DOCSLIB.ORG

A Comparative Study of the Hymenopterous Poison Apparatus. Henry Remley Hermann Jr Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Comparative Study of the Hymenopterous Poison Apparatus. Henry Remley Hermann Jr Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1967 A Comparative Study of the Hymenopterous Poison Apparatus. Henry Remley Hermann Jr Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Hermann, Henry Remley Jr, "A Comparative Study of the Hymenopterous Poison Apparatus." (1967). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 1294. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/1294 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This dissertation has been microfilmed exactly as received ® 7-13,989 HERMANN, Jr., Henry Remley, 1935- A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE HYMENOPTEROUS POISON APPARATUS. Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Ph.D., 1967 Entomology University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE HYMENOPTEROUS POISON APPARATUS A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Entomology by Henry Remley Hermann, Jr. M.S., Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, 1965 May, 1967 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my sincere appreciation to a number of people for their assistance in this investigation. I first thank my wife, Patricia, for her constant interest in the subject and assistance in the preparation of material. Dr. Murray S. Blum, advisor and close companion, is especially acknowledged for his continuous support and genuine interest in many problems which arose and for his many efforts in procuring specimens from many areas in the world. Special thanks also go to the following: Dr. William L. Brown, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, and Dr. E. 0. Wilson, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, for many ant species of particular interest and for information related to the taxonomic position of some species of ants; Dr. Howard Evans, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, for several wasp species; Dr. D. H. Kistner, Chico State College, Chico, California, for Old World dorylines; Dr. C. W. Rettenmeyer, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, for several New World dorylines; Dr. Daniel Janzen, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, for several species of pseudomyrmecine ants; Dr. L, D. Newsom, Department Head, Louisiana State University, for his interest and support during the investigation; Drs. J. H. Roberts, George H. Lowery, Walter Harman, L. D. Newsom and M. S. Blum, commit­ tee members, for their review and worthy criticism of the disserta­ tion. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE TITLE PAGE.............................................................i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ..................................................... ii TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................ v ABSTRACT................................................................ vi INTRODUCTION............................................................. I LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................... 6 MATERIALS AND METHODS ................................................ 9 HOMOLOGIES AND TERMINOLOGY............................................ 14 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION................................................ 22 Evaluation of Material.............................................. 22 Soft Parts of the Poison Apparatus................................ 25 Poison S a c ............................................................25 Free Filaments....................................................... 26 Convoluted Gland..................................................... 33 Dufour's Gland....................................................... 34 Skeletal Components ................................................ 36 First Valvifers (Triangular Plates) ............................... 36 First Valvulae (Lancets)............................................40 Second Valvifers (Oblong Plates).................................. 46 Second Valvulae (Sting Bulb and Shaft)............................. 49 Third Valvulae (Gonostyli)......................................... 55 iii iv PAGE Fulcral Arms .58 Quadrate Plates (9th Hemitergites)..................................61 Spiracular Plates (8th Hemitergites).............................. 61 Anal Arc (10th Tergite) ............................................ 61 F u r c u l a .............................................................. 64 Autotomy of the Sting ............................................. 73 DISCUSSION.............................................................. 