Department of Integrative Biology

The following new recent species of mermithid (Neniatoda) parasites of Neotropical ants are described: Meximermis ectatommi n.gen., n. sp. from workers of Ectatomma ruidium Roger in Southern Mexico, Agamomermis cephaloti n. sp. from a worker of Cephalotes minutits (Fab.) collected in Brazil, Agamomermis ecitoni n. sp. from a worker of Eciton burchelhi Westwood collected in Venezuela and Agamomermis costaricensis n. sp. from a worker of Odontomachus hastatus (Fab.) collected in Costa Rica. In addition, a fossil mermithid parasite of a worker of Linepithema sp. from Dominican amber is described as Heydenius myrmecophila n. sp. These parasites represent the first descriptions of Neotropical ant mermithids and together with previous records listed here, show that ant infection by mermithids in the Neotropics is widespread and has occurred for at least 20-30 million years. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.