Overbeckia

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Overbeckia
Overbeckia subclavata casent0101191 profile 1.jpg
Overbeckia subclavata worker
Scientific classification
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Genus:
Overbeckia

Viehmeyer, 1916
Species:
O. subclavata
Binomial name
Overbeckia subclavata
Viehmeyer, 1916

Overbeckia is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae originally containing only the single species Overbeckia subclavata. [1] Although the genus has been known over 100 years only from Singapore, where its nests were found in hollow branches of bamboo and other plants, [2] a revision study by Klimes and coll. in 2022 [3] showed that these ants occur across tropical SA Asia to Australasia and re-described the genus, Overbeckia subclavata. [1] and described two new species, Overbeckia jambiensis, and Overbeckia papuana. [3] The study also showed that more recent findings of Overbeckia in Australia [4] are likely O. papuana, based on morphology.

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Species

Related Research Articles

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

The Formicinae are a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development.

<i>Paratrechina</i> Genus of ants

Paratrechina is one of seven ant genera in the Prenolepis genus-group from the subfamily Formicinae. Six species are included in Paratrechina; one of which, the longhorn crazy ant, is a widespread, pantropical pest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eucharitidae</span> Family of wasps

The Eucharitidae are a family of parasitic wasps. Eucharitid wasps are members of the superfamily Chalcidoidea and consist of three subfamilies: Oraseminae, Eucharitinae, and Gollumiellinae. Most of the 55 genera and 417 species of Eucharitidae are members of the subfamilies Oraseminae and Eucharitinae, and are found in tropical regions of the world.

<i>Nothomyrmecia</i> Genus of ants

Nothomyrmecia, also known as the dinosaur ant or dawn ant, is an extremely rare genus of ants consisting of a single species, Nothomyrmecia macrops. These ants live in South Australia, nesting in old-growth mallee woodland and Eucalyptus woodland. The full distribution of Nothomyrmecia has never been assessed, and it is unknown how widespread the species truly is; its potential range may be wider if it does favour old-growth mallee woodland. Possible threats to its survival include habitat destruction and climate change. Nothomyrmecia is most active when it is cold because workers encounter fewer competitors and predators such as Camponotus and Iridomyrmex, and it also increases hunting success. Thus, the increase of temperature may prevent them from foraging and very few areas would be suitable for the ant to live in. As a result, the IUCN lists the ant as Critically Endangered.

<i>Monomorium</i> Genus of ants

Monomorium is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. As of 2013 it contains about 396 species. It is distributed around the world, with many species native to the Old World tropics. It is considered to be "one of the more important groups of ants," considering its widespread distribution, its diversity, and its variety of morphological and biological characteristics. It also includes several familiar pest species, such as the pharaoh ant and the flower ant.

<i>Acropyga</i> Genus of ants

Acropyga is a genus of small formicine ants. Some species can be indirect pests. A. acutiventris, which is found from India to Australia, tends subterranean, root-feeding mealybugs of the species Xenococcus annandalei. Living, gravid females are carried in the jaws of A. acutiventris queens during their nuptial flight, to establish the symbiotic association in founding colonies. Other Acropyga species have relationships with different species of mealybugs, and it could be a trait common to the whole genus.

John S. Clark was a Scottish-born Australian entomologist and myrmecologist known for his study of Australian ants. Born in Glasgow, he developed an interest in entomology at a young age. Clark first arrived in Australia in 1905 and originally worked for the state railways in Queensland. He developed an interest in ants shortly afterwards, collecting his first specimens in North Queensland. He married his first wife, Maggie Forbes in 1908, who bore four children, and died in 1935. He married his second wife, Phyllis Marjorie Claringbulls in 1939 and had two daughters with her. On her suicide in 1943, Clark sent his daughters to an orphanage.

<i>Brachymyrmex</i> Genus of ants

Brachymyrmex is a genus in the ants subfamily Formicinae. The genus can be recognized by the combination of having nine antennal segments and the petiole concealed by the gaster in dorsal view. They are sometimes called "rover ants".

<i>Prionomyrmex</i> Extinct genus of ants

Prionomyrmex is an extinct genus of bulldog ants in the subfamily Myrmeciinae of the family Formicidae. It was first described by Gustav Mayr in 1868, after he collected a holotype worker of P. longiceps in Baltic amber. Three species are currently described, characterised by their long mandibles, slender bodies and large size. These ants are known from the Eocene and Late Oligocene, with fossil specimens only found around Europe. It is suggested that these ants preferred to live in jungles, with one species assumed to be an arboreal nesting species. These ants had a powerful stinger that was used to subdue prey. In 2000, it was suggested by Cesare Baroni Urbani that the living species Nothomyrmecia macrops and a species he described both belonged to Prionomyrmex, but this proposal has not been widely accepted by the entomological community. Instead, scientists still classify the two genera distinctive from each other, making Nothomyrmecia a valid genus.

