| Title |
A review of myrmecophily in ant nest beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Paussinae): linking early observations with recent findings
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
The Science of Nature, June 2007
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00114-007-0271-x |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Stefanie F. Geiselhardt, Klaus Peschke, Peter Nagel |
| Abstract |
Myrmecophily provides various examples of how social structures can be overcome to exploit vast and well-protected resources. Ant nest beetles (Paussinae) are particularly well suited for ecological and evolutionary considerations in the context of association with ants because life habits within the subfamily range from free-living and predatory in basal taxa to obligatory myrmecophily in derived Paussini. Adult Paussini are accepted in the ant society, although parasitising the colony by preying on ant brood. Host species mainly belong to the ant families Myrmicinae and Formicinae, but at least several paussine genera are not host-specific. Morphological adaptations, such as special glands and associated tufts of hair (trichomes), characterise Paussini as typical myrmecophiles and lead to two different strategical types of body shape: while certain Paussini rely on the protective type with less exposed extremities, other genera access ant colonies using glandular secretions and trichomes (symphile type). We compare these adaptations with other taxonomic groups of insects by joining contemporary research and early sources and discuss the possibility of an attracting or appeasing effect of the secretion. Species that are ignored by their host ants might use chemical mimicry instead. Furthermore, vibrational signals may contribute to ant-beetle communication, and chemical signals have proven to play a role in host finding. The powerful defense chemistry of paussines as "bombardier beetles" is not used in contact with host ants. We attempt to trace the evolution of myrmecophily in paussines by reviewing important aspects of the association between paussine beetles and ants, i.e. morphological and potential chemical adaptations, life cycle, host specificity, alimentation, parasitism and sound production. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 4 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 1 | 25% |
| Canada | 1 | 25% |
| Australia | 1 | 25% |
| Unknown | 1 | 25% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 2 | 50% |
| Scientists | 2 | 50% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 138 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 3 | 2% |
| Denmark | 2 | 1% |
| United States | 2 | 1% |
| Latvia | 1 | <1% |
| Brazil | 1 | <1% |
| Czechia | 1 | <1% |
| Malaysia | 1 | <1% |
| Benin | 1 | <1% |
| France | 1 | <1% |
| Other | 2 | 1% |
| Unknown | 123 | 89% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 35 | 25% |
| Researcher | 34 | 25% |
| Student > Master | 19 | 14% |
| Student > Bachelor | 12 | 9% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 8 | 6% |
| Other | 24 | 17% |
| Unknown | 6 | 4% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 105 | 76% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 6 | 4% |
| Environmental Science | 6 | 4% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 2 | 1% |
| Physics and Astronomy | 1 | <1% |
| Other | 3 | 2% |
| Unknown | 15 | 11% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 20. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 09 November 2021.
All research outputs
#1,870,955
of 25,306,238 outputs
Outputs from The Science of Nature
#251
of 2,261 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#3,631
of 79,497 outputs
Outputs of similar age from The Science of Nature
#4
of 15 outputs
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