A gregarious, mycophagous, myrmecophilous moth, Amydria anceps Walsingham (Lepidoptera : Acrolophidae), living in Atta mexicana (F. Smith) (Hymenoptera : Formicidae) spent fungal culture accumulations

摘要

The lepidopteran Amydria anceps Walsingham (Acrolophidae) is reported for the first time as a myrmecophile. Its gregarious larvae feed on the exhausted fungal substrate accumulations outside mature colonies of the Mexican leaf-cutting ant, Atta mexicana (Smith), a fungus-growing ant in Mexico. This constitutes the second report of an acrolophid myrmccophile. Morphology of the principal life stages of A. anceps are described, as well as its general natural history. No interactions were observed between Amydria larvae and A. mexicana, although the larvae of A. anceps are attacked by ich-neumonid and tachinid parasitoids. Chalcids (primary or secondary parasitoids) also are associated with A. anceps larvae. Thus, there are potentially five trophic levels in this system: fresh plant material-Atta fungal symbiont-Amydria anceps-ichneumonid and tachinid parasitoids-chalcid hyperparasitoids.