DOCSLIB.ORG

Species Diversity and Biogeography of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Louisiana with Notes on Their Ecology Shawn T

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Species Diversity and Biogeography of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Louisiana with Notes on Their Ecology Shawn T Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2004 Species diversity and biogeography of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Louisiana with notes on their ecology Shawn T. Dash Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Dash, Shawn T., "Species diversity and biogeography of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Louisiana with notes on their ecology" (2004). LSU Master's Theses. 2215. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/2215 This Thesis 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 Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SPECIES DIVERSITY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY OF ANTS (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) IN LOUISIANA, WITH NOTES ON THEIR ECOLOGY A Thesis 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 Master of Science In The Department of Entomology by Shawn T. Dash B.S., University of Delaware, 2002 December 2004 Dedication This work is dedicated to my mother, who got up before dawn to take me bird watching when I was young, who “allowed” me to use the bathtub for my turtles, who never minded hundreds of bottles and cans of insects in the freezer. Two other people share responsibility for who I am today, and I dedicate this work to them as well. Charles Bartlett who is a teacher, a mentor, and a life-long friend and Jake Bowman, without his advice on science and life I may never have made it. ii Acknowledgements Many persons contributed to my research and this letter is in the spirit of gratitude and acknowledgment. I would like to thank my major professor Dr. Linda Hooper-Bui, who was there to lend support and offer an ear to hear my ideas. Dr. Chris Carlton who always had useful advice and suggestions to improve as a scientist and a writer. Dr. Dorothy Prowell who listened to my thoughts, and was kind enough to allow me to use specimens from her ongoing research . A number of people lent their time and energy to this project, Andrew Cline provided hours of conversation and methodology (especially the skill of sifting). He also generously gave me specimens for my analysis and often joined me in the field. A heart-felt thank you to Michael Seymour who photographed the majority of species and aided me in the creation of the distributional maps. A very special acknowledgment must be give to Dr. John Moser who always encouraged me to strive for more and was always willing to talk science; he was also kind enough to donate a number of specimens. Other persons who have made major contributions of specimens included, M. Seymour, D. Colby, A. Tishechkin, J. Rosson, K. Landry, L. Womack, N. Nguyen, E. Watson, A T. Pranschke. I would also like to thank those who helped me in the field and in the laboratory: K. O’Brien, R. Baillif, J. Fleming, S. Scoby, N. Saucier, K. Prejean and A. Williamson. Stacy Clayton in the creation of web page supplements to my thesis. I would also like to thank Brian Fisher and Stefan Cover for organizing “The Ant Course” which allowed me to improve and tune my taxonomic skills. I would also like to thank Kye Hudland, Lloyd Davis, Bill MacKay, James Trager, and Mark Deyrup who were always available with friendly advice and were kind enough to review my identifications. iii Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………..……………..iii ABSTRACT………………………. …………………………………….……………..…………v CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION……………………...………………………….….. …...…………1 2. METHODS………………………………….…………………………..……………..7 Study Area……………………………………………………………………...…7 Sampling Protocol………………………………………………………………....7 Processing, Identification, and Analysis………………………………………....10 3. RESULTS……………………………………………………...……………...….….14 Summary of Results...……………………………………………...…………….14 Foreward to Species Accounts….....………………………………..…………....17 Key to the Ants of Louisiana…………...…………………………..……….…...20 Ectioniae……………………………………………………………..………..…21 Ponerinae……………………………………………………………………...…38 Proceratiinae……………………………………………………...………...……50 Ectatomminae……………………………………………………………………55 Pseudomyrmecinae…………………………………………………….………...63 Myrmecinae…………………………………………………………………...…71 Dolichoderinae………………………………………………………… ………185 Formicinae……………………………………………………………………...203 4. DISCUSSION...……..…………………………………………………………...