76 SUMMARY ................................................................ 83 LITERATURE CITED....................................................... 85 APPENDIX................................................................ 92 VITA ............................................................. 103 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. The evolutionary change from a connection between repro­ ductive system and ovipositor to a separation between the reproductive system and sting in the Hymenoptera. 5 2. Soft parts of the poison apparatus................ .24 3. Soft parts of the poison apparatus. ................. 28 4. Soft parts of the poison apparatus............................ 31 5. Gas ter s of an t s ................................................ 39 6. Sclerites of poison apparatus ................................. 42 7. Sclerites of poison apparatus ................................. 45 8. The furcula . ...................... .48 9. Sclerites of some Dorylinae ................................... 51 10. Sclerites of some Ponerinae and D o r y l i n a e ....................54 11. Sclerites of some Cerapachyinae ............................... 57 12. Diagrammatic illustration showing results of contrac­ tion of muscle 4 in most stinging Hymenoptera and in the dory linelike members of the Formicidae................ 60 13. Sclerites of some Pseudomyrmecinae. ................ 63 14. Sclerites of some Ponerinae, Pseudomyrmecinae, tfyrmicinae, and Formicinae.................... 66 15. Sclerites of poison apparatus ................................. 69 16. Diagrammatic illustrations of the evolution of the mutillid sting, the mechanism by which a wound is cut, and the function of soft parts in venom production......................... 7 2 ABSTRACT The results of a comparative study of the sclerites and asso­ ciated organs that compose the poison apparatus in hymenopterous insects are presented. Species of all 10 subfamilies of the Formi­ cidae and a few wasp species in three families are included in this investigation. Although there is generally a similarity in the basic structures of the poison apparatus of hymenopterous insects, there are individual characteristics which seem to be significant in determining phylogene­ tic relationships between the various groups. Certain characters are unique among individuals of a given group. The presence of external convolutions of the convoluted gland is a unique character among mem­ bers of the Formicinae. There is also a tendency in this subfamily to develop a bilobed Dufour's gland. In all of the aculeate Hymenoptera studied in this investigation, with the exception of the Dorylinae, Formicinae, Dolichoderinae, some Ponerinae and Cerapachinae, a sclerite known as the furcula is present. This small structure is probably the most important single sclerite in the hymenopterous poison apparatus when considering the sclerites as structures useful in the study of phylogeny. Its form varies considerably among the various groups and may correlate, to some extent, with the biology of a given species. Other characters that may be important in classification and phylogeny are the position of extension of the free filaments from the poison, sac, the shape and size of the free filaments, the reduction of various structures associated with the apparatus (e.g., sensory pegs vi vii and setae), and the reduction and elaboration of the sting sclerites themselves (especially within the Dolichoderinae and Formicinae), While all of these seem to be important phyletic characters, other characters may be of little, if any, significance in this respect. The presence or absence of lancet barbs seems to have little taxonomic significance, since their presence in one or more groups of aculeate hymenopterans is indeed unpredictable. Branching of the free fila­ ments seems to be present in all species of the Formicidae and thus cannot be used as a phyletic tool unless the extent of branching in any particular group could be of some importance. Following an explanation of the structures composing the poison apparatus and a comparative explanation of the soft parts and sclerites, a discussion of how this investigation correlates with the current trends of thought in formicid phylogeny is presented. Evidence resulting from this investigation indicates that the poison apparatus may indeed be a significant tool in the study of hymenopterous phylo­ geny. INTRODUCTION The sting of hymenopterous insects is a modified
Load more

Recommended publications
  • FLIGHTS of the ANT POLYERGUS LUCIDUS MAYR* Flights of Ants At
