Mystrium

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Mystrium
Mystrium mysticum casent0076622 profile 1.jpg
Mystrium mysticum worker from Madagascar
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Amblyoponinae
Tribe: Amblyoponini
Genus: Mystrium
Roger, 1862
Type species
Mystrium mysticum
Roger, 1862
Diversity [1]
14 species

Mystrium is a rare genus of ants in the subfamily Amblyoponinae. [2] First described by Roger (1862) with the description of the queen of M. mysticum , the genus contains 14 species, all of which occur in the rainforests of the Old World with over half of the species endemic to the Malagasy region.

Contents

Distribution

All species occur in the rainforests of the Old World, with most found in tropical Africa: ten of them are restricted to Madagascar (and its adjacent islands) and one is recorded from continental Africa (M. silvestrii). M. camillae is widespread in the Indo-Australian region, [3] and M. leonie and M. maren are known from Indonesia. [4] [5] [6]

Taxonomic history

After Roger (1862) established Mystrium with a single species from Madagascar, Mystrium mysticum, Forel described five additional species in the Malagasy region between 1895 and 1899. The first record of Mystrium outside the Malagasy region was Mystrium camillae from Myanmar, and the second was Mystrium silvestrii from Cameroon. A subspecies was later established under Mystrium camillae, Mystrium camillae javana; however, this subspecies was synonymized with Mystrium camillae by Brown (1960). Outside the Malagasy region, Mystrium oculatum, was described from China, and Mystrium leonie and Mystrium maren from West Papua, Indonesia. Mystrium oculatum was synonymized with Mystrium camillae by Bihn and Verhaagh (2007). [7] Yoshimura and Fisher (2014) described six new Malagasy species and synonymized two existing names, Mystrium fallax and M. stadelmanni with M. voeltzkowi and M. mysticum, respectively. [8]

Description

M. camillae worker from Danum Valley, Malaysia Shattuck 53306, Mystrium, Danum Valley, Sabah-web (5042349151) (2).jpg
M. camillae worker from Danum Valley, Malaysia

The genus is morphologically very peculiar within the poneromorph subfamily group and has the following combination of characteristics: the very wide head; spatulate or squamate hairs on the head; and long, narrow mandibles with a double row of teeth on the inner margins. Monophyly of the genus is strongly supported by a recent molecular phylogenetic study by Saux et al. (2004). [3]

Mandible snap

In December 2018, researchers from the University of Illinois, North Carolina State University and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History conducted studies which found that ants of the species Mystrium camillae (also known as Dracula ants) can snap their jaws at speeds of up to 200 mph, making it the fastest recorded animal movement. [9] Their research, published in the peer-reviewed Royal Society Open Science journal, [10] noted that the jaw structure was different from other strong-jawed ants in that "instead of using three different parts for the spring, latch and lever arm, all three are combined in the mandible." They achieve this speed by pressing the tips of their mandibles together, in a spring-loading action (thereby continuously increasing tension), until one slides over the other in a snapping motion, similar to a human finger snap. [9]

Biology

Besides their bizarre morphology Mystrium ants have also evolved some unique biological traits. They have a unique defense mechanism in which they snap their mandibles to generate a powerful strike (Gronenberg et al. 1998; Moffett 1986). Molet et al. (2006) demonstrated that, in some species of Mystrium known from Madagascar, normal queens are replaced by wingless reproductives which are smaller than workers. Because Mystrium are rarely encountered, information on their general biology, ecology and behavior remains sparse. They are presumably predaceous like other species of the subfamily Amblyoponinae, although no direct evidence is available. [3] Species in Madagascar show two distinct reproductive strategies and relevant colony structures. In some species each colony has a single dealate queen with a larger thorax than workers but with mandibles similar to those of the workers. In colonies of other species winged queens are missing and half of the female adults belong to wingless reproductives which are smaller and allometrically distinct from workers. [5]

Species

Related Research Articles

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Adetomyrma is a genus of ants endemic to Madagascar. Workers of this genus are blind. The type species Adetomyrma venatrix was described in 1994, with the genus being an atypical member of its tribe, the Amblyoponini. This tribe includes the Dracula ants, members of which can feed on the hemolymph of larvae and pupae.

