@article {1124,
	title = {Agro-predation by Megalomyrmex ants on Mycetophylax fungus-growing ants},
	journal = {Insectes Sociaux},
	volume = {63},
	number = {3},
	year = {2016},
	month = {2016},
	pages = {483-486},
	abstract = {Fungus-growing ants are a remarkable taxon of New World ants that engage in a mutualistic symbiosis with basidiomycete fungi. Their fungus-gardens are valuable resources and are exploited in countless ways by parasites and other beneficiaries outside of the ant-fungi mutualism. Here, for the first time, we report on the agro-predatory behavior of the ant\&nbsp;Megalomyrmex incisus\&nbsp;on\&nbsp;Mycetophylax conformis\&nbsp;and\&nbsp;Mycetophylax morschi\&nbsp;fungus-growers from sand dunes near Ilh{\'e}us, Brazil.\&nbsp;Me. incisusworkers raided colonies of\&nbsp;My. conformis\&nbsp;and\&nbsp;My. morschi\&nbsp;and aggressively antennated, pulled, bit, and stung the fungus-growers, which played dead or retreated on the fungus.\&nbsp;Me. incisus\&nbsp;quickly usurped the fungus-garden and expelled all\&nbsp;Mycetophylax\&nbsp;workers. The usurpation closely resembled that described for raids of\&nbsp;Me. wettereri\&nbsp;on\&nbsp;Cyphomyrmex longiscapus, in that the fungus-growers remained passive and avoided confrontation. This passive behavior suggests that\&nbsp;Me. incisus\&nbsp;uses chemical weapons that facilitate the exploitation of the host colony resources.},
	url = {http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00040-016-0487-x},
	author = {Danon Clemes Cardoso and Maykon Passos Cristiano and Cinthia da Costa-Milanez and J{\"u}rgen Heinze}
}
