Ant-Mealybug Mutualism: A Diversity Study in Horticultural Ecosystem

A total of 16 species of ants (Formicidae: Hymenoptera) from four different subfamilies viz., Dolichoderinae, Formicinae, Myrmicinae, and Ponerinae were recorded to be associate with 19 species of mealybugs (Pseudococcidae: Hemiptera) infesting different horticultural crops in Karnataka, India. Myrmicinae was the most abundant subfamily associated with mealybugs comprising six species viz., Crematogaster brunnea rabula Forel, Crematogaster rogenhoferi Mayr, Monomorium pharaonis (Linnaeus), Monomorium sp., Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius) and Trichomyrmex destructor (Jerdon) followed by Formicinae with five species (Anoplolepis gracilipes Smith, Camponotus compressus (Fabricius), Camponotus sp., Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius) and Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille), Dolichoderinae with four species viz., Dolichoderus taprobanae (Smith), Dolichoderus sp., Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) and Technomyrmex albipes (Smith) and Ponerinae with a single species (Leptogenys sp.). The citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Risso) was found to be associated with the maximum number of ants (11 species) from three subfamilies followed by the Oriental mealybug, Planococcus lilacinus (Cockerell) which was found to be associated with six ant species.