Eggs of the Blind Snake, Liotyphlops albirostris, Are Incubated in a Nest of the Lower Fungus-Growing Ant, Apterostigma cf. goniodes
Joint Authors
Fernández-Marín, Hermógenes
Touchon, Justin C.
Bruner, Gaspar
Wcislo, William (Bill)
Source
Issue
Vol. 2012, Issue 2012 (31 Dec. 2012), pp.1-5, 5 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2012-02-15
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
5
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Parental care is rare in most lower vertebrates.
By selecting optimal oviposition sites, however, mothers can realize some benefits often associated with parental care.
We found three ovoid reptilian eggs within a mature nest of a relatively basal fungus-growing ant, Apterostigma cf.
goniodes (Attini), in central Panama.
In laboratory colonies, A.
cf.
goniodes workers attended and cared for the eggs.
Two blind snakes, Liotyphlops albirostris (Anomalepididae), successfully hatched, which is the first rearing record for this species.
The ants did not disturb the snakes, and the snakes did not eat the ants; we found no ants in the dissected stomachs of the snakes.
We review other associations between nesting fungus-growing ants and egg-laying vertebrates, which together suggest that attine nests may provide a safe, environmentally buffered location for oviposition, even in basal attine taxa with relatively small colony sizes.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Bruner, Gaspar& Fernández-Marín, Hermógenes& Touchon, Justin C.& Wcislo, William (Bill). 2012. Eggs of the Blind Snake, Liotyphlops albirostris, Are Incubated in a Nest of the Lower Fungus-Growing Ant, Apterostigma cf. goniodes. Psyche،Vol. 2012, no. 2012, pp.1-5.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-479243
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Bruner, Gaspar…[et al.]. Eggs of the Blind Snake, Liotyphlops albirostris, Are Incubated in a Nest of the Lower Fungus-Growing Ant, Apterostigma cf. goniodes. Psyche No. 2012 (2012), pp.1-5.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-479243
American Medical Association (AMA)
Bruner, Gaspar& Fernández-Marín, Hermógenes& Touchon, Justin C.& Wcislo, William (Bill). Eggs of the Blind Snake, Liotyphlops albirostris, Are Incubated in a Nest of the Lower Fungus-Growing Ant, Apterostigma cf. goniodes. Psyche. 2012. Vol. 2012, no. 2012, pp.1-5.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-479243
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-479243