Tetramorium

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Tetramorium
Tetramorium immigrans casent0005827 profile 1.jpg
Tetramorium caespitum worker
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Tetramorium
Mayr, 1855
Diversity
> 520 species
Synonyms

ApomyrmexCalilung, 2000
AtopulaEmery, 1912
DecamoriumForel, 1913
LobomyrmexKratochvíl, 1941
MacromischoidesWheeler, 1920
TetrogmusRoger, 1857
TriglyphothrixForel, 1890
XiphomyrmexForel, 1887Teleutomyrmex

Contents

Tetramorium is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae that includes more than 520 species. [1] [2] These ants are also known as pavement ants.

Taxonomy and phylogeny

Tetramorium was first described by Gustav Mayr in 1855 in the same publication as Monomorium . [3]

Revision within the genus by Wagner et al. in 2017 recognized a complex of 10 cryptic species, 3 of which were raised from subspecies classifications and 2 of which were newly described. This revision also elevated the pavement ant introduced to North America as the species T. immigrans rather than the previous designation as a subspecies of T. caespitum. These 10 species in the T. caespitum complex are as follows: [4]

Description

Workers of most species have a ridged clypeus, an appendaged stinger, mandibles with 3 or 4 teeth, and antennae with 11 or 12 segments or with 3-segmented clubs on the tips. [2] The genus is divided into several species groups defined by various characters. [2]

Distribution

Most species are distributed throughout the Afrotropical and Indomalayan realms. Ten species have been recorded from Japan. One species of pavement ant, T. immigrans , is native to Europe and was probably introduced to North America starting in the 18th century. [5] [4]

Biology

Most known species nest in the soil, in decaying wood, or in leaf litter. Some live in trees or in termite nests. [2]

Species

T. fulviceps Tetramorium fulviceps.jpg
T. fulviceps
T. sericeiventre Tetramorium sericeiventre.jpg
T. sericeiventre

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References

  1. Bolton, B. (2014). "Tetramorium". AntCat. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Sharaf, Aldawood, Taylor (2012). "A New Ant Species of the Genus Tetramorium Mayr, 1855 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Saudi Arabia, with a Revised Key to the Arabian Species". PLOS ONE . 7 (2): e30811. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...730811S. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030811 . PMC   3289629 . PMID   22389667.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Mayr, G. (1855): Formicina austriaca. Beschreibung der bisher im österreichischen Kaiserstaate aufgefundenen Ameisen nebst Hinzufügung jener in Deutschland, in der Schweiz und in Italien vorkommenden Ameisen. Verhandlungen des Zoologisch-Botanischen Vereins in Wien5: 273-478.
  4. 1 2 Wagner, Herbert; Seifert, Bernhard; Muster, Christoph; Schlick-Steiner, Birgit; et al. (2017). "Light at the end of the tunnel: Integrative taxonomy delimits cryptic species in the Tetramorium caespitum complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)" (PDF). Myrmecological News. 25. S2CID   163158395. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-02-25.
  5. Jacobs, S. Pavement Ant. Penn State Extension. 2014.

Further reading