Solenopsis Phoretica, a New Species of Apparently Parasitic Ant from Florida (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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Solenopsis Phoretica, a New Species of Apparently Parasitic Ant from Florida (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Davis & Deyrup: New Parasitic Solenopsis 141 SOLENOPSIS PHORETICA, A NEW SPECIES OF APPARENTLY PARASITIC ANT FROM FLORIDA (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) LLOYD R. DAVIS1 AND MARK DEYRUP2 13920 NW 36th Place, Gainesville, FL 32606 2Archbold Biological station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, FL 33862 e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT A new species of ant, Solenopsis phoretica, is described from a dealate queen found clinging to the petiole of a nest queen of Pheidole dentata Mayr in Gilchrist County, Florida. The position of the Solenopsis queen, as well as details of its morphology, strongly suggest that it represents a parasitic species. It is distinguished from other Solenopsis by its concave clypeal area and slender, elongate mandibles with an enlarged basal tooth. A single specimen is known. Key Words: parasitic ant, parasitic Solenopsis, parasitic fire ant RESUMEN Se describe una nueva especie de hormiga, Solenopsis phoretica de una reina dealatada (que boto las alas) encontrada colgada al pecíolo de la reina hormiga de Pheidole dentata Mayr en el condado de Gilchrist en la Florida. La posición de la reina de Solenopsis y los detalles de su morfología, sugiere fuertemente que esta representa una especie parasítica. Se distingue esta especie de otras Solenopsis por tener la área del clipeo concavo y la mandíbula elongada y delgada con un diente basal engrandecido. Un solo specimen es conocido. Solenopsis is a genus of over 180 described spe- nopsis by the following combination of character cies (Bolton 1995). The genus shows variable hab- states: mandibles elongate, teeth lacking or vesti- its. Many species are polyphagous, above-ground gial, except for apical point and enlarged basal foragers, such as the notorious pest, Solenopsis in- angle; clypeus concave, smooth. victa Buren. Other species, especially those species Description of holotype dealate female: fea- formerly placed in the subgenus Diplorhoptrum, tures visible in lateral view described from left are primarily subterranean foragers. Some of these side. Measurements in mm. Total length (length subterranean species may issue from small galler- of head excluding mandibles + length of mesos- ies to carry off food and larvae from brood chambers oma + length of petiole + length of postpetiole + of other ants (Hölldobler & Wilson 1990). A few spe- length of gaster): 3.03; head length: 0.55; head cies of Solenopsis are workerless parasites that width at rear margins of eyes in frontal view: were at one time placed in the genera Labauchena 0.55; length of mesosoma: 0.88; length of petiole: or Paranamyrma (Ettershank 1966). Here, we de- 0.30; length of postpetiole: 0.20; length of gaster scribe a new species of Solenopsis based on a single 1.10. Color: yellowish brown, appendages yellow. dealate queen. This species appears to be parasitic Head: smooth, shining, sparsely covered with set- on other ants, but we do not know whether it is igerous punctures separated by 2-8 times the workerless, nor do we know whether it is closely re- width of a puncture, setae suberect, directed pos- lated to any other parasitic species. teriorly in the frontal area, elsewhere directed an- Character states defining Solenopsis are de- teriorly; ocelli not enlarged, each ocellus about tailed by Ettershank (1966). In the North Ameri- the width of antennal scape at base; malar area can fauna the genus can be recognized by the long and narrow, slightly shorter than length of combination of a few character states: two-seg- eye; mandibles elongate, over half the length of mented petiole; two-segmented antennal club; head at midline, apical tooth elongate, delimited propodeum lacking spines or angles; clypeus lon- proximally by a narrow notch apparently repre- gitudinally bicarinate, with a median, apical mar- senting a vestigial tooth, inner profile of mandible ginal seta. The clypeal features are lacking on the strongly concave, concavity delimited proximally species described below. by strongly produced basal angle with a truncate apex; clypeus smooth, concave, without carinae, Solenopsis phoretica, Davis and Deyrup with four subapical elongate setae; antennae 10- new species segmented, scape reaching outer corners of head in frontal view, antennal club 2-segmented, club Diagnosis of dealate female (Fig. 1): The about as long as remainder of funiculus. Mesos- dealate female is distinguished from other Sole- oma: smooth and shining, with sparse setigerous 142 Florida Entomologist 89(2) June 2006 Figure 1. Solenopsis phoretica, new species, dealate queen, lateral view (above) and frontal view of head. Ac- tual length of insect: 3.03 mm. punctures on pronotum, near margins of mesono- Etymology: species epithet derived from phore- tum, mesopleura, sides of propodeum; disc of me- tos (Greek), meaning “carried,” referring to the sonotum and