Blepharidatta | |
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Blepharidatta brasiliensis worker | |
Scientific classification | |
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Genus: | Blepharidatta Wheeler, 1915 |
Type species | |
Blepharidatta brasiliensis Wheeler, 1915 | |
Diversity [1] | |
2 species |
Blepharidatta is a rare Neotropical genus of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae. [2] The genus, formed by predatory species whose small colonies nest in soil or leaf-litter, has up to seven species, but most of them are waiting for a formal taxonomic treatment or confirmation.
In 2015 two new species were described: [3]
Blepharidatta is a strictly Neotropical group that was described by Wheeler (1915) from workers of Blepharidatta brasiliensis collected near Belém (State of Pará, Brazil), in the Amazon forest. [4]
Up to seven species are currently recognized, but most of them are waiting for a formal taxonomic treatment or confirmation. Based on morphological as well as behavioral data, only three species are formally recognized: B. brasiliensis found in the Amazonian forest, Blepharidatta conops, an inhabitant of savanna-like formation from central Brazil (Cerrado), and an undescribed species (Blepharidatta "sp-ba") [note 1] known from the Atlantic rainforest of the State of Bahia, eastern Brazil. All are ground-dwelling predatory species that nest in the ground or in the leaf-litter, with small monogynous or polygynous colonies. Queens are ergatoid (i.e. permanently wingless and worker-like) and, at least in B. conops, it is believed that the foundation of new colonies is by fission of established colonies. [4] [5]
The best studied species is B. conops. B. conops colonies (up to 250 workers) live in simple nests with a single opening and a vertical tunnel with 2 cm of diameter and 20 cm deep that ends in a cone-shaped widening at the bottom. Furthermore, all mature nests have a horizontal subsidiary chamber connected to the vertical tunnel through a narrow tunnel that opens at the mid-length of the vertical tunnel. It serves as a refuge for queen and brood when nests are visited or inhabited by myrmecophiles or predators. Queens of B. conops have a characteristic phragmotic head that together with the anterior slope of pronotum forms a frontal disk whose shape and dimensions fit the subsidiary chamber entrance and is used by the queen to block that entrance. [6] The foragers patrol a roughly circular area around the nest opening, where they collect live and dead arthropods (mainly other ants) to feed their larvae. In the bottom area of the nest, prey is dismembered, chewed and fed to larvae via trophallaxis. The discarded remains are arranged in a ring around the nest opening and workers concealed in the nest entrance ambush arthropods, including other ants, attracted by the carcasses ring. [7]
The other known species of Blepharidatta have different nesting habits: their smaller colonies (mean number of workers varying from 112 to 132) are found within the leaf-litter, in natural cavities between leaves or in rotting branches. Contrary to B. conops, the queens of B. brasiliensis and Blepharidatta "sp-ba" do not have a phragmotic head. [8]
Colonies of B. conops occur in locally dense but widely scattered populations, with large areas of Cerrado devoided of B. conops. According to Brandão et al. (2001), this distribution pattern may be explained by the limited dispersal mode of ergatoid queens and by the type of nest foundation (fission of established colonies). Such nest distribution may be characteristic of all Blepharidatta species and probably explains why ant species of this genus are considered rare. [5] [8]
Blepharidatta sp. queens are ergatoid and have an enlarged phragmotic head that, together with the anterior slope of the pronotum, form a nearly circular disk whose mean maximum transverse diameter is 1.68 mm. Frontal disk cuticle is discretely reticulate-punctate, nearly smooth; head margin is strongly curved upwards, and stiff hairs protrude laterally from the perimeter of the disk. Total mean body length of queens is 4.96 mm. Blepharidatta sp. workers are monomorphic (mean body length: 3.79 mm), and their mean maximum head width is 0.96 mm. [9]
Myrmicinae is a subfamily of ants, with about 140 extant genera; their distribution is cosmopolitan. The pupae lack cocoons. Some species retain a functional sting. The petioles of Myrmicinae consist of two nodes. The nests are permanent and in soil, rotting wood, under stones, or in trees.
Carpenter ants are large ants indigenous to many forested parts of the world.
Leptomyrmex, or spider ants, is a genus of ants and a distinctive member of the ant subfamily Dolichoderinae. Commonly known as "spider ants" for their long legs and spider-like movements, these orange and black ants are prominent residents of intact wet forest and sclerophyll habitats throughout their range. One extant species, Leptomyrmex relictus, is known from central Brazil; otherwise, the global distribution of this genus is restricted to eastern Australia, New Caledonia and New Guinea, as well as the nearby Indonesian islands of Aru and Seram.
Phragmosis is any method by which an animal defends itself in its burrow, by using its own body as a barrier. This term was originally coined by W.M. Wheeler (1927), while describing the defensive technique exhibited by insects. Wheeler observed the positioning of specially modified body structures to block nest entrances, as exhibited in various insect species. The term phragmosis has since been further extended beyond just insects.
