Trophophoresy

The mealybug-tending ant A. epedana is an obligate coccidiphile with trophophoretic queens. Trophophoresy is defined as the behavior of a foundress queen transporting a trophobiont on her mating flight for the establishment of a new mealybug "herd" in her new colony.

Acropyga spp. ants show obligate trophophoresy with mealybugs, in which newly mated queens carry a mealybug with them when founding new colonies.

All insect fungus gardeners propagate their primary fungi as clonal monocultures within their nests and mostly across generations too (trophophoresy from parent to offspring in the ants and the beetles).