NDLI: Exoskeletal thinning in Cephalotes atratus ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) parasitized by Myrmeconema neotropicum (Nematoda: Tetradonematidae).

Content Provider	World Health Organization (WHO)-Global Index Medicus
Author	Verble, Robin M. Meyer, Ashley D. Kleve, Maurice G. Yanoviak, Stephen P.
Description	Country affiliation: United States Author Affiliation: Verble RM ( Department of Biology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas 72204, USA.)
Abstract	Some parasites modify the color of their arthropod hosts, presumably to facilitate transmission to a new host. Mechanisms for such changes often are unknown, but altered exoskeletal color in adult insects typically occurs via structural modifications or redistribution of pigments. Here, we examine the cuticle structure of workers of the Neotropical canopy ant Cephalotes atratus infected with the nematode Myrmeconema neotropicum. We hypothesized that the conspicuous red color of the gaster (the globular posterior body region) of infected ants results from structural changes, specifically localized exoskeletal thinning. We used scanning electron microscopy to quantify the thickness of gaster cuticle in healthy and infected ants. For comparison, we also measured the cuticle thickness of the head of each ant, which is black in both infected and healthy individuals. The gaster cuticle was 23% thinner in infected ants (average ±SE: 14.8 ± 1.02 µm) versus healthy ants (19.2 ± 0.65 µm) after correcting for body size. In contrast, the thickness of the head exoskeleton was similar among groups. We conclude that parasite-induced thinning of the exoskeleton is associated with the red color of the gaster. Other mechanisms, including translocation or leaching of melanin (by the ant or the parasite, respectively) may operate in concert with thinning to effect the color change, and would be an appropriate extension of this research.
File Format	HTM / HTML
ISSN	00223395
Issue Number	1
Volume Number	98
e-ISSN	19372345
Journal	Journal of Parasitology
Language	English
Publisher	American Society of Parasitologists
Publisher Date	2012-02-01
Publisher Place	United States
Access Restriction	Subscribed
Subject Keyword	Discipline Parasitology Ants Parasitology Nematoda Physiology Animals Ultrastructure Host-parasite Interactions Microscopy, Electron, Scanning Pigmentation Journal Article Research Support, Non-u.s. Gov't Research Support, U.s. Gov't, Non-p.h.s.
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Medicine Parasitology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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