    FLIGHTS OF THE ANT POLYERGUS LUCIDUS MAYR* BY MARY TALBOT Lindenwood College, St. Charles, Missouri Flights of ants at the Edwin S. George Reserve, Livingston County, Michigan, have been studied over a number of years (Talbot 956, I959, 963, I964, 966, and Kannowski 959a, 959b). This paper is another in the flight series and concerns the slave-making ant, Polyergus lucidus Mayr. Polyergus colonies are scattered over the George Reserve, living in open ields or at woods' edge and forming mixed colonies with Formica pallidefulva nitidiventris Emery. The flights recorded here took place mainly from the Lawn Colony, where 26 flights were seen during 1960, 96, and 1962. These. observations were supplemented, fo.r comparison, by records of seven flights from two other colonies. The main flights, of Polyergus at he Reserve took place during August. They began in late July a.nd extended into early or mid- September. July 31, 1962 was rhe date of the earliest flight seen, although a dealate female was found on July 28, 1964. The latest flight recorded, on September 9, 1963, liberated only three males. The flight season at any one colony is long, probably a month to six weeks, and the time of starting and stopping flights must vary considerably from. colony to colony, depending on local environment o the nest and rate. of maturing of the brood. Polyergus spread the. maturing of brood of winged ants over an ex- tended period, and flights began long before all of the adults had emerged. Winged pupae have been found as early in the year as June 19, 1962, and as late as September I, 1964.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ants of Oklahoma Master of Science
    THE ANTS OF OKLAHOMA By Jerry H. Young(I\" Bachelor of Science Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College Stillwater, Oklahoma 1955 Submitted to the faculty of the Graduate School of the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE January 1 1956 tl<lAWMA AGCMCl«.f�Al L �Ci'!AlttCAl e&U.Ull LIBRARY JUL16195 6 THE ANTS OF OKLAHOMA Thesis Approved: Thesis Adviser }>JcMem��f � 't'" he Thesis ) Committee Member of the Thesis Committee 7'4'.��Member of the Thesis Committee Head of the Department ifean of the Graduate School 361565 ii PREFACE The study of the distribution of ants in the United States has been a long and continuous process with many contributors, but the State of Oklahoma has not received the attentions of these observers to any great extent. The only known list of ants of Oklahoma is one prepared by Mo Ro Smith (1935)0 Early in 1954 a survey of the state of Oklahoma was made to determine the species present and their distributiono The results of this survey, which blanketed the entire State, are given in this paper. The author wishes to express his appreciation to Dro Do E. Howell, chairman of the writer's thesis committee, for his valuable assistance and careful guidance in the preparation of this papero Also, much guidance on preparation of this manuscrip_t was received from Drs. Do Eo Bryan, William H. Irwin and F. A. Fenton. Many of the determin­ ations were made by M. R. Smith.. Vital infonnation was obtained from the museums at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College and the University of Oklahoma.
    [Show full text]
  • Digging Deeper Into the Ecology of Subterranean Ants: Diversity and Niche Partitioning Across Two Continents
    diversity Article Digging Deeper into the Ecology of Subterranean Ants: Diversity and Niche Partitioning across Two Continents Mickal Houadria * and Florian Menzel Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Soil fauna is generally understudied compared to above-ground arthropods, and ants are no exception. Here, we compared a primary and a secondary forest each on two continents using four different sampling methods. Winkler sampling, pitfalls, and four types of above- and below-ground baits (dead, crushed insects; melezitose; living termites; living mealworms/grasshoppers) were applied on four plots (4 × 4 grid points) on each site. Although less diverse than Winkler samples and pitfalls, subterranean baits provided a remarkable ant community. Our baiting system provided a large dataset to systematically quantify strata and dietary specialisation in tropical rainforest ants. Compared to above-ground baits, 10–28% of the species at subterranean baits were overall more common (or unique to) below ground, indicating a fauna that was truly specialised to this stratum. Species turnover was particularly high in the primary forests, both concerning above-ground and subterranean baits and between grid points within a site. This suggests that secondary forests are more impoverished, especially concerning their subterranean fauna. Although subterranean ants rarely displayed specific preferences for a bait type, they were in general more specialised than above-ground ants; this was true for entire communities, but also for the same species if they foraged in both strata. Citation: Houadria, M.; Menzel, F.