…249 LITERATURE CITED………………………………………………………………………....263 APPENDIX A. ECOREGIONS IN LOUISIANA……………………………………………………283 B. PARISHES IN LOUISIANA………………………………………………………...284 C. LIST OF ANTS IN LOUISIANA……………………………………………………285 D. RECORDS OF SPECIES CONSIDERED TO BE PREVIOULSY UNREPORTED FROM LOUISIANA …………………………………………………………..........288 E. SPECIES OF ANTS THAT ARE LIKELY TO OCCUR IN LOUISIANA ………..289 VITA……………………………………………………………………………………………290 iv Abstract Over three decades have passed since the completion of Moser and Blum’s (1960) treatment of the ants of Louisiana. This research represents a significant contribution to and update of their work. I report the first-ever comprehensive assessment of the Louisiana Formicid fauna. More than 100 species from 38 genera and eight subfamilies are covered. This faunistic survey gives valuable data of biodiversity and macro/microhabitat selection of ant species. Included are keys to all subfamilies, genera, and species with illustrations photographs, and a regional map for each species. v Chapter 1 Introduction This research examines the biodiversity of ants in Louisiana. This project also expands the knowledge base of ants found in the state by providing details on biogeography and observations on natural history. This research is not manipulative but rather observational or measureative. It presents contributions to biology, based on scientific investigations of a diverse family of insects. One of the most fundamental areas in biology is the study of a species; once one knows what something is the door to understanding it opens. Investigations into taxonomy, phylogenics, behavior, and natural history have been afforded to relatively few taxa. Even with many scientist studying invertebrates, limited research coverage has been accomplished. The limited treatment may be an artifact of the diversity of these groups. For example the class Mammalia has about 4,000 species, and the phylum such as Ctenophora/Cnidaria has about 9,000 species (Wilson 1992), but the family Formicidae (ants) has nearly triple as many species as mammals (LaSalle and Gauld 1993). The limited amount of research on insects is understandable with such a hyper- diverse group, further study is needed. To understand the broader themes in biological research such as ecology, evolution, as well as medical research (pharmaceuticals), the establishment of what an organism is, what it does, and how it is related to other biota is required. As Sharkey (2001) observed, contrary to popular belief, the oldest profession of humans has been taxonomy. He cites the Bible as stating in Genesis 4:14 God presented to man the duty of naming all the “beasts of the land, all the fish of the sea, and the birds in the sky.” This naming tradition has continued for thousands of years and, in the past 246 years (Linnaeus 1758), has become a well-defined science. However, once a popular part of natural history study, 1 the field of taxonomy does not have the same number of scientist it once had. For a number of years, the number of up-and-coming taxonomists has diminished rapidly. Nevertheless, a push has been made to rekindle the most basic unit of natural history studies, and in recent years, classical taxonomy and systematic research has begun to reemerge (Wilson 2000) however, the resources to study biodiversity are deteriorating (Edwards 1984). The importance of knowing what species exist and how many occur is one of the most basic questions in biology and leads to many more. Thoroughly understanding ecosystems has become extremely important as humankind’s practices have led to a decline in environmental conditions (Wilson 1998). There is a widely- held idea that mass decline of species diversity causes ecological instability, which directly affects all life on earth (Agosti et al. 2000). Luckily, considerable research is underway to investigate patterns of biodiversity in the context of the ongoing mass extinction (Wilson 1992, Agosti et al. 2000). For some an innate biophilic desire to know what is out there and what is being lost exist (Wilson 1985). One emerging method is that of rapid assessments; these studies take a picture of local diversity. Such studies often produce regional lists that not only aid in further research but also are beneficial to local communities by raising local awareness. Once a common practice in biology, the creation of regional lists for species is not a common practice today yet the need is apparent. One group receiving attention is the insect order Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and their kin, LaSalle and Gauld 1993, Agosti et al. 2000). As Gauld is persistent in pointing out, this order is hyper-diverse and this biodiversity is indicated by the lack of a “unifying common name” (LaSalle and Gauld 1993, Gauld and Bolton 1998). In terms of numbers, dominance, and ecological importance, Hymenoptera are fundamentally significant (LaSalle and Gauld 1993). 2 One family alone within this
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.
