| Daceton boltoni | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Genus: | Daceton |
| Species: | D. boltoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Daceton boltoni Azorsa & Sosa-Calvo, 2008 | |
Daceton boltoni is a Neotropical species of arboreal ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The species occurs in Peru and Brazil and is similar to its sister species, D. armigerum .
It seems to be exclusively canopy-dwelling [1] and is known to occur in Iquitos, Peru, and Manaus and Cotriguaçu, Brazil. [2] [3] D. boltoni is sympatric with D. armigerum. Although its known distribution is currently only two locations in the Amazonian forest, it is possible and indeed likely that D. boltoni shares a broadly overlapping distribution with D. armigerum. [4]
The worker caste of D. boltoni shares many important character states with that of its sister species D. armigerum , including the heart-shaped head, the large eyes located on a low cuticular prominence, the number of apical mandibular teeth, and general habitus. Daceton boltoni differs from D. armigerum by the absence of a specialized row of thick setae on the inner (masticatory) margin of the mandibles; by mandibles that are slightly shorter and more stout, which could indicate differences in prey preferences between the two species; by a broad gap, when seen in profile, between the bases of the fully closed mandibles and the margins of the head capsule; by shallow depressions adjacent to and ventral to the mandibular insertions; by long and simple lateral pronotal spines; by a weakly impressed metanotal groove; and by subdecumbent to decumbent hairs on the tergite of abdominal segment IV. [4]
Behaviorally, D. boltoni appears to be very similar to D. armigerum . However, drop tests conducted at the type locality indicate that D. boltoni individuals exhibit weak and inconsistent aerial gliding behavior relative to those of D. armigerum. [4]
Gynes and males are unknown. [2]
Among the specimens studied in the original description, Azorsa & Sosa-Calvo (2008) documented some morphological variation, including: [1]
Acanthognathus is a genus of ants that are found in tropical Central and South America. There are 7 living species and 1 extinct species, Acanthognathus poinari, known only from fossil records.
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Dorylus gribodoi is a West African species of army ants in the genus Dorylus.
Lordomyrma vanua is a species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae.
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Anochetus conisquamis is an extinct species of ant in the subfamily Ponerinae known from one possibly Miocene fossil found on Hispaniola. A. conisquamis is one of eight species in the ant genus Anochetus to have been described from fossils found in Dominican amber and is one of a number of Anochetus species found in the Greater Antilles.
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Myanmyrma is an extinct genus of ants not placed into any Formicidae subfamily. Fossils of the single known species, Myanmyrma gracilis, are known from the Middle Cretaceous of Asia. The genus is one of several ants described from Middle Cretaceous ambers of Myanmar.
Camelomecia is an extinct genus of stem-group ants not placed into any Formicidae subfamily and probably not into Formicidae itself. Fossils of the single known species, Camelomecia janovitzi, are known from the Middle Cretaceous of Asia. The genus is one of several ants described from Middle Cretaceous ambers of Myanmar.
Ceratomyrmex is an extinct genus of ant in the Formicidae subfamily Haidomyrmecinae. The genus contains a single described species Ceratomyrmex ellenbergeri and is known from several Late Cretaceous fossils which have been found in Asia.
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This article incorporates text from a scholarly publication published under a copyright license that allows anyone to reuse, revise, remix and redistribute the materials in any form for any purpose: Azorsa, Frank; Sosa-Calvo, Jeffrey (2008), "Description of a remarkable new species of ant in the genus Daceton Perty (Formicidae: Dacetini) from South America" (PDF), Zootaxa , 1749: 27–38, doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1749.1.3, S2CID 14604545 Please check the source for the exact licensing terms.