Light intensity under canopy in three vegetation types in southern Cameroon

Anoplolepis tenella is an afrotropical ground-dwelling ant species with widespread distribution in the forest zones of Central Africa, where it is largely found in association the African root and tuber scale (ARTS) Stictococcus vayssierei Richard, an emerging pest of cassava in Central Africa. A major effort is presently underway to identify factors that affect ARTS abundance, and to develop sustainable practices for its management on cassava and other affected food crops. While the nature of the interactions between A. tenella and ARTS is not well understood, present evidence supports the hypothesis that the scale needs the ant to remove its honeydew secretions, otherwise the scale would drown in its own secretions; and most likely to move crawlers within and between plants. As ARTS cannot survive without A. tenella, management options that disrupt scale-ant association would be most effective in controlling damaging scale populations. Such efforts, however, require solid and sufficient understanding of the biology and ecology of A. tenella and its impact on ARTS life cycle and ecology.