Neotropical Entomology (2003) 32, 169-171

Marcos A.L. Bragança, Terezinha M.C. della Lucia and Athayde Tonhasca Jr. (2003)
First record of phorid parasitoids (Diptera: Phoridae) of the leaf-cutting ant Atta bisphaerica Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Neotropical Entomology 32 (1), 169-171
Abstract: Phoridae flies parasitize several ant species, including many Atta leaf-cutting ants. In this note, the attacks of three coexisting phorid species (Myrmosicarius grandicornis Borgmeier, Apocephalus attophilus Borgmeier and Neodorhniphora bragancai Brown) against Atta bisphaerica Forel workers in a pasture located in Vicosa County, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, are reported. The first two species of phorids are known to parasitize other leaf-cutting ants. N. bragancai, however, has been found only around A. bisphaerica nests. Each of these phorid species selects ants engaged in different tasks and oviposits in specific sites of the ant body.
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Database assignments for author(s): Terezinha M.C. Della Lucia

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution
surveys/distribution/isolation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Atta bisphaerica	Grasses/turf/rangeland
Apocephalus attophilus (parasitoid)	Atta bisphaerica	Grasses/turf/rangeland
Myrmosicarius grandicornis (parasitoid)	Atta bisphaerica	Grasses/turf/rangeland
Eibesfeldtphora bragancai (parasitoid)	Atta bisphaerica	Grasses/turf/rangeland