Ant-colonized domatia on fruits of Mucuna interrupta (Leguminosae).
Domatia of myrmecophytes have been reported only in vegetative organs so far. In this paper, we report the first record of domatia formed on the legume surface of Mucuna interrupta. The domatium consists of 12-16 vertical lamellae which traverse the fruit surface obliquely to form long, narrow hollows, providing two ant species with a nest site.
Kato
Hidetoshi
H
Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Minami-Ohsawa, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan. katohide@comp.metro-u.ac.jp
Yamane
Seiki
S
Phengklai
Chamlong
C
D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D031299:Mucuna / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000469:parasitology*; D013559:Symbiosis