Cardiocondyla is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae.
Sericomyrmex is a genus of fungus-growing ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae.
Trophobiosis is a symbiotic association between organisms where food is obtained or provided. The provider of food in the association is referred to as a trophobiont. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek τροφή (trophē), meaning "nourishment", and -βίωσις (-biosis), which is short for the English word symbiosis.
Trachymyrmex is a genus of fungus-growing ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The genus is mainly tropical in distribution, with most species being found in Central and South America.
Cyphomyrmex is a genus of fungus-growing ants found primarily in South and Central America. However, some species do come up to the southern portion of North America. They grow a variety of fungi in the tribe Leucocoprineae. Most fungal gardens are grown in small nodules, some species to cultivate entire mycelium, though. Colonies are monogynous and are relatively small with about 100 workers on average.
A gamergate is a mated worker ant that can reproduce sexually, i.e., lay fertilized eggs that will develop as females. In the vast majority of ant species, workers are sterile and gamergates are restricted to taxa where the workers have a functional sperm reservoir ('spermatheca'). In some species, gamergates reproduce in addition to winged queens, while in other species the queen caste has been completely replaced by gamergates. In gamergate species, all workers in a colony have similar reproductive potentials, but as a result of physical interactions, a dominance hierarchy is formed and only one or a few top-ranking workers can mate and produce eggs. Subsequently however, aggression is no longer needed as gamergates secrete chemical signals that inform the other workers of their reproductive status in the colony.
Dinoponera is a strictly South American genus of ant in the subfamily Ponerinae, commonly called tocandiras or giant Amazonian ants. These ants are generally less well known than Paraponera clavata, the bullet ant, yet Dinoponera females may surpass 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) in total body length, making them among the largest ants in the world.
Tatuidris, or armadillo ant, is a rare genus of ants consisting of a single species, Tatuidris tatusia. The ants are small in size and inhabit the leaf litter of Neotropical forests in Central and South America, from Mexico to Brazil. Workers are ferruginous-colored to dark red and present a distinctive morphology, consisting of a shield-like head with a broad vertex, ventrally-turned heavy mandibles which do not overlap at full closure, and unique among ants – an antenna socket apparatus sitting upside-down. Little is known about the biology of the ants, but they are likely nocturnal and specialist predators.
Temnothorax is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It contains more than 380 species.
Cardiocondyla pirata, or pirate ant, is a species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Known from the Philippines, the female castes show a pigmentation pattern not known from any ant worldwide. Little is known about their biology.
Liometopum occidentale, also called the velvety tree ant, is a species of ant in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. Liometopum occidentale is often mistaken for carpenter ants by homeowners and pest management professionals. This mistaken identity is due to morphological and behavioral characteristics they share with carpenter ants; namely polymorphic workers, a smooth convex thoracic profile, and the tendency to excavate wood. Consequently, their importance as structural pests may be greatly under reported, especially in California, Oregon, and Washington, United States.
Liometopum apiculatum is a species of ant in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. Liometopum apiculatum ants are found in arid and semi-arid regions of southwestern United States and Mexico to Quintana Roo.
Slave-making ants are brood parasites that capture broods of other ant species to increase the worker force of their colony. After emerging in the slave-maker nest, slave workers work as if they were in their own colony, while parasite workers only concentrate on replenishing the labor force from neighboring host nests, a process called slave raiding.
An ergatoid is a permanently wingless reproductive adult ant or termite. The similar but somewhat ambiguous term ergatogyne refers to any intermediate form between workers and standard gynes. Ergatoid queens are distinct from other ergatogyne individuals in that they are morphologically consistent within a species and are always capable of mating, whereas inter caste individuals, another class of ergatogynes, often are not. Ergatoids can exhibit wide morphological differences between species, sometimes appearing almost identical to normal workers and other times being quite distinct from both workers and standard queens. In addition to morphological features, ergatoids among different species can exhibit a wide range of behaviors, with some ergatoids acting only as reproductives and others actively foraging. Ergatoid queens have developed among a large number of ant species, and their presence within colonies can often provide clues on the social structures of colonies and as to how new colonies are founded. Without wings, almost all species of ants that solely produce ergatoid queens establish new colonies by fission.
This is a glossary of terms used in the descriptions of ants.
Novomessor ensifer is a species of ant endemic to Mexico. A member of the genus Novomessor in the subfamily Myrmicinae, it was first described by Swiss entomologist Auguste Forel in 1899. N. ensifer was originally a part of the genus Aphaenogaster until a recent phylogenetic study concluded that Novomessor was genetically distinct and should be separated. The ant is a medium-sized species, measuring 5.5 to 10 millimetres. The ant is ferruginous-colored in some certain parts of the body, and small workers (nanitics) in incipient colonies are noticeably different in color and body structure.