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Leaf processing behavior in Atta leafcutter ants: 90% of leaf cutting takes place inside the nest, and ants select pieces that require less cutting

Leafcutter ants cut trimmings from plants, carry them to their underground nests, and cut them into smaller pieces before inoculating them with a fungus that serves as a primary food source for the colony. Cutting is energetically costly, so the amount of cutting is important in understanding foraging energetics. Estimates of the cutting density, meters of cutting per square meter of leaf, were made from samples of transported leaf cuttings and of fungal substrate from field colonies of Atta cephalotes and Atta colombica. To investigate cutting inside the nest, we made leaf-processing observations of our laboratory colony, A. cephalotes. We did not observe the commonly reported reduction of the leaf fragments into a pulp, which would greatly increase the energy cost of processing. Video clips of processing behaviors, including behaviors that have not previously been described, are linked. An estimated 2.9 (+0.3) kilometers of cutting with mandibles was required to reduce a square meter of leaf to fungal substrate. Only about 12% (+ 1%) of this cutting took place outside of the nest. The cutting density and energy cost is lower for leaf material with higher ratios of perimeter to area, so we tested for, and found that the laboratory ants had a preference for leaves that were pre-cut into smaller pieces.  Estimates suggest that the energy required to transport and cut up the leaf material is comparable to the metabolic energy available from the fungus grown on the leaves, and so conservation of energy is likely a particularly strong selective pressure for leafcutter ants.

FIGURE 3 in Neda Mulsant (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae): Redescriptions and revised combinations of two species formerly placed in Cycloneda Crotch

FIGURE 3. Neda tredecimsignata (Mulsant, 1850) comb. nov. A, Habitus; B, Male abdomen; Median lobe. C, Dorsal view; D, Lateral view; E, Sipho.

FIGURE 2 in Neda Mulsant (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae): Redescriptions and revised combinations of two species formerly placed in Cycloneda Crotch

FIGURE 2. Neda callispilota (GuérinMéneville, 1844) comb. rest. A, Female abdomen; B, Female genitalia.

FIGURE 1 in Neda Mulsant (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae): Redescriptions and revised combinations of two species formerly placed in Cycloneda Crotch

FIGURE 1. Neda callispilota (GuérinMéneville, 1844) comb. rest. A, Habitus; B, Male abdomen; Median lobe. C, Dorsal view; D, Lateral view; E, Sipho.

FIGURE 5. A in Neda Mulsant (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae): Redescriptions and revised combinations of two species formerly placed in Cycloneda Crotch

FIGURE 5. A, Neda callispilota (GuérinMéneville, 1844) comb. rest.. B, Neda tredecimsignata (Mulsant, 1850) comb. nov..

FIGURES 8–9 in On two Jenynsia taxa (Cyprinodontiformes: Anablepidae) from Argentina, originally placed in the poeciliid genus Xiphophorus

FIGURES 8–9. Parodontid paralectotype of Jenynsia obscura, MSNG 54298, approximately 18 mm SL. 8. Lateral view. 9. Premaxillary teeth.

FIGURES 5–7. Jenynsia obscura, lectotype MSNG 33705 in On two Jenynsia taxa (Cyprinodontiformes: Anablepidae) from Argentina, originally placed in the poeciliid genus Xiphophorus

FIGURES 5–7. Jenynsia obscura, lectotype MSNG 33705, line drawing of predorsal series of scales. 6. same specimen, dorsal view. 7. Jenynsia pygogramma, BMNH 1902-5-22-72-81 (4), 30 mm SL, dorsal view.

FIGURES 3–4. 3. Jenynsia obscura, lectotype MSNG 33705, 25.7 in On two Jenynsia taxa (Cyprinodontiformes: Anablepidae) from Argentina, originally placed in the poeciliid genus Xiphophorus

FIGURES 3–4. 3. Jenynsia obscura, lectotype MSNG 33705, 25.7 mm SL, lateral view. 4. Jenynsia pygogramma, BMNH 1902-5-22-72-81 (4), 30 mm SL, lateral view.