<i>Adetomyrma venatrix</i> Species of ant

Adetomyrma venatrix, more commonly known as the Dracula ant, so named because of its grisly feeding habits of drinking the blood of its young, is an endangered species of ants endemic to Madagascar. Workers of this species are blind. The species was described as the type species of Adetomyrma in 1994, with the genus being an atypical member of its tribe.

<i>Odontomachus</i> Genus of ants

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<i>Amblyopone</i> Genus of ants

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amblyoponinae</span> Subfamily of ants

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<i>Stigmatomma</i> Genus of ants

Stigmatomma is a genus of ants in the subfamily Amblyoponinae. The genus has a worldwide distribution, and like most other amblyoponines, Stigmatomma species are specialized predators. First described by Roger (1859), it was for a long time considered to be a synonym of Amblyopone until it was revived as an independent genus by Yoshimura & Fisher (2012) based on worker mandible morphology.

<i>Xymmer</i> Genus of ants

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<i>Adetomyrma aureocuprea</i> Species of ant

Adetomyrma aureocuprea is a species of ant endemic to Madagascar.

<i>Adetomyrma cassis</i> Species of ant

Adetomyrma cassis is a species of ant endemic to Madagascar.

<i>Adetomyrma caudapinniger</i> Species of ant

Adetomyrma caudapinniger is a species of ant endemic to Madagascar.

<i>Adetomyrma cilium</i> Species of ant

Adetomyrma cilium is a species of ant endemic to Madagascar.

<i>Stigmatomma pluto</i> Species of ant

Stigmatomma pluto is a species of ant in the subfamily Amblyoponinae. The species was first described as Amblyopone pluto by Gotwald and Levieux in 1972 and moved to the genus Stigmatomma in 2012.

<i>Adetomyrma bressleri</i> Species of ant

Adetomyrma bressleri is a species of ant belonging to the genus Adetomyrma. They are endemic to Madagascar.

<i>Adetomyrma caputleae</i> Species of ant

Adetomyrma caputleae is a species of ant belonging to the genus Adetomyrma. They are endemic to Madagascar, where they are widespread.

Adetomyrma clarivida is a species of ant that belongs to the genus Adetomyrma. It is a blind species native to Madagascar. It was described by Yoshimura & Fisher in 2012.

Adetomyrma goblin is a species of ant that belongs to the genus Adetomyrma. They are native to Madagascar. The species was described in 2012 by Yoshimura & Fisher.

Stigmatomma groehni is an extinct species of ant in the genus Stigmatomma. It was described by Dlussky in 2009, where it was found in the Baltic Amber, alongside another extinct species Stigmatomma electrinum.

References

  1. ↑ Bolton, B. (2014). "Mystrium". AntCat. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  2. ↑ "Genus: Mystrium". antweb.org. AntWeb . Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Bihn & Verhaagh 2007, p. 1
  4. ↑ Bihn & Verhaagh 2007, p. 5
  5. 1 2 Bihn & Verhaagh 2007, p. 7
  6. ↑ Yoshimura & Fisher 2014, pp. 2, 44, 56, 68
  7. ↑ Yoshimura & Fisher 2014, p. 2
  8. ↑ Yoshimura & Fisher 2014, p. 1
  9. 1 2 "Dracula ants possess fastest known animal appendage: The snap-jaw". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2018-12-12.
  10. ↑ Fredrick J. Larabee , Adrian A. Smith and Andrew V. Suarez (12 December 2018). "Snap-jaw morphology is specialized for high-speed power amplification in the Dracula ant, Mystrium camillae". Royal Society Open Science. 5 (12): 181447. doi:10.1098/rsos.181447. PMC   6304126 . PMID   30662749.
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