A mermithergate is an

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22 ...

worker that has a changed appearance as a result of an

Enoplia The Enoplia are a subclass of nematodes in the class Enoplea. Description Enoplians are characterized by amphids shaped like ovals, stirrups, or pouches. Their bodies are smooth, without rings or lines. The esophagus is cylindrical and gland ...

nematode

infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

Etymology

The word was coined by William M. Wheeler in 1910. It is a combination of the

nematode The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...

genus ''

Mermis ''Mermis'' is a genus of nematodes The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a d ...

'', for which Wheeler first described the phenomenon, and ergate, which means ant worker. Infected females (queens) are called

mermithogyne Usually characterised by shortened wings, mermithogynes are found in parts of the Formicidae, being queens affected by parasitic nematode worms of the genus ''Mermis''. See also * Mermithergate *Polymorphism (biology) In biology, polymorp ...

Infection cycle

Up to 5% of some populations of ''

Cephalotes atratus ''Cephalotes atratus'' is a species of arboreal ant in the genus ''Cephalotes'', a genus characterized by its odd shaped head. These ants are known as gliding ants because of their ability to "parachute" by steering their fall if they lose their ...

'' suffer from an

by the tetradonematid nematode ''

Myrmeconema neotropicum ''Myrmeconema neotropicum'' is a tetradonematid nematode parasite. It appears to induce fruit mimicry in the tropical ant. Presently the only known host species is ''Cephalotes atratus'', a South American ant with a black abdomen. Upon infectio ...

''. It causes the ant's

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

to turn from black to bright red, strikingly resembling a red berry. In addition, the ant then holds it up most of the time, and it is easily ripped off. Birds easily mistake these for real fruit and pick them, while they avoid eating normal ants. The nematodes pass through the bird's digestive system as eggs without harming it. The circle closes when ''C. atratus'' workers feed on the bird droppings, thus getting infected.University of California
Ant parasite turns host into ripe red berry, biologists discover
— Retrieved on 2008-01-20.

References

{{reflist

External links

* Dale Ward

Parasitism Ants Enoplia

Etymology

Infection cycle

See also

References

Further reading

External links