FIGURE 1 in A new genus for three species of tyrant flycatchers (Passeriformes: Tyrannidae), formerly placed in Myiophobus

FIGURE 1. Simplified phylogenetic tree of Tyrannidae modified from Ohlson et al. (2008). Nodes supported by Bayesian posterior probabilities <0.95 are collapsed. Clades with several genera have in most cases been condensed and are indicated by arrows at the tip of the branch. All species traditionally placed in Myiophobus are in bold type. The three species in Nephelomyias form a strongly supported clade with Myiotriccus, Pyrrhomyias and Hirundinea (Hirundineinae), whereas the other Myiophobus species belong in Fluvicolinae.

FIGURE 4 in New Cardiodactylus species from unsuspected places in Southeast Asia (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Eneopterinae)

FIGURE 4. Cardiodactylus singapura. Female FW venation (A); female copulatory papilla in dorsal (B), ventral (C) and lateral (D) views; apex of ovipositor (E). Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 7 in New Cardiodactylus species from unsuspected places in Southeast Asia (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Eneopterinae)

FIGURE 7. Cardiodactylus thailandia. Dorsal view of head coloration (A); male FW venation (B); Lateral (C), dorsal (D) and

FIGURE 1. Cardiodactylus singapura n in New Cardiodactylus species from unsuspected places in Southeast Asia (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Eneopterinae)

FIGURE 1. Cardiodactylus singapura n. sp. Male on top of a leaf in Bukit Timah (A, B); juvenile molting in Bukit Timah, showing the transition between the early black coloration to the later brown coloration (C); juvenile (later brown coloration) on top of a leaf in Bukit Timah (D).

FIGURE 3 in New Cardiodactylus species from unsuspected places in Southeast Asia (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Eneopterinae)

FIGURE 3. Cardiodactylus singapura. Dorsal (A), ventral (B) and lateral (C) views of male genitalia. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 2 in New Cardiodactylus species from unsuspected places in Southeast Asia (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Eneopterinae)

FIGURE 2. Cardiodactylus singapura. Dorsal (A) and facial (B) views of head coloration; first instar juvenile with black body coloration (C); male FW venation (D); ventral SEM view of stridulatory file on vein 1A (E), with details of stridulatory teeth in the median region (F). Scale bars: A–E, 1 mm; F, 10 μm.

FIGURE 5 in New Cardiodactylus species from unsuspected places in Southeast Asia (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Eneopterinae)

FIGURE 5. Cardiodactylus singapura. Calling song: oscillogram of 5 syllables (A), oscillogram (B) and sonagram (C) of a syllable; power spectrum (D). Symbols: f1, f2, f3 correspond to the first, second and third harmonic frequencies in the spectrum.

FIGURE 3 in Pseudochromis erdmanni, a new species of dottyback with medially placed palatine teeth from Indonesia (Teleostei: Perciformes: Pseudochromidae)

FIGURE 3. Distribution records for Pseudochromis erdmanni (filled circles), P. howsoni (squares), P. m o o re i (triangles) and P. steenei (stars).

FIGURE 1 in Pseudochromis erdmanni, a new species of dottyback with medially placed palatine teeth from Indonesia (Teleostei: Perciformes: Pseudochromidae)

FIGURE 1. Pseudochromis erdmanni new species, female individual, ca. 60 mm SL, Pulau Taunalu, Loloda Selatan, Halmahera, North Maluku Province, Indonesia (photo by G.R. Allen).

FIGURE 2 in Pseudochromis erdmanni, a new species of dottyback with medially placed palatine teeth from Indonesia (Teleostei: Perciformes: Pseudochromidae)

FIGURE 2. Pseudochromis erdmanni new species, male holotype, NCIP 6344, 81.5 mm SL, Pulau Taunalu, Loloda Selatan, Halmahera, North Maluku Province, Indonesia (photo by G.R. Allen).

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FIGURES 11–15. Strobilotia carpophaga. 11–13 in Four new genera of Nearctic Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) for species previously incorrectly placed

FIGURES 11–15. Strobilotia carpophaga. 11–13, Female postabdomen: 11, posterior end of sixth segment to fused cerci (dorsolateral), 12, fused cerci and hypoproct, detail (lateral), 13, posterior end of sixth segment through seventh segment (dorsolateral). 14–15, Male terminalia: 14, only one gonopod shown and cerci and hypoproct removed (dorsal), 15, cerci and hypoproct (dorsal).