombyliidae, Anthracina). This is the first record of M. brasiliensis's parasitoids in Brazil. All juveniles of the antlion were killed by the parasitoids after pupation, and only an adult of both parasitoid species have emerged per pupa of M. brasiliensis.
“Formigas-leão” (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) são predadores comumente encontrados nas regiões tropicais. No entanto, na região Neotropical existem poucos estudos sobre a sua biologia e seus inimigos naturais. O objetivo deste estudo foi amostrar larvas de Myrmeleon brasiliensis (Navás 1914) em ambientes naturais para estimar as taxas de parasitismo e identificar as espécies de seus parasitóides. Larvas de M. brasiliensis, do primeiro ao terceiro instar, foram coletados em uma floresta natural em Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil, de fevereiro de 2001 a janeiro 2002. Um total de 161 larvas de M. brasiliensis foram coletados no campo e criados em laboratório. Elas foram alimentados diariamente com operárias de formigas cortadeiras e com larvas de terceiro instar de moscas das frutas. Das larvas de M. brasiliensis emergiram duas espécies de parasitoides: Hockeria eriensis (Wallace 1942) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) e Paravilla aff. stheno (Wiedemann 1828) (Diptera: Bombyliidae, Anthracina). Este é o primeiro registro de parasitóides de M. brasiliensis no Brasil. Todos os juvenis da “formiga-leão” foram mortos pelos parasitóides após a fase de pupa, e apenas um adulto de ambas as espécies de parasitóides emergiu por pupa de M. brasiliensis.
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