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First fossil record of nematode parasitism of ants; a 40 million year tale

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2003

G. POINAR Jr
G. POINAR Jr
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA
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Abstract

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A mermithid nematode emerging from a male ant, Prenolepis henschei Mayr, in Baltic amber is the first fossil record demonstrating nematode parasitism of ants. This parasite, described as Heydenius formicinus sp. n., is compared to extant mermithid parasites of ants, especially Allomermis myrmecophila Baylis 1921. The present fossil, together with earlier reports of braconid and mite parasitism of ants in Baltic amber, indicates that several diverse groups had already evolved parasitic associations with ants by the Eocene.

Keywords

fossil MermithidaeBaltic amberant parasitism
Type
Original Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 125 , Issue 5 , May 2002 , pp. 457 - 459
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press