    [Show full text]
  • Unravelling the Diversity Behind the Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis (Ophiocordycipitaceae) Complex: Three New Species of Zombie-Ant Fungi from the Brazilian Amazon
    Phytotaxa 220 (3): 224–238 ISSN 1179-3155 (print edition) www.mapress.com/phytotaxa/ PHYTOTAXA Copyright © 2015 Magnolia Press Article ISSN 1179-3163 (online edition) http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.220.3.2 Unravelling the diversity behind the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (Ophiocordycipitaceae) complex: Three new species of zombie-ant fungi from the Brazilian Amazon JOÃO P. M. ARAÚJO1*, HARRY C. EVANS2, DAVID M. GEISER3, WILLIAM P. MACKAY4 & DAVID P. HUGHES1, 5* 1 Department of Biology, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America. 2 CAB International, E-UK, Egham, Surrey, United Kingdom 3 Department of Plant Pathology, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America. 4 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, Texas, United States of America. 5 Department of Entomology, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America. * email: [email protected]; [email protected] Abstract In tropical forests, one of the most commonly encountered relationships between parasites and insects is that between the fungus Ophiocordyceps (Ophiocordycipitaceae, Hypocreales, Ascomycota) and ants, especially within the tribe Campono- tini. Here, we describe three newly discovered host-specific species, Ophiocordyceps camponoti-atricipis, O. camponoti- bispinosi and O. camponoti-indiani, on Camponotus ants from the central Amazonian region of Brazil, which can readily be separated using morphological traits, in particular the shape and behavior of the ascospores. DNA sequence data support inclusion of these species within the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis complex. Introduction In tropical forests, social insects (ants, bees, termites and wasps) are the most abundant land-dwelling arthropods.
    [Show full text]
  • Ants Inhabiting Oak Cynipid Galls in Hungary
    North-Western Journal of Zoology 2020, vol.16 (1) - Correspondence: Notes 95 Ants inhabiting oak Cynipid galls in Hungary Oaks are known to harbour extremely rich insect communi- ties, among them more than 100 species of gall wasps (Hy- menoptera: Cynipidae) in Europe (Csóka et al. 2005, Melika 2006). Some gall wasp species are able to induce large and structurally complex galls that can sometimes be abundant on oaks, providing attractive shelters for several arthropod taxa including ant species. Ants are among the most important players in many ecosystems and they are also considered to act as ecosystem engineers (Folgarait, 1998). They are also famous for having ecological or physical interactions with a great variety of other organisms, such as gall wasps. Ants are known to tend Figure 1. Inner structure of the asexual Andricus quercustozae gall in- aphid colonies on the developing galls and, as general pred- habited by ants. ators, they prey on arthropods approaching the protected aphid colonies. Some oak cynipid galls secrete honeydew on their surface. This sweet substrate attracts ants and, in re- turn, the ants protect the galls from predators and parasi- toids (Abe, 1988, 1992; Inouye & Agrawal 2004; Nicholls, 2017). Beyond this obvious ecological interaction between gall wasps and ants, this association continues after the gall wasp’s life cycle has ceased. Certain galls are known to serve as either temporary or permanent shelter for many ant species. Some galls (e.g. An- dricus hungaricus (Hartig), Andricus quercustozae (Bosc), Aphelonyx cerricola (Giraud)) are large enough even for re- productive ant colonies. The advantages of galls as nesting logs are multifaceted.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Determinants of Leaf Litter Ant Community Composition
    Environmental determinants of leaf litter ant community composition along an elevational gradient Mélanie Fichaux, Jason Vleminckx, Elodie Alice Courtois, Jacques Delabie, Jordan Galli, Shengli Tao, Nicolas Labrière, Jérôme Chave, Christopher Baraloto, Jérôme Orivel To cite this version: Mélanie Fichaux, Jason Vleminckx, Elodie Alice Courtois, Jacques Delabie, Jordan Galli, et al.. Environmental determinants of leaf litter ant community composition along an elevational gradient. Biotropica, Wiley, 2020, 10.1111/btp.12849. hal-03001673 HAL Id: hal-03001673 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03001673 Submitted on 12 Nov 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. BIOTROPICA Environmental determinants of leaf-litter ant community composition along an elevational gradient ForJournal: PeerBiotropica Review Only Manuscript ID BITR-19-276.R2 Manuscript Type: Original Article Date Submitted by the 20-May-2020 Author: Complete List of Authors: Fichaux, Mélanie; CNRS, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (EcoFoG), AgroParisTech, CIRAD, INRA, Université
