Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Newly Discovered Sister Lineage Sheds Light on Early Ant Evolution
Newly discovered sister lineage sheds light on early ant evolution Christian Rabeling†‡§, Jeremy M. Brown†¶, and Manfred Verhaagh‡ †Section of Integrative Biology, and ¶Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Texas, 1 University Station C0930, Austin, TX 78712; and ‡Staatliches Museum fu¨r Naturkunde Karlsruhe, Erbprinzenstr. 13, D-76133 Karlsruhe, Germany Edited by Bert Ho¨lldobler, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, and approved August 4, 2008 (received for review June 27, 2008) Ants are the world’s most conspicuous and important eusocial insects and their diversity, abundance, and extreme behavioral specializations make them a model system for several disciplines within the biological sciences. Here, we report the discovery of a new ant that appears to represent the sister lineage to all extant ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The phylogenetic position of this cryptic predator from the soils of the Amazon rainforest was inferred from several nuclear genes, sequenced from a single leg. Martialis heureka (gen. et sp. nov.) also constitutes the sole representative of a new, morphologically distinct subfamily of ants, the Martialinae (subfam. nov.). Our analyses have reduced the likelihood of long-branch attraction artifacts that have trou- bled previous phylogenetic studies of early-diverging ants and therefore solidify the emerging view that the most basal extant ant lineages are cryptic, hypogaeic foragers. On the basis of morpho- logical and phylogenetic evidence we suggest that these special- EVOLUTION ized subterranean predators are the sole surviving representatives of a highly divergent lineage that arose near the dawn of ant diversification and have persisted in ecologically stable environ- ments like tropical soils over great spans of time. -
Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae)
Molecular Phylogenetics and Taxonomic Revision of Ponerine Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae) Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Schmidt, Chris Alan Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 10/10/2021 23:29:52 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/194663 1 MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND TAXONOMIC REVISION OF PONERINE ANTS (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE: PONERINAE) by Chris A. Schmidt _____________________ A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the GRADUATE INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM IN INSECT SCIENCE In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2009 2 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Chris A. Schmidt entitled Molecular Phylogenetics and Taxonomic Revision of Ponerine Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae) and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 4/3/09 David Maddison _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 4/3/09 Judie Bronstein -
Behavioral Ecology of the Neotropical Termite-Hunting Ant Pachycondyla (: Termitopone) Marginata: Colony Founding, Group-Raiding and Migratory Patterns
Behav Ecol Sociobiol (1995) 37 : 373 383 © Springer-Verlag 1995 Inara R. Lcal • Paulo S. Oliveira Behavioral ecology of the neotropical termite-hunting ant Pachycondyla (: Termitopone) marginata: colony founding, group-raiding and migratory patterns Received: 19 November 1994 / Accepted after revision: 7 May 1995 Abstract This study provides the first detailed field Key words Colony founding" Termite-hunting • account of colony founding, group-raiding and migra- Group raiding" Migration - Ponerine ants tory habits in the neotropical termite-hunting ant Pachycondyla marginata, in a semi-deciduous forest in south-east Brazil. New colonies can originate by hap- Introduction lometrosis, pleometrosis, or colony fission. Incipient colonies with multiple foundresses persisted longer in Ants (Formicidae) exhibit almost all degrees of prey the field, and most excavated nests contained more than one dealated female. A total of 202 group raids by P specialization; some species may include in their diets many different types of arthropods while others may marginata were registered, and in all cases the raided prey on a relatively restricted taxonomic group termite species was Neocapritermes opacus. Nearly 20 % of the workers within a colony engage with raiding (Wheeler 1910). Members of the subfamily Ponerinae normally feed on soil arthropods such as collembolans, activity. Colonies of P marginata hunt for termites approximately every 2-3 weeks, and group-raids may centipedes, millipedes, other ants, and termites (H611dobler and Wilson 1990). Many of these prey last for more than 24 h. Target termite nests are up to 38 m from the ant colony, and occasionally two nests organisms possess very sophisticated defense mecha- are simultaneously raided by one ant colony. -
Newly Discovered Sister Lineage Sheds Light on Early Ant Evolution