    [Show full text]
  • Origins and Affinities of the Ant Fauna of Madagascar
    Biogéographie de Madagascar, 1996: 457-465 ORIGINS AND AFFINITIES OF THE ANT FAUNA OF MADAGASCAR Brian L. FISHER Department of Entomology University of California Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A. e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT.- Fifty-two ant genera have been recorded from the Malagasy region, of which 48 are estimated to be indigenous. Four of these genera are endemic to Madagascar and 1 to Mauritius. In Madagascar alone,41 out of 45 recorded genera are estimated to be indigenous. Currently, there are 318 names of described species-group taxa from Madagascar and 381 names for the Malagasy region. The ant fauna of Madagascar, however,is one of the least understoodof al1 biogeographic regions: 2/3of the ant species may be undescribed. Associated with Madagascar's long isolation from other land masses, the level of endemism is high at the species level, greaterthan 90%. The level of diversity of ant genera on the island is comparable to that of other biogeographic regions.On the basis of generic and species level comparisons,the Malagasy fauna shows greater affinities to Africathan to India and the Oriental region. Thestriking gaps in the taxonomic composition of the fauna of Madagascar are evaluatedin the context of island radiations.The lack of driver antsin Madagascar may have spurred the diversification of Cerapachyinae and may have permitted the persistenceof other relic taxa suchas the Amblyoponini. KEY W0RDS.- Formicidae, Biogeography, Madagascar, Systematics, Africa, India RESUME.- Cinquante-deux genres de fourmis, dont 48 considérés comme indigènes, sontCOMUS dans la région Malgache. Quatre d'entr'eux sont endémiques de Madagascaret un seul de l'île Maurice.
    [Show full text]
  • Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Along an Elevational Gradient at Eungella in the Clarke Range, Central Queensland Coast, Australia
    RAINFOREST ANTS (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) ALONG AN ELEVATIONAL GRADIENT AT EUNGELLA IN THE CLARKE RANGE, CENTRAL QUEENSLAND COAST, AUSTRALIA BURWELL, C. J.1,2 & NAKAMURA, A.1,3 Here we provide a faunistic overview of the rainforest ant fauna of the Eungella region, located in the southern part of the Clarke Range in the Central Queensland Coast, Australia, based on systematic surveys spanning an elevational gradient from 200 to 1200 m asl. Ants were collected from a total of 34 sites located within bands of elevation of approximately 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000 and 1200 m asl. Surveys were conducted in March 2013 (20 sites), November 2013 and March–April 2014 (24 sites each), and ants were sampled using five methods: pitfall traps, leaf litter extracts, Malaise traps, spray- ing tree trunks with pyrethroid insecticide, and timed bouts of hand collecting during the day. In total we recorded 142 ant species (described species and morphospecies) from our systematic sampling and observed an additional species, the green tree ant Oecophylla smaragdina, at the lowest eleva- tions but not on our survey sites. With the caveat of less sampling intensity at the lowest and highest elevations, species richness peaked at 600 m asl (89 species), declined monotonically with increasing and decreasing elevation, and was lowest at 1200 m asl (33 spp.). Ant species composition progres- sively changed with increasing elevation, but there appeared to be two gradients of change, one from 200–600 m asl and another from 800 to 1200 m asl. Differences between the lowland and upland faunas may be driven in part by a greater representation of tropical and arboreal-nesting sp ecies in the lowlands and a greater representation of subtropical species in the highlands.
    [Show full text]
  • Convergent Evolution of the Army Ant Syndrome and Congruence in Big-Data Phylogenetics
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/134064; this version posted May 4, 2017. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC 4.0 International license. Convergent evolution of the army ant syndrome and congruence in big-data phylogenetics Marek L. Borowiec Department of Entomology and Nematology, One Shields Avenue, University of California at Davis, Davis, California, 95616, USA Current address: School of Life Sciences, Social Insect Research Group, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85287, USA E-mail: [email protected] Abstract The evolution of the suite of morphological and behavioral adaptations underlying the eco- logical success of army ants has been the subject of considerable debate. This ”army ant syn- drome” has been argued to have arisen once or multiple times within the ant subfamily Do- rylinae. To address this question I generated data from 2,166 loci and a comprehensive taxon sampling for a phylogenetic investigation. Most analyses show strong support for convergent evolution of the army ant syndrome in the Old and New World but certain relationships are sensitive to analytics. I examine the signal present in this data set and find that conflict is di- minished when only loci less likely to violate common phylogenetic model assumptions are considered. I also provide a temporal and spatial context for doryline evolution with time- calibrated, biogeographic, and diversification rate shift analyses. This study underscores the need for cautious analysis of phylogenomic data and calls for more efficient algorithms em- ploying better-fitting models of molecular evolution.
