Records on interactions between mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) and ants (Formicidae) in Kerala

An investigation on ant-mealybug associations in different agro ecological units of Kerala revealed a total of 23 associations involving 14 ant species and six mealy bugs. Among this, 15 associations are recorded for the first time in the world. Most of the ant-mealybug associations recorded in Kerala were mutualistic in nature except for the associations made by Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius) with the mealybugs Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley and Planococcus lilacinus (Cockerell). The majority of ant species in association with mealybugs in Kerala are belongs to the subfamily Formicinae followed by Myrmicinae and Dolichoderinae. Among the ant-mealybug interactions, the maximum number of associations were exhibited by the ant species, Anoplolepis gracilipes (Smith, F.) whereas among the mealy bugs, the majority of interactions were made by Coccidohystrix insolita Green.