Newly discovered sister lineage sheds light on early ant evolution Christian Rabeling†‡§, Jeremy M. Brown†¶, and Manfred Verhaagh‡ †Section of Integrative Biology, and ¶Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Texas, 1 University Station C0930, Austin, TX 78712; and ‡Staatliches Museum fu¨r Naturkunde Karlsruhe, Erbprinzenstr. 13, D-76133 Karlsruhe, Germany Edited by Bert Ho¨lldobler, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, and approved August 4, 2008 (received for review June 27, 2008) Ants are the world’s most conspicuous and important eusocial insects and their diversity, abundance, and extreme behavioral specializations make them a model system for several disciplines within the biological sciences. Here, we report the discovery of a new ant that appears to represent the sister lineage to all extant ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The phylogenetic position of this cryptic predator from the soils of the Amazon rainforest was inferred from several nuclear genes, sequenced from a single leg. Martialis heureka (gen. et sp. nov.) also constitutes the sole representative of a new, morphologically distinct subfamily of ants, the Martialinae (subfam. nov.). Our analyses have reduced the likelihood of long-branch attraction artifacts that have trou- bled previous phylogenetic studies of early-diverging ants and therefore solidify the emerging view that the most basal extant ant lineages are cryptic, hypogaeic foragers. On the basis of morpho- logical and phylogenetic evidence we suggest that these special- EVOLUTION ized subterranean predators are the sole surviving representatives of a highly divergent lineage that arose near the dawn of ant diversification and have persisted in ecologically stable environ- ments like tropical soils over great spans of time. -
Use of Ground-Dwelling Arthropods As Bioindicators of Ecological Condition in Grassland and Forest Vegetation at Ethekwini Municipality in Kwazulu- Natal
Use of ground-dwelling arthropods as bioindicators of ecological condition in grassland and forest vegetation at eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu- Natal by ZABENTUNGWA T. HLONGWANE 211521338 Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Discipline of Ecological science, School of Life Sciences College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg South Africa 2018 i Contents List of tables ........................................................................................................................................... iii List of figures ......................................................................................................................................... iv List of appendices ................................................................................................................................... vi Preface ................................................................................................................................................... vii Declaration 1: Plagiarism ..................................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ ix Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... x -
The Higher Classification of the Ant Subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a Review of Ponerine Ecology and Behavior
Zootaxa 3817 (1): 001–242 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ Monograph ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2014 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3817.1.1 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A3C10B34-7698-4C4D-94E5-DCF70B475603 ZOOTAXA 3817 The Higher Classification of the Ant Subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a Review of Ponerine Ecology and Behavior C.A. SCHMIDT1 & S.O. SHATTUCK2 1Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Entomology and Insect Science, Gould-Simpson 1005, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0077. Current address: Native Seeds/SEARCH, 3584 E. River Rd., Tucson, AZ 85718. E-mail: [email protected] 2CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. Current address: Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200 Magnolia Press Auckland, New Zealand Accepted by J. Longino: 21 Mar. 2014; published: 18 Jun. 2014 C.A. SCHMIDT & S.O. SHATTUCK The Higher Classification of the Ant Subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a Review of Ponerine Ecology and Behavior (Zootaxa 3817) 242 pp.; 30 cm. 18 Jun. 2014 ISBN 978-1-77557-419-4 (paperback) ISBN 978-1-77557-420-0 (Online edition) FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2014 BY Magnolia Press P.O. Box 41-383 Auckland 1346 New Zealand e-mail: [email protected] http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ © 2014 Magnolia Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, transmitted or disseminated, in any form, or by any means, without prior written permission from the publisher, to whom all requests to reproduce copyright material should be directed in writing. -
She Shapes Events As They Come: Plasticity in Female Insect Reproduction1
