The rediscovery of the putative ant social parasite Manica parasitica syn. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) reveals an unexpected endoparasite syndrome
Parasitism is ubiquitous across the tree of life, comprising approximately half of all animal species. Social insect colonies attract many pathogens, endo- and ectoparasites, and are exploited by social parasites, which usurp the social environment of their hosts for survival and reproduction. Exploitation by parasites and pathogens versus social parasites may cause similar behavioral and morphological modifications. Ants possess two overlapping syndromes: the social parasite and endoparasite syndromes. Upon rediscovering two populations of the putative social parasite Manica parasitica in the Sierra Nevadas, we test the hypothesis that M. parasitica is an independently evolving social parasite species relative to its host M. bradleyi. We evaluate traits used to discriminate M. parasitica from M. bradleyi, and examine the morphology and behavior of M. parasitica in the context of ant parasitic syndromes. We find that M. parasitica is not a social parasite species. Instead, M. parasitica individuals represents cestode-infected M. bradleyi workers. We propose that Manica parasitica should be regarded as a junior synonym of Manica bradleyi. Our results emphasize that an integrative approach is essential for unraveling the complex life histories of social insects and their symbionts.