گزارش مورچه‌های همزیست با شپشک قرمز خرما در استان خوزستان

The red date scale, Phoenicoccus marlatti Cockerell (Hem: Phoenicoccidae), is one of the major economic pests of palm family plants (Arecaceae). This pest has a global distribution and has been reported in most date palm cultivation areas worldwide, as well as in the date-producing provinces of Iran. This study, conducted from 2020 to 2022 in the cities of Ahvaz and Abadan in Khuzestan Province, aimed to identify the ants symbiotic with the red date scale, which are among the main factors in its transmission on trees. In total, 7 species from three subfamilies were collected from the date palm varieties of Medjool, Owaydi, and Barhi. Among these, one species were new records for Khuzestan Province and are indicated with a (٭) symbol. The collected species are as follows: From the subfamily Dolochodorinae: Tapinoma simrothi Krausse; subfamily Formicinae: Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille), Nylanderia jaegerskioeldi Mayr (٭), and Cataglyphis livida Andre; subfamily Myrmicinae: Pheidole indica Mayr, Monomorium abeillei Andre, and Tetramorium sp.
The presence of ants around and near the scale insect colonies under the compressed leaf bases of young offshoots, as well as in the compact parts of the lower trunk, plays an important role in protecting the scale insects against natural enemies. This is the first report worldwide on the symbiotic relationship between these ant species and the red date scale.