    [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]
  • Nutritional Ecology of the Carpenter Ant Camponotus Pennsylvanicus (De Geer): Macronutrient Preference and Particle Consumption
    Nutritional Ecology of the Carpenter Ant Camponotus pennsylvanicus (De Geer): Macronutrient Preference and Particle Consumption Colleen A. Cannon Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Entomology Richard D. Fell, Chairman Jeffrey R. Bloomquist Richard E. Keyel Charles Kugler Donald E. Mullins June 12, 1998 Blacksburg, Virginia Keywords: diet, feeding behavior, food, foraging, Formicidae Copyright 1998, Colleen A. Cannon Nutritional Ecology of the Carpenter Ant Camponotus pennsylvanicus (De Geer): Macronutrient Preference and Particle Consumption Colleen A. Cannon (ABSTRACT) The nutritional ecology of the black carpenter ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus (De Geer) was investigated by examining macronutrient preference and particle consumption in foraging workers. The crops of foragers collected in the field were analyzed for macronutrient content at two-week intervals through the active season. Choice tests were conducted at similar intervals during the active season to determine preference within and between macronutrient groups. Isolated individuals and small social groups were fed fluorescent microspheres in the laboratory to establish the fate of particles ingested by workers of both castes. Under natural conditions, foragers chiefly collected carbohydrate and nitrogenous material. Carbohydrate predominated in the crop and consisted largely of simple sugars. A small amount of glycogen was present. Carbohydrate levels did not vary with time. Lipid levels in the crop were quite low. The level of nitrogen compounds in the crop was approximately half that of carbohydrate, and exhibited seasonal dependence. Peaks in nitrogen foraging occurred in June and September, months associated with the completion of brood rearing in Camponotus.
    [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]
  • The Army Ant Aenictus Silvestrii and Its Related Species in Southeast Asia, with a Description of a New Species
    Entomological Science (2010) 13, 328–333 doi:10.1111/j.1479-8298.2010.00385.x ORIGINAL ARTICLE The army ant Aenictus silvestrii and its related species in Southeast Asia, with a description of a new species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Aenictinae)ens_385 328..333 Weeyawat JAITRONG1,2 and Seiki YAMANE1 1Department of Natural Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan; and 2Natural History Museum, National Science Museum, Technopolis, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, Thailand Abstract Three species of Aenictus with reduced numbers of antennal segments (8–9) occur in Southeast Asia: A. jarujini sp. nov., A. latifemoratus and A. silvestrii. Aenictus latifemoratus is new to Java and Borneo, while A. silvestrii is recorded for the first time from Borneo. Key words: Aenictus jarujini sp. nov., army ants, southeast Asia, taxonomy. INTRODUCTION & Yamane (1989) (Sumatra, Indonesia); Terayama & Kubota (1993) (Vietnam and Thailand); Yamane The genus Aenictus Shuckard, 1840 (subfamily Aenicti- & Hashimoto (1999) (Sarawak, Borneo); Shattuck nae) is one of the large ant genera in the world. Currently (2008) (Australia). Jaitrong & Nabhitabhata (2005) 149 valid species and subspecies are listed (Bolton et al. listed the known species of Thailand. 2006). They are mainly distributed in the Old World During our survey on the Asian species of Aenictus, tropics and subtropics, from Africa through the Middle we have recognized a well-defined species group of three East, India, South China, southernmost part of Japan, Southeast Asian species comprising the two species various countries in Southeast Asia to New Guinea and above mentioned and a new species from Thailand. In Australia (Gotwald 1995).
