| Paratrechina zanjensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Worker | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Genus: | Paratrechina |
| Species: | P. zanjensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Paratrechina zanjensis LaPolla, Hawkes & Fisher, 2013 | |
Paratrechina zanjensis is an African species of ant in the genus Paratrechina . It is one of two species in the genus, the other being the longhorn crazy ant (Paratrechina longicornis).
The species in known from Tanzania, Angola and Mozambique. Very little is known about the natural history of Paratrechina zanjensis; the 23 specimens collected in the Mkuju River region of the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania were all found in 48-hour pitfall trap samples while none were found in the 40 Winkler-extracted leaf litter samples collected during daytime along the same transects. The two Tanzanian sites in which Paratrechina zanjensis were found were representative of mature dry miombo woodland, while they appeared to be absent from both dry and moist closed canopy forest sites nearby. The Angola and Mozambique specimens were also collected in miombo woodlands; this, in combination with the absence of Paratrechina zanjensis from 15 forest sites surveyed in the Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests of Tanzania, suggests that the species prefers open woodland rather than forest habitats. [1]
The worker of Paratrechina zanjensis can easily be separated from Paratrechina longicornis based on the presence of erect macrosetae on the scapes. There are several other notable differences between the two species. The propodeal dorsal face of Paratrechina zanjensis is more convex than is observed in Paratrechina longicornis. Similarly, the pronotum and to a lesser degree the mesonotum are more convex in Paratrechina zanjensis, being almost flat in Paratrechina longicornis. The metanotal area is also longer and more distinct in Paratrechina zanjensis, being more strongly separated from the mesonotum and propodeum. Paratrechina zanjensis has erect macrosetae that are dark rather than pale as in Paratrechina longicornis, the body is glossier, and largely lacks the opalescent sheen / iridescence that is characteristic of Paratrechina longicornis. Paratrechina zanjensis is superficially similar to Nylanderia silvula , but can readily be distinguished from this species by its mandibular dentition (5 teeth in Paratrechina, 6 in Nylanderia ), larger eyes, longer limbs and less strongly domed propodeum. [1]
Male and queens for Paratrechina zanjensis remain unknown. [1]
The Formicinae are a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development.
The Miombo woodland is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome located primarily in Central Africa. It includes four woodland savanna ecoregions characterized by the dominant presence of Brachystegia and Julbernardia species of trees, and has a range of climates ranging from humid to semi-arid, and tropical to subtropical or even temperate. The trees characteristically shed their leaves for a short period in the dry season to reduce water loss and produce a flush of new leaves just before the onset of the wet season with rich gold and red colours masking the underlying chlorophyll, reminiscent of autumn colours in the temperate zone.
Brachystegia is a genus of tree of the subfamily Detarioideae that is native to tropical Africa.
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.
The Angolan genet or miombo genet is a genet species endemic to Southern Africa. It is considered common in this region and therefore listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List. Little is known about its ecology.
The tawny crazy ant or Rasberry crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva, is an ant originating in South America. Like the longhorn crazy ant, this species is called "crazy ant" because of its quick, unpredictable movements. It is sometimes called the "Rasberry crazy ant" in Texas after the exterminator Tom Rasberry, who noticed that the ants were increasing in numbers in 2002. Scientists have reorganised the genera taxonomy within this clade of ants, and now it is identified as Nylanderia fulva.
Nylanderia pubens is a species of ant of the genus Nylanderia, commonly called the Caribbean crazy ant. It was originally described as Paratrechina pubens from Saint Vincent, Lesser Antilles. This species was moved from Paratrechina to the genus Nylanderia in 2010.
The longhorn crazy ant, also known as the black crazy ant, is a species of small, dark-coloured insect in the family Formicidae. These ants are commonly called "crazy ants" because instead of following straight lines, they dash around erratically. They have a broad distribution, including much of the tropics and subtropics, and are also found in buildings in more temperate regions, making them one of the most widespread ant species in the world. This species, as well as all others in the ant subfamily Formicinae, cannot sting. However, this species can fire/shoot a formic acid spray from its abdomen when under attack by other insects or attacking other insects. When the longhorn crazy ant bends its abdomen while aiming at an enemy insect, it is typically shooting its hard-to-see acid.
Nylanderia is a large genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution with species inhabiting a wide array of habitats in almost all geographic regions. Nylanderia, currently containing over 110 species, is an ecologically important genus, with some species reported as being invasive. The ants are small to medium in size and range in color from pale yellow to black.
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.
Asphinctopone is a small genus of rarely encountered Afrotropical ants in the subfamily Ponerinae.
Anochetus corayi is an extinct species of ant in the subfamily Ponerinae known from one possibly Miocene fossil found on Hispaniola. A. corayi 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 Antillies.
Myrmecia regularis is a species of ant endemic to Australia. A member of the genus Myrmecia in the subfamily Myrmeciinae, it was first described by American entomologist Walter Cecil Crawley in 1925. These ants are medium to large in size, measuring 10 to 20 millimetres, and they are bright brownish-red in colour. Queens and workers share similar morphological features, but they can be distinguished by the noticeable size difference. Males also look similar, but collected specimens are too damaged to be examined properly.
Aenictus gutianshanensis is a Chinese species of army ant in the genus Aenictus. The species is known only from a single colony. Little is known about its biology, but it is probably most closely related to A. vieti.
Pristomyrmex tsujii is a species of ant in the genus Pristomyrmex. Known from Fiji, where they are widely distributed but rarely encountered. The species has a discrete ergatoid queen caste that is intermediate between a worker and an alate queen.
Yantaromyrmex is an extinct genus of ants first described in 2013. Members of this genus are in the subfamily Dolichoderinae of the family Formicidae, known from Middle Eocene to Early Oligocene fossils found in Europe. The genus currently contains five described species, Y. constrictus, Y. geinitzi, Y. intermedius, Y. mayrianum and Y. samlandicus. The first specimens were collected in 1868 and studied by Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr, who originally placed the fossils in other ant genera until the fossils were reviewed and subsequently placed into their own genus. These ants are small, measuring from 4 to 6 mm in length and can be characterized by their trapezoidal shaped head-capsules and oval compound eyes that are located slightly to the rear of the capsules midpoint, with no known ocelli present.
Zatania electra is an extinct species of ant in the subfamily Formicinae known from three possibly Miocene fossils found on Hispaniola. Z. electra is one of several Zatania species found in the Greater Antilles.
Nylanderia pygmaea is an extinct species of formicid in the ant subfamily Formicinae known from fossils found in the Baltic region.
In ecology, a tramp species is an organism that has been spread globally by human activities. The term was coined by William Morton Wheeler in the bulletin of the American museum of natural history in 1906, used to describe ants that “have made their way as well known tramps or stow-aways[sic] to many islands The term has since widened to include non-ant organisms, but remains most popular in myrmecology. Tramp species have been noted in multiple phyla spanning both animal and plant kingdoms, including but not limited to arthropods, mollusca, bryophytes, and pteridophytes. The term "tramp species" was popularized and given a more set definition by Luc Passera in his chapter of David F William's 1994 book Exotic Ants: Biology, Impact, And Control Of Introduced Species.
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: Lapolla, J.; Hawkes, P.; n. Fisher, J. (2013). "Taxonomic review of the ant genus Paratrechina, with a description of a new species from Africa". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 35: 71–82. doi: 10.3897/JHR.35.5628 . hdl: 2263/40025 . Please check the source for the exact licensing terms.