Histological Studies of Cordyceps myrmecophila (CES) Infection in the Ant Palthothyreus tarsatus Fab. (Formicidae: Ponerinae)

Abstract

Many moribund and dead Palthothyreus tarsatus Fab. AndCamponotus spp. infected with Cordyceps myrmecophila (CES) were collected from Kibale and Zika forests (5 km outside of Entebbe in Uganda), and fixed for histological studies. These studies revealed that the fungus colonized in tissues of the head and thorax only. It invaded the tissue just behind the eye, attacked the brain, and the fat body was completely destroyed. The host cells in contact with the invading hyphae were quite completely destroyed and the surrounding tissues of the host were in a state of disorganization. The thoracic muscles and skeletal muscles were heavily invaded. The haemocoel between the cuticle and skeletal muscle was invaded by the vegetative hyphae. The mesentron was also attacked by the vegetative hyphae. There were major cellular losses due to a strong enzymatic activity. A variation in size of oblique perithecia was noted. © 1987, JAPANESE SOCIETY OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY. All rights reserved.