# First host record of stylopization of a worker ant, Ectatomma edentatum (Formicidae: Ectatomminae), by a Myrmecolacidae (Strepsiptera)

## TL;DR

This study reports the first case of a Brazilian ant species being parasitized by a strepsipteran insect and explores the effectiveness of yellow pan traps for collecting such parasitized ants.

## Contribution

The first host record of Ectatomma edentatum being stylopized by Myrmecolacidae in Brazil.

## Key findings

- A stylopized worker ant of Ectatomma edentatum was observed for the first time in Brazil.
- Yellow pan traps were found to be a viable method for collecting stylopized ants.
- The general behavior of stylopized ants was documented and analyzed.

## Abstract

Strepsipterans of the family Myrmecolacidae are endoparasitoid insects of ants distributed worldwide, except in the Palearctic and Antarctic regions. Despite this, knowledge about their host ants and the effects of this parasitism on their biology remains scarce. To fill this gap in Brazil, we used yellow pan traps in a fragment of Atlantic Forest in search of stylopized ants (i.e., parasitized by Strepsiptera). The present study records for the first time the observation of a stylopized worker ant of the species Ectatomma edentatum in Brazil and details the general behavior of stylopized ants. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of yellow pan traps as a collection method of stylopized ants and compare their functionality to previously employed methods.