    [Show full text]
  • The Slave-Making Ant Formica Gynocrates (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
    The Great Lakes Entomologist Volume 18 Number 3 - Fall 1985 Number 3 - Fall 1985 Article 6 October 1985 The Slave-making Ant Formica Gynocrates (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Mary Talbot Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Talbot, Mary 1985. "The Slave-making Ant Formica Gynocrates (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 18 (3) Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol18/iss3/6 This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at [email protected]. Talbot: The Slave-making Ant Formica Gynocrates (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) 1985 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 103 THE SLAVE-MAKING ANT FORMICA GYNOCRATES (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) Mary Talbot' ABSTRACT Formica gynocrates, a recently described species of slave-making ant, was found at the E. S. George Reserve in southern Michigan. It contrasted with the other five sanguinea group species found there by living in dry fields and enslaving a field-dwelling ant, F onnica villculalls. Slave raids were carried on from 16 June to 11 September and flights occurred between 5 July and 14 August. Three other sanguinea group species, F. subintegra, F pergandei, and F. rubicullda, were most common along field-wood ecotones. They enslaved F subsericea, and F pergandei occasionally took F pallidefulva nitidirelltris. F sub nuda lived in and under logs and usually had no slaves or a limited number of F subsericea.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of Social Parasitism in Formica Ants Revealed by a Global Phylogeny – Supplementary Figures, Tables, and References
    The evolution of social parasitism in Formica ants revealed by a global phylogeny – Supplementary figures, tables, and references Marek L. Borowiec Stefan P. Cover Christian Rabeling 1 Supplementary Methods Data availability Trimmed reads generated for this study are available at the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (to be submit­ ted upon publication). Detailed voucher collection information, assembled sequences, analyzed matrices, configuration files and output of all analyses, and code used are available on Zenodo (DOI: 10.5281/zen­ odo.4341310). Taxon sampling For this study we gathered samples collected in the past ~60 years which were available as either ethanol­ preserved or point­mounted specimens. Taxon sampling comprises 101 newly sequenced ingroup morphos­ pecies from all seven species groups of Formica ants Creighton (1950) that were recognized prior to our study and 8 outgroup species. Our sampling was guided by previous taxonomic and phylogenetic work Creighton (1950); Francoeur (1973); Snelling and Buren (1985); Seifert (2000, 2002, 2004); Goropashnaya et al. (2004, 2012); Trager et al. (2007); Trager (2013); Seifert and Schultz (2009a,b); Muñoz­López et al. (2012); Antonov and Bukin (2016); Chen and Zhou (2017); Romiguier et al. (2018) and included represen­ tatives from both the New and the Old World. Collection data associated with sequenced samples can be found in Table S1. Molecular data collection and sequencing We performed non­destructive extraction and preserved same­specimen vouchers for each newly sequenced sample. We re­mounted all vouchers, assigned unique specimen identifiers (Table S1), and deposited them in the ASU Social Insect Biodiversity Repository (contact: Christian Rabeling, [email protected]).
    [Show full text]
  • Hybridization in Ants
    Rockefeller University Digital Commons @ RU Student Theses and Dissertations 2020 Hybridization in Ants Ian Butler Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.rockefeller.edu/ student_theses_and_dissertations Part of the Life Sciences Commons HYBRIDIZATION IN ANTS A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of The Rockefeller University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Ian Butler June 2020 © Copyright by Ian Butler 2020 HYBRIDIZATION IN ANTS Ian Butler, Ph.D. The Rockefeller University 2020 Interspecific hybridization is a relatively common occurrence within all animal groups. Two main factors make hybridization act differently in ants than in other species: eusociality and haplodiploidy. These factors serve to reduce the costs of interspecific hybridization in ants while simultaneously allowing them to take advantage of certain benefits. Eusociality may mitigate the effects of hybridization by allowing hybrids to be shunted into the worker caste, potentially reducing the effects of hybrid sterility. In haplodiploid species, males do not have a father. They instead develop from unfertilized eggs as haploid clones of their mother. This means that interspecifically mated queens do not completely sacrifice reproductive potential even if all hybrids are sterile because they can still produce fertile males. These factors in turn suggest that hybridization should be more common among the social Hymenoptera than other animal groups. Nevertheless, current data suggest that ants hybridize at rates similar to other animal groups, although these data are limited. Furthermore, there is a large amount of overlap between cases of interspecific hybridization and cases of genetic caste determination. A majority of the cases in ants where caste is determined primarily by genotype are associated with hybridization.