    [Show full text]
  • The Army Ant Aenictus Hottai (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Aenictinae) and Related Species in Southeast Asia, with a Description Of
    557 The Army AntAenictus hottai (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Aenictinae) and Related Species in Southeast Asia, with a Description of a New Species by Decha Wiwatwitaya1 & Weeyawat Jaitrong2, 3 ABSTRACT The Aenictus hottai group is established to include two species (a named and a new species) occurring in Southeast Asia: Aenictus hottai Terayama et Yamane, 1989 and Aenictus yamanei Wiwatwitaya et Jaitrong, sp. nov. Both are probably restricted to Sundaland and inhabit lowland primary forests. Key words: Taxonomy, Formicidae, Aenictinae, Aenictus yamanei, army ants, new species. INTRODUCTION Currently 95 species are listed in the army ant genus Aenictus from the Oriental, Indo-Australian, and Australasian regions (Jaitrong & Eguchi 2010; Bolton 2011). Among them 67 species are known only from the worker caste. All of those species except one have a smooth and shining gaster. The species with a finely reticulated gaster, Aenictus hottai Terayama et Yamane, 1989, is also characterized by a well-developed subpetiolar process with a poster- oventrally produced arm, and is found only in Southeast Asia (Terayama & Yamane 1989; Rościszewski & Mashchwitz 1994; Malsch et al. 2003; Jaitrong & Nabhitabhata 2005). In the course of our examination of Aenictus specimens collected from Southeast Asia, we found another species from Malay Peninsula and Sarawak that is closely related to A. hottai but is much smaller than the latter. In this paper we describe this ant as a new species based on the worker caste and both species are classified into the Aenictus hottai group herein established. 1 Department of Forest Biology, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand, E-mail: [email protected] 2 Thailand Natural History Museum, National Science Museum, Technopolis, Khlong 5, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand, E-mail: [email protected] 3 Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 8900065, Japan 558 Sociobiology Vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
    SYSTEMATICS Phylogenetic Analysis of Aphaenogaster Supports the Resurrection of Novomessor (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) 1 B. B. DEMARCO AND A. I. COGNATO Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, 288 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI 48824. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 108(2): 201–210 (2015); DOI: 10.1093/aesa/sau013 ABSTRACT The ant genus Aphaenogaster Mayr is an ecologically diverse group that is common throughout much of North America. Aphaenogaster has a complicated taxonomic history due to variabil- ity of taxonomic characters. Novomessor Emery was previously synonymized with Aphaenogaster, which was justified by the partial mesonotal suture observed in Aphaenogaster ensifera Forel. Previous studies using Bayesian phylogenies with molecular data suggest Aphaenogaster is polyphyletic. Convergent evolution and retention of ancestral similarities are two major factors contributing to nonmonophyly of Aphaenogaster. Based on 42 multistate morphological characters and five genes, we found Novomessor more closely related to Veromessor Forel and that this clade is sister to Aphaenogaster. Our results confirm the validity of Novomessor stat. r. as a separate genus, and it is resurrected based on the combi- nation of new DNA, morphological, behavioral, and ecological data. KEY WORDS Aphaenogaster, Novomessor, phylogenetics, resurrection Introduction phylogenetic analyses resolved Aphaenogaster as polyphyletic, including Messor Forel, 1890 and Sten- The ant genus Aphaenogaster Mayr, 1853 is a speciose amma (Brady et al. 2006, Moreau and Bell 2013). group,whichhasnotbeentaxonomicallyreviewedin Ward (2011) suggested that convergent evolution and over 60 years (Creighton 1950). Aphaenogaster con- retention of ancestral similarities were two major fac- tains 227 worldwide species (Bolton 2006), with 23 tors contributing to polyphyly of Aphaenogaster. valid North American species reduced from 31 original Aphaenogaster taxonomy was further complicated species descriptions.
