Histopathology of Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota: Laboulbeniales): ectoparasitic fungi on ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Tragust, Simon and Tartally, András and Espadaler, Xavier and Billen, Johan (2016) Histopathology of Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota: Laboulbeniales): ectoparasitic fungi on ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News, 23. pp. 81-89. ISSN 1994-4136 (print), ISSN 1997-3500 (online)

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Abstract

Among the many associations between fungi and ants, the associations involving the ectoparasitic fungi Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota: Laboulbeniales) have remained largely enigmatic even today. Recently however, for two of the six ant-parasitizing Laboulbeniales species, Laboulbenia formicarum THAXT. and Rickia wasmanii CAVARA, respectively, it has been found that parasitism is correlated with diminished survival of the ant hosts Lasius neglectus VAN LOON, BOOMSMA & ANDRASFALVY, 1990 and Myrmica scabrinodis NYLANDER, 1846, especially under resource limitation. In the present study we investigate whether the fitness impact on parasitized L. neglectus and M. scabrinodis ant hosts is linked to an intrusion into the body cavity by the ectoparasites. Light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy were used to study the mode of attachment and the presence of penetrating structures in the ant parasitizing Laboulbeniales L. formicarum and R. wasmanii. In addition, to determine that our methodological approach was appropriate to detect penetration structures, we also investigated the Laboulbeniales Hesperomyces virescens THAXT. parasitizing the invasive coccinellid beetle Harmonia axyridis (PALLAS, 1773), as invasion into the body cavity has already been described in this Laboulbeniales species. No indication of penetration was found in ant parasitizing Laboulbeniales, while penetration structures were readily visible for the H. virescens parasitizing H. axyridis, a first time observation for this host species. The absence of penetration structures in Laboulbeniales on ant hosts raises questions on how and what nutrients can be gained by these non-penetrating ectoparasitic fungi.

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