# Mermithergate

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[[Image:Camponotus.punctulatus.mermithergate.-.wheeler.svg|thumb|250px|Mermithergate (a and b) and normal workers of ''[Camponotus punctulatus](/source/Camponotus_punctulatus)'']]
[[Image:Pheidole.dentata.parasitized.-.wheeler.svg|thumb|250px|Soldier, worker and mermithergate of ''[Pheidole dentata](/source/Pheidole_dentata)'']]
A '''mermithergate''' is an [ant](/source/ant) worker that has a changed appearance as a result of an [Enoplia](/source/Enoplia) nematode [infection](/source/infection).

==Etymology==

The word was coined by [William M. Wheeler](/source/William_Morton_Wheeler) in 1910.<ref>Wheeler, William M. (1910): "The effects of parasitic and other kinds of castration in insects". ''Journal of Experimental Zoology'' '''8''': 377-438. [http://antbase.org/ants/publications/10564/10564.pdf PDF]</ref> It is a combination of the [nematode](/source/nematode) genus ''[Mermis](/source/Mermis)'', for which Wheeler first described the phenomenon, and [ergate](/source/ergate), which means ant worker.<ref>Wheeler, W.M. (1929): A ''Camponotus'' mermithergate from Argentina. ''[Psyche](/source/Psyche_(entomological_journal))'' '''36''': 102-106. [http://antbase.org/ants/publications/3407/3407.pdf PDF]</ref> Infected females (queens) are called [mermithogyne](/source/mermithogyne)s.

==Infection cycle==

Up to 5% of some populations of ''[Cephalotes atratus](/source/Cephalotes_atratus)'' suffer from an [infection](/source/infection) by the [tetradonematid](/source/Tetradonematidae) nematode ''[Myrmeconema neotropicum](/source/Myrmeconema_neotropicum)''. It causes the ant's [abdomen](/source/abdomen) to turn from black to bright red, strikingly resembling a red berry. In addition, the ant then holds it up most of the time, and it is easily ripped off. Birds easily mistake these for real fruit and pick them, while they avoid eating normal ants. The nematodes pass through the bird's digestive system as eggs without harming it. The circle closes when ''C. atratus'' workers feed on the bird droppings, thus getting infected.<ref>University of California: [http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/17149  Ant parasite turns host into ripe red berry, biologists discover] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704214905/http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/17149 |date=2008-07-04 }} — Retrieved on 2008-01-20.</ref>

== See also ==
* [Gamergate (type of ant)](/source/Gamergate_(ant))<!--this is a reproductive worker ant, nothing to do with games...-->
* [Honeypot ant](/source/Honeypot_ant)

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Wheeler, W.M. (1901): The parasitic origin of macroërgates among ants. ''American Naturalist'' '''35''': 877–886. [http://antbase.org/ants/publications/10493/10493.pdf PDF]
* Wheeler, W.M. (1928): ''Mermis'' parasitism and intercastes among ants. ''Journal of Experimental Zoology'' '''50''': 165–237. [http://antbase.org/ants/publications/3398/3398.pdf PDF]

==External links==
* Dale Ward: [http://www.tightloop.com/ants/nematode.htm Ant Nematode]

Category:Parasitism
Category:Myrmecology
Category:Enoplia
Category:Parasites of Hymenoptera

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mermithergate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermithergate) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermithergate?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.