11 She Shapes Events As They Come: Plasticity in Female Insect Reproduction1 Jason Hodin Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA USA 93950 [email protected] “Reproduction is what bugs do best. It’s one of the reasons why they dominate the planet.” –from the IMAX film Bugs! in 3D (Slee and Aron 2003) Abstract The typical insect ovary has a modular arrangement, with the ovariole as its fundamental modular unit. In general, an increased ovariole number appears to correlate with total potential reproductive output, but other physiological characteristics of the ovary can theoretically influence the rate and timing of egg production as well, the rate of öocyte maturation being one such parameter. Nevertheless, it would be incorrect to imagine that an increased rate of egg production is the only relevant fitness para- meter. While insects such as honeybees and drosophilid vinegar (“fruit”) flies do seem to be characterized by a maximization of total egg production, there are clearly constraints (or trade-offs) involved even in these examples. The decreased reproductive output potential in worker versus queen honeybees, as well as interspecific variation in ovariole number within both of these taxa, suggests that maximization of reproductive output entails some physiological, ontogenetic and/or life history trade-off. More extreme examples are parasitic or viviparous insects (such as tsetse flies) that produce as few as one egg at a time. Furthermore, there is substantial variation across broad and narrow taxonomic groups of insects in the degree to which the rates (öocyte maturation, oviposition) and potential rates (ovariole number) of egg production are phenotypically plastic. -
Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae) from the African Continent Abdulmeneem Joma University of Texas at El Paso, [email protected]
University of Texas at El Paso DigitalCommons@UTEP Open Access Theses & Dissertations 2014-01-01 Revision of the Ant Genus Bothroponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae) From the African Continent Abdulmeneem Joma University of Texas at El Paso, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.utep.edu/open_etd Part of the Biology Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, and the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Joma, Abdulmeneem, "Revision of the Ant Genus Bothroponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae) From the African Continent" (2014). Open Access Theses & Dissertations. 1267. https://digitalcommons.utep.edu/open_etd/1267 This is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UTEP. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UTEP. For more information, please contact [email protected]. REVISION OF THE ANT GENUS BOTHROPONERA (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE: PONERINAE) FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT Abdulmeneem M. Alnour Joma Department of Biological Sciences APPROVED: William P. Mackay, Ph.D., Chair Carl S. Lieb, Ph.D. Eli Greenbaum, Ph.D. Michael Moody, Ph.D. Richard Langford, Ph.D. Charles Ambler, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate School Copyright © by Abdulmeneem M. Alnour Joma 2014 Dedication I dedicate this dissertation to my family, to my parents Mohamed Alnour and Khadija Mohamed Ali, who raised me and encouraged me thoroughout my life to be able to achieve the highest level of education. To my wife Hawa Algatroni and children Rawan and Mustafa, who always supported me wherever my study took me, filling my life with love and patience. To my brothers: Abdalrahman, Mahmoud, Abdalnour, Ali, Ibrahim and my sisters: Aisha, Fatima, Zainab, Zohra, Imbarka, Mouna, who did not neglect any opportunity to encourage me to continue my scientific journey at all times. -
Formicidae, Ponerinae)
Insect. Soc. 51 (2004) 123–130 0020-1812/04/020123-08 Insectes Sociaux DOI 10.1007/s00040-003-0711-3 © Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, 2004 Research article Patterns in foraging and nesting ecology in the neotropical ant, Gnamptogenys moelleri (Formicidae, Ponerinae) R. Cogni1, 2 and P. S. Oliveira 2,* 1 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Natural Science Building, Rm. 2060, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048, USA, e-mail: [email protected] 2 Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, CP6109, Campinas-SP, 13083-970, Brazil, e-mail: [email protected] Received 30 May 2003; revised 22 September 2003; accepted 3 October 2003. Summary. This study provides quantitative field data on the one must determine both the individual and social compo- natural history and foraging behaviour of the Neotropical nents of the foraging behaviour, and the ecological setting in bromeliad-nesting ant Gnamptogenys moelleri (Ponerinae) which the colony occurs (Traniello, 1989). Therefore, the in a sandy plain forest in Southeast Brazil. The ant nested on development of models and hypotheses about ant foraging different bromeliad species and the nests were more fre- strategies is constrained by the small amount of quantitative quently found in bigger bromeliads. The species used a wide data on foraging behaviour in different species (Duncan and array of invertebrates in its diet, hunting for live prey and Crewe, 1994). In the Neotropics, where ant abundance and scavenging the majority of the items from dead animals. The number of species are remarkable, data on basic ecological food items varied greatly in size (1 to 26 mm). -