    [Show full text]
  • IS-292 Settlement
    Insectes soc. 44 (1997) 323 – 336 0020-1812/97/040323-14 $ 1.50+0.20/0 © Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, 1997 Insectes Sociaux Research article Settlement and distribution of colony-founding queens of the arboreal ant, Crematogaster ashmeadi, in a longleaf pine forest D. A. Hahn 1 and W. R. Tschinkel * Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-3050, USA, e-mail: [email protected] 1 Current address: Interdisciplinary Program in Insect Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA Key words: Ecology, life history, Formicidae, Picioides borealis, red-cockaded woodpecker. Abstract Crematogaster ashmeadi is the dominant arboreal ant occurring on longleaf pines in the Apalachi- cola National Forest of northern Florida. Newly-mated C. ashmeadi queens preferentially founded colonies in abandoned beetle galleries in the dead branches of longleaf pine saplings. There was a positive association between the frequency of queens in trees, several size-related tree character- istics and the amount of insect boring activity in dead branches. The dispersion of newly-mated queens among trees was clumped, suggesting that these queens selected founding sites according to their suitability for colony founding, and that these favorable characteristics were clumped among saplings. The occurrence of founding nests was not related to the prior presence of other ants on the tree. Survival of incipient colonies during the first year was low (7.6%), and their dispersion was not different from random. One possible explanation for this change in dispersion over the year is aggressive interference competition between incipient colonies, although random mortality cannot be discounted. Overall, the distribution of young C.
    [Show full text]
  • Three New Species of the Army Ant Genus Aenictus SHUCKARD, 1840 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Aenictinae) from Borneo and the Philippines
    Z.Arb.Gem.Öst.Ent. 62 115-125 Wien, 19. 11. 2010 ISSN 0375-5223 Three new species of the army ant genus Aenictus SHUCKARD, 1840 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Aenictinae) from Borneo and the Philippines Herbert ZETTEL & Daniela Magdalena SORGER Abstract Descriptions of three new species of army ants are provided: Aenictus pfeifferi sp.n. from Sarawak, Borneo; Aenictus pangantihoni sp.n. from Camiguin, the Philippines; and Aenictus carolianus sp.n. from Cebu, the Philippines. Key words: Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Aenictus, army ants, new species, taxonomy, Philippines, Malaysia, Borneo, Cebu, Camiguin. Zusammenfassung Diese Arbeit liefert die Beschreibungen von drei Ameisenarten aus der Unterfamilie der Aenictinae (Treiberameisen): Aenictus pfeifferi sp.n. wird aus Sarawak, Borneo, beschrie- ben, Aenictus pangantihoni sp.n. von der Insel Camiguin, Philippinen, und Aenictus caro- lianus sp.n. von der Insel Cebu, Philippinen. Introduction The islands in the western Pacific region still yield a wealth of undescribed ant species. Despite the interesting biology of army ants – a review was published by KRONAUER (2009) – their taxonomy and zoogeography are poorly studied and need much more atten- tion. To our knowledge, the “true” army ants of the genus Aenictus SHUCKARD, 1840 (sub- family Aenictinae) are remarkably specious in the region. The described species are often recorded from a single island; this might be either an effect of reduced dispersal abilities or just a lack of information. Since WILSON’s (1964) taxonomic revision only a few species have been described from Southeast Asia, including one from Borneo (YAMANE & HASHIMOTO 1999), but none from the Philippines. In our present study we describe three species.
    [Show full text]