    [Show full text]
  • Mechanisms for the Evolution of Superorganismality in Ants
    Rockefeller University Digital Commons @ RU Student Theses and Dissertations 2021 Mechanisms for the Evolution of Superorganismality in Ants Vikram Chandra Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.rockefeller.edu/ student_theses_and_dissertations Part of the Life Sciences Commons MECHANISMS FOR THE EVOLUTION OF SUPERORGANISMALITY IN ANTS A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of The Rockefeller University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Vikram Chandra June 2021 © Copyright by Vikram Chandra 2021 MECHANISMS FOR THE EVOLUTION OF SUPERORGANISMALITY IN ANTS Vikram Chandra, Ph.D. The Rockefeller University 2021 Ant colonies appear to behave as superorganisms; they exhibit very high levels of within-colony cooperation, and very low levels of within-colony conflict. The evolution of such superorganismality has occurred multiple times across the animal phylogeny, and indeed, origins of multicellularity represent the same evolutionary process. Understanding the origin and elaboration of superorganismality is a major focus of research in evolutionary biology. Although much is known about the ultimate factors that permit the evolution and persistence of superorganisms, we know relatively little about how they evolve. One limiting factor to the study of superorganismality is the difficulty of conducting manipulative experiments in social insect colonies. Recent work on establishing the clonal raider ant, Ooceraea biroi, as a tractable laboratory model, has helped alleviate this difficulty. In this dissertation, I study the proximate evolution of superorganismality in ants. Using focussed mechanistic experiments in O. biroi, in combination with comparative work from other ant species, I study three major aspects of ant social behaviour that provide insight into the origin, maintenance, and elaboration of superorganismality.
    [Show full text]
  • 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
    [Show full text]
  • Hymenoptera, Formicidae)1
    THE ANTS OF THE KILDEER PLAIN AREA OF OHIO (HYMENOPTERA, FORMICIDAE)1 MARY ELIZABETH AMSTUTZ, 203 Samaritan Ave., Ashland, Ohio This paper consists of a description of the Kildeer Plain, a list of the varieties of ants found, and some notes in regard to their habits of nesting as observed in this area. Wherever variations in the geological conditions of a region occur, there are found corresponding differences both in the flora and fauna. The climatic conditions including temperature, precipitation, etc., may be quite similar, yet there appear an amazing number of different habitats for living organisms. The very fact that one type of soil is composed of clay while another is composed chiefly of sand or the fact that here may be good drainage while at some distant point may be none at all, certainly determines in no small measure the type of organism which will exist or fail to find desirable environment. This is true on a large scale across the entire width of the continent, on a smaller scale in the separate states and still more minutely, within the counties themselves. The species of ants found in the Kildeer Plain Area of Ohio are of particular interest to the myrmecologist, for here is a small area which geologically is unusual in the state. The following list embracing twenty-seven species, subspecies and varieties is undoubtedly incomplete. Ants have been taken from as many varied habitats as a small plain area presents. They have been taken in a dense oak-hickory forest at the edge of the prairie, on sloping banks of the Tymochtee Creek, along roadsides, in open prairie fields, many of which have not been under cultivation for five or six decades, and open fields that are again being put under cultivation.
    [Show full text]