declivity of propodeum unpunc- phoretic relationship between the holotype and tured; propodeum evenly declivitous in lateral the nest queen of Pheidole dentata. view, only slightly convex; legs smooth, shining, with sparse, strong, semidecumbent, distally-di- DISCUSSION rected hairs. Petiole: peduncle short, less than 0.25 length of base of petiole in lateral view; peti- It is generally undesirable to describe a spe- ole in lateral view triangular, apex broadly and cies of ant on the basis of a single queen. By con- smoothly rounded; in posterior view apex strongly vention and convenience, ant holotypes are gener- convex; ventral process narrowly expanded, with ally workers. Workers, as well as males, may be a small triangular tooth. Postpetiole: low and very different from queens. In this case, no addi- rounded above in lateral view, in posterior view tional specimens have been found since the date about 1.5 times as wide as long, broadly convex. of capture in 1992. Our intent is to alert the Gaster: in dorsal view with prominent, rounded myrmecological community to this unusual spe- anterior corners of first tergite; first tergite cov- cies, in the hope that this exposure may lead to ered with sparse, long, posteriorly-directed hairs the discovery of more specimens and more natu- that are longer than the distance between them ral history information. and emerging from inconspicuous punctures; Only a limited amount of speculation is justi- tergites 2-4 smooth, with a subapical row of hairs. fied, as only a single specimen is available. The Type locality and associated information: col- generic placement of S. phoretica is based on its lecting data on label of holotype: FL: Gilchrist general resemblance to queens of such small Sole- Co., Route 47, 2.5 miles north of junction with nopsis species as S. carolinensis Forel and S. ab- Route 232, 9 February 1992, Lloyd R. Davis. Man- dita Thompson. Resemblances include the two- dibles locked around petiole of nest queen of segmented antennal club, smooth and shiny in- Pheidole dentata. tegument, the type and placement of setigerous We deposited the holotype specimen in the punctures, and the shape of the petiole and post- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard Uni- petiole. If, however, the antennal club were three- versity, Cambridge, MA. segmented, rather than two-segmented, the spe- Davis & Deyrup: New Parasitic Solenopsis 143 cies could be plausibly placed in the genus Mono- parasitic relationship. Solenopsis phoretica seems morium. We were also influenced by the prece- equipped for a prolonged period of phoresy on its dent of parasitic species of Solenopsis with re- host, but it is still possible that S. phoretica dis- duced or absent clypeal carinae, such as the South mounts after it is fully imbued with the odor of American S. daguerrei (Santschi). There is no ev- the host queen. It is tempting to suggest, by anal- idence, however, that S. phoretica is closely re- ogy with known parasitic Solenopsis, that S. lated to S. daguerrei and its relatives. The latter phoretica is a workerless parasite, but there is no species lacks a number of features found in S. evidence of this, aside from the absence of worker phoretica: enlarged punctures bearing short setae Solenopsis in the host nest. Whatever relation- on the head and mesosoma; angulate subpetiolar ship S. phoretica may have with its host, it is cer- process; falcate mandibles with a strongly pro- tain to be interesting and unusual. We hope that jecting basal angle. The petiole of S. daguerrei is myrmecologists and other naturalists working in sharply angulate above in lateral view, the post- southeastern North America will be on the look- petiole is narrow in posterior view, the anterior out for this species. It might not be necessary to edge of the mesonotum is slightly protuberant, find nest queens of the host, as at some point in overhanging the pronotum, and the inner mar- the life cycle of S. phoretica there should be nu- gins of the mandibles are oblique with four teeth merous alate S. phoretica in the host colony. (including the apical tooth). We suspect that S. phoretica is parasitic be- cause it was found clinging to the petiole of a nest ACKNOWLEDGMENTS queen of Pheidole dentata and because the mandi- bles and concave clypeal area fit exactly around We thank Stefan Cover for helpful suggestions and the petiole. The radical nature of the clypeal and encouragement, and anonymous reviewers for useful mandibular modifications suggest a relatively comments. This project was supported by the Archbold Biological Station. long phoretic association, although not necessar- ily with P. dentata. There are other local ants, such as Pheidole crassicornis Emery, Solenopsis gemi- LITERATURE CITED nata (Fabricius) and possibly S. pergandei Forel that have a petiole that might well accommodate BOLTON, B. 1995. A New General Catalog of the Ants of the mandibles of S. phoretica. A phoretic relation- the World. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, ship in which the parasite is attached to the peti- MA. 504 pp. ole of the host queen is, to our knowledge, unique ETTERSHANK, G.
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