Abstract:
Behavioral manipulation of hosts by parasites is important to increase the
parasite fitness. Some species within the genus Ophiocordyceps, notably pathogens of ants, induce changes in the host’s behavior, leading the host to die outside the colony and locking its mandibles on the edge of leaves. This study was conducted in Massif of
Baturité, and for the first time, we describe the interaction between fungi and wasps in
Northeastern Brazil. We found 24 specimens, eight of each species of wasp, all infected
with Ophiocordyceps humbertii. The wasps were Agelaia pallipes, Apoica flavissima, and Polybia chrysothorax. All the hosts were found with their mandibles biting along the edges of leaves.
Description:
FONSECA, Emily Oliveira. Manipulação do comportamento de vespas (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) pelo fungo entomopatogênico Ophiocordyceps humbertii em Mata Atlântica no Ceará, Brazil. 2019. 7 f. Monografia (Graduação) - Curso de Ciências Biológicas, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Licenciatura em Ciências Biológicas. Universidade da Integração Internacional da Lusofonia Afro-Brasileira, Acarape-Ceara, 2019.