Colobopsis anderseni, synonym Camponotus anderseni, is a species of mangrove ant found in northern Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prionomyrmecini</span> Tribe of ants

Prionomyrmecini is an ant tribe belonging to the subfamily Myrmeciinae established by William Morton Wheeler in 1915. Two members are a part of this tribe, the extant Nothomyrmecia and the extinct Prionomyrmex. The tribe was once considered a subfamily due to the similarities between Nothomyrmecia and Prionomyrmex, but such reclassification was not widely accepted by the scientific community. These ants can be identified by their long slender bodies, powerful stingers and elongated mandibles. Fossil Prionomyrmecini ants were once found throughout Europe, possibly nesting in trees and preferring jungle habitats. Today, Prionomyrmecini is only found in Australia, preferring old-growth mallee woodland surrounded by Eucalyptus trees. Nothomyrmecia workers feed on nectar and arthropods, using their compound eyes for prey and navigational purposes. Owing to their primitive nature, they do not recruit others to food sources or create pheromone trails. Nothomyrmecia colonies are small, consisting of 50 to 100 individuals.

<i>Ochetellus</i> Genus of ants

Ochetellus is a genus of ants first described by Steve Shattuck in 1992. He placed it in the subfamily Dolichoderinae of the family Formicidae. The ants in this genus are small and black in colour; workers measure 1.75 to 3 millimetres in length, the males at around 1.6 millimetres (0.06 in) are smaller, and the queens are the largest, reaching 4 millimetres (0.16 in). There are seven described species and three described subspecies that mostly live in Australia in a wide variety of habitats, but some species are found in Asia. One species, Ochetellus glaber, has been introduced into New Zealand and the United States.

<i>Paraparatrechina</i> Genus of ants

Paraparatrechina is a genus of small ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus contains 31 species distributed in the tropics of Africa, Asia and Australia.

<i>Notostigma</i> Genus of ants

Notostigma is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. Its two species are known only from Australia. Workers are nocturnal and forage solitarily. Notostigma was first described by Emery (1920), when he erected the new genus for three species of carpenter ants (Camponotus).

<i>Notostigma carazzii</i> Species of ant

Notostigma carazzii is a species of ant belonging to the genus Notostigma. The ant was first described by Carlo Emery in 1895. The species is endemic to Australia. Specimens are mainly found in the state of Queensland, and foraging workers are solitarily and nocturnal.

Turneria frenchi is a species of ant in the genus Turneria. Described by Auguste-Henri Forel in 1911, it is endemic to Australia, but original specimens of the ant have been lost, and its placement in a genus has been in question. The ant has been transferred various times, notably being transferred to Stigmacros in 1990 but then put back into Turneria in 1992.

<i>Brachymyrmex patagonicus</i> Species of ant

Brachymyrmex patagonicus is a species of ant in the family Formicidae. B. patagonicus, commonly known as the dark rover ant, is native to Argentina and Paraguay. They were first reported in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana in 1978 from a single colony collected in 1976. It is believed that the species was introduced through New Orleans, which is a common entry point for many tropical species, but other locations such as Mobile, Alabama, or Pensacola, Florida, are also likely. For many years B. patagonicus, B. musculus, and B. obscurior were misidentified as being separate species but after a comparison of specimens from the Louisiana State University Arthropod Collection (LSUC), it was found that all three were the same species. B. patagonicus is considered a nuisance pest due to their tendency to infest man made structures but they have received a lack of attention because they do not bite, sting, or carry disease.

<i>Colobopsis</i> Genus of ant

Colobopsis is a genus of ant in the subfamily Formicinae. This genus was first described in 1861 by Mayr and contains 95 species. The type species is Colobopsis truncata.

References

  1. 1 2 "Genus: Overbeckia". antweb.org. AntWeb . Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  2. Emery, C. (1925). "Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Formicinae". Genera Insectorum. 183: 1–302.
  3. 1 2 Klimeš, Petr; Drescher, Jochen; Buchori, Damayanti; Hidayat, Purnama; Nazarreta, Rizky; Potocký, Pavel; Rimandai, Maling; Scheu, Stefan; Matos-Maraví, Pável (2022-07-25). "Uncovering cryptic diversity in the enigmatic ant genus Overbeckia and insights into the phylogeny of Camponotini (Hymenoptera : Formicidae : Formicinae)". Invertebrate Systematics. 36 (6): 557–579. doi:10.1071/IS21067. ISSN   1447-2600. S2CID   251077487.
  4. B.E., Heterick (2019). "First record of the formicine genus Overbeckia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Australia". Myrmecological News. 29. ISSN   1997-3500.