Foraging and Forager-Recruitment in Ophthalmopone Hottentota Emery (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)* by W
FORAGING AND FORAGER-RECRUITMENT IN OPHTHALMOPONE HOTTENTOTA EMERY (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE)* BY W. R. J. DEAN FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa. INTRODUCTION Ants belonging to the Ponerinae are among the most specialized foragers of the family Formicidae (Wheeler, 1936; Carroll and Jan- zen, 1973). In Africa, the ponerine ants are predators on other inver- tebrates, often termites, but also beetles, crickets, other ants and isopods (Prins, 1978; 1985). Two groups in the Ponerine may be recognized: those species which prey on animals of their own body weight or smaller; and, those species which prey on animals larger, often considerably larger, than themselves. This has led to the evolu- tion of different hunting strategies and foraging techniques in the ponerine ants (Wilson, 1958, 1971) with either no forager-recruit- ment or variations of group-hunting. Foraging techniques in the Ponerinae vary between tribes and within tribes with four main cate- gories, (1) no chemical trails and no forager-recruitment, (2) forager- recruitment by tandem-running, (3) rudimentary chemical forager-re- cruitment or short-lived trails, and (4) advanced chemical forager- recruitment (Wilson, 1958, 1959; Carroll & Janzen, 1973; Peeters and Crewe, 1987). Closely related species may use different hunting techniques and different forager-recruitment systems. "Recruit- ment" in this paper is used in a military sense and not demographically. It has recently been shown by Peeters and Crewe (1987) that Ophthalmopone berthoudi Forel (Ponerinae) is a solitary hunting species, contrary to assumptions in the literature that group- foraging behavior occurs throughout this genus (Wheeler, 1936; Wilson, 1958). There have been no published studies on the diet and foraging behavior of the closely related O. -
TERMITE SOCIAL EVOLUTION by Timothy George Myles a Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT of ENTOMOLOGY in Part
Termite social evolution Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Myles, Timothy George Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 06/10/2021 05:46:53 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/558092 TERMITE SOCIAL EVOLUTION by Timothy George Myles A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 19 8 8 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Timothy George Myles_____________________ entitled TERMITE SOCIAL EVOLUTION and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement Doctor of Philosophy the Degree of Robert L. Date / Diana E. Wheele, Date William B. Heed Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement .y/ ' Dissertation Director William L. Nutting D a t e / 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. -
Reproduction and Division of Labour in Leptogenys Schwabi Forel (Hymenoptera Formicidae), a Polygynous, Queenless Ponerine Ant
Ethology Ecology & Evolution 6: 507-517, 1994 Reproduction and division of labour in Leptogenys schwabi Forel (Hymenoptera Formicidae), a polygynous, queenless ponerine ant S.J. DAVIES 1, M.H. VILLET 1,3, T.M. BLOMEFIELD 2,4 and R.M. CREWE 1 1 Department of Zoology, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Wits, 2050 South Africa 2 Department of Zoology, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 3200 South Africa Received 24 November 1993, accepted 30 September 1994 The combination of polygyny and natural queenlessness is uncommon in ants. The ponerine ant Leptogenys schwabi Forel 1913 has no morphologically or anatomically distinct reproductive castes and several mated workers in each col- ony, providing a model for the study of the effect(s) of polygyny on the social organization of a naturally queenless species of ponerine ant. L. schwabi also presents a case of queenlessness that is useful in comparative evolutionary stud- ies of natural queenlessness because it is phylogenetically independent of previ- ously-studied examples. Virgin laying workers were few unless mated workers were experimentally removed from the colony, indicating that their reproductive physiology is regu- lated by the mated workers. No physical interactions or oophagy were seen, implicating a pheromonal mechanism of regulation. The combination of queen- lessness and polygyny did not affect the general pattern of division of labour. This may be attributed to the inhibitory influence exerted by mated workers over virgin workers that forestalls the disruptive effects of reproductive competition among virgin workers. KEY WORDS: Ponerinae, reproduction, polygyny, queenlessness, polyethism. Introduction . 508 Materials and methods . 508 Results . 510 Field observations .