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Infection-related variation in cuticle thickness in the ant Myrmica scabrinodis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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Abstract

Cuticle quality is of vital importance in insects. It prevents desiccation, provides mechanical strength and protects against pathogens. The within-species variation of cuticular structure is affected by many factors. We investigated the relationship of the presence/absence of the ectoparasitic fungus Rickia wasmannii and cuticle thickness of its ant host Myrmica scabrinodis. Infected ants had thinner cuticle than uninfected ones, while there were also differences among populations. It is unclear whether reduced thickness is the host’s response, or whether the fungus infects preferentially colonies with ants that have a thin cuticle. Either way, within-species variation is linked to the presence of an epicuticular parasite.

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to Birgit Lautenschläger and An Vandoren for their considerable help with the preparation of the histological sections. We are grateful to Alexandra Schrempf, Kriszta-Kincső Keresztes, Magdalena Witek, István Maák, Piotr Ślipiński and Luca Pietro Casacci for their advices and for their help during field collection. We also thank the critical comments of two anonymous referees. E.Cs. and B.M. were supported by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNCS–UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-1930. B.M. was also supported by the Bolyai János scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Clinicilor 5–7, 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    E. Csata & B. Markó

  2. Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062, Toulouse, France

    E. Csata

  3. Zoological Institute, University of Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    J. Billen

  4. Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, 93040, Regensburg, Germany

    A. Bernadou & J. Heinze

  5. Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, P.O. Box 51, Szeged, 6701, Hungary

    B. Markó

Authors
  1. E. Csata
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  2. J. Billen
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  3. A. Bernadou
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  4. J. Heinze
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  5. B. Markó
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Correspondence to E. Csata.

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Csata, E., Billen, J., Bernadou, A. et al. Infection-related variation in cuticle thickness in the ant Myrmica scabrinodis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insect. Soc. 65, 503–506 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-018-0628-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-018-0628-5

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