PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH. 83(2). 1981. pp. 326-331 MYCOPHAGY BY APHAENOGASTER SPP. (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) J. F. Carroll, J. W. Kimbrough, and W. H. Whitcomb (JFC) Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611. Present address: Livestock Insects Laboratory, AEQL Agric. Res., Sci. and Educ. Admin., USDA, Beltsville, Maryland 20705; (JWK) Department of Botany, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611; (WHW) Department of Entomology and Nematology, Uni-versity of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 3261 1. Abstract. — The myrmicine ants, Apluienoi>aster ashmeadi (Emery), A. floridana M. R. Smith, A. miamiana Wheeler sensu lato, and A. treatae Forel, chew fragments from Agaricales basidiocarps and carry the pieces to their nests. Fungi of four genera (Russida, Armillariella, Marasmiellus, Amanita) are harvested, but Russula basidiocarps are attacked most fre-quently. Laboratory colonies of four additional species of Aphaenoi^aster have accepted pieces of basidiocarp from a species of Russula. Aphacno-gaster spp. appear to feed on the fungal tissue but may only ingest the fluids. Aphaenoi^aster tennesseensis (Mayr) workers present sporophore fragments to their larvae in the same manner they feed them insect tissue. In our observations ant damage to all basidiocarps except those of Mar-asniieUits is generally less serious than that inflicted by coleopterous and dipterous immatures and adults. These findings may shed new light on the question of the evolution of fungus cultivation by ants. To our knowledge this is the first report of non-attine ants feeding extensively on fungi. The mycophagous habits of the Attini, or fungus-growing ants, are re-nowned, but fungus-feeding by ants other than attines is poorly understood. The presence of fungal material in the infrabuccal pockets of ants of several genera {Pseudomynne.x, Crcmatoi^aster, Lasius) and fungi growing in the ants" nests led Elliott (1914) to speculate that these ants probably ate fungi. Bailey (1920) and Wheeler (1922) questioned such theories. Bailey believed that the fungal material found in infrabuccal pockets was detritus groomed from nestmates or cleaned from nest galleries. However, Wheeler and Bai-ley (1920) found that Pseudoinyrnw.x larvae were fed the contents of the infrabuccal pockets of workers. They did not determine whether the fungal
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