John S. Lapolla

Towson University | TU · Department of Biological Sciences

Globally, potentially hundreds of Nylanderia species remain undescribed, hidden within several broadly distributed complexes of morphologically cryptic species. By integrating phylogenomics, geography, and morphology, we describe eight new Nylanderia species from southern Mexico and Mesoamerica, increasing the total number of known species in the g...

Two new species of root mealybugs (Hemiptera: Rhizoecidae) from South America are described and illustrated based on the morphology of the adult females: Coccidella advena Schneider & LaPolla, sp. nov. from Peru and Rhizoecus peripotaro Schneider & LaPolla, sp. nov. from Guyana and Peru. Both species were collected with colonies of Acropyga ants (H...

Genital morphology, a cornerstone in taxonomy that predates Linnaeus’s Systema Naturae, is vital for species delimitation. However, the widely accepted paradigm that genitalia are taxonomically informative lacks robust testing between closely related species, and supporting evidence is often limited to taxonomic literature in which genitalia are as...

Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) have great potential to exert influence over the morphological evolution of their obligate mutualist partners. Obligately myrmecophilic mealybugs are noted for their unusual morphology, and while this is often attributed to their relationship with ants, a quantitative assessment of this link is lacking. We address thi...

The early Oligocene (ca. 32.0 Ma) Canyon Ferry Reservoir deposit is known to contain an extraordinary number of well-preserved plant and animal fossils. Among those are 111 fossil ant specimens that were examined and assigned to five genera: Dolichoderus, Liometopum, Camponotus, Lasius, and Manica from three subfamilies: Dolichoderinae, Formicinae,...

We describe a new pair of trophobiotic partners from the ant genus Acropyga and the root mealybug genus Neochavesia. A recent field study on Acropyga ants and associated root mealybugs, conducted in the Peruvian Amazon, led to the discovery of Acropyga manuense LaPolla & Schneider, sp. nov. and its root mealybug symbiont Neochavesia podexuta Schnei...

We describe five new Neotropical species of Ripersiella living in association with Acropyga ants: R. campensis sp. nov., R. illicians sp. nov., R. montanae sp. nov., R. pediandensis sp. nov., and R. telalia sp. nov. We also redescribe R. andensis and R. colombiensis based on type specimens and other collections. Together, these seven species form a...

The fruitful study of associations between ants and scale insects yields insight into the mechanisms that shape these symbioses. Field collections provide the basic information linking partnered species, and as such it is critical that collection techniques from the field reflect true species-to-species partnerships in the published literature. It...

The ant genus Nylanderia Emery has a cosmopolitan distribution and includes 150 extant described species and subspecies, with potentially hundreds more undescribed. Global taxonomic revision has long been stalled by strong intra- and interspecific morphological variation, limited numbers of diagnostic characters, and dependence on infrequently coll...

A new myrmecophilous species of root mealybug, Williamsrhizoecus udzungwensis sp. n., is described from individuals found living within a nest of Acropyga silvestrii in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania. Acropyga ants are highly specialized, obligate associates of scale insects, typically members of the scale family Xenococcidae. Acropyga are best...

Nylanderia (Emery) is one of the world’s most diverse ant genera, with 123 described species worldwide and hundreds more undescribed. Fifteen globetrotting or invasive species have widespread distributions and are often encountered outside their native ranges. A molecular approach to understanding the evolutionary history and to revision of Nylande...

The diversity of the formicine ant genus Nylanderia is currently underestimated and largely undescribed. This includes the faunas of tropical regions where species richness is typically high. Here, the taxonomy of the West Indian Nylanderia fauna is revised for the first time. Fourteen new species are described, bringing the total number of species...

Prenolepis is a lineage of formicine ants with its center of diversity in the Old World tropics. Three more Prenolepis species are added to the Indomalayan and Australasian fauna and another is synonymized, bringing the total number of Prenolepis species worldwide to 19. Two new species are described: P. nepalensis from Nepal and P. lakekamu from P...

Leafcutter ants propagate co-evolving fungi for food. The nearly 50 species of leafcutter ants (Atta, Acromyrmex) range from Argentina to the USA, with the greatest species diversity in southern South America. We elucidate the biogeography of fungi cultivated by leafcutter ants using DNA-sequence and microsatellite-marker analyses of 474 cultivars...

A new species of Acropyga (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) is described from Panama. The largest known Acropyga species in the New World, Acropyga oreithauma, new species is described and images are provided. Based on its morphology, A. oreithauma is likely closely related to A. exanguis and A. fuhrmanni. These three Acropyga are also known to...

The formicine ant genus Prenolepis is here revised for the first time. Thirteen extant species are recognized of which four are described as new. A key for the worker caste is provided, and the worker of each species is imaged, with males and queens imaged in species where they are known. Worker-based characters were used to construct a species-lev...

We report the discovery of Nylanderia fulva virus 1 (NfV-1), the first virus identified and characterized from the ant, Nylanderia fulva. The NfV-1 genome (GenBank accession KX024775) is 10,881 nucleotides in length, encoding one large open reading frame (ORF). Helicase, protease, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and jelly-roll capsid protein domains...

Acropyga ants are a widespread clade of small subterranean formicines that live in obligate symbiotic associations with root mealybugs. We generated a data set of 944 loci of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) to reconstruct the phylogeny of 41 representatives of 23 Acropyga species using both concatenation and species-tree approaches. We investigated...

Obligately socially parasitic ants are social parasites that typically lack the sterile worker caste, and depend on the host species for survival and brood care. Te genus Nylanderia has over 130 described species and subspecies, none of which, until this study, were known social parasites. Here we describe the first social parasite known in the gen...

Analysis of an invasive species' niche shift between native and introduced ranges, along with potential distribution maps, can provide valuable information about its invasive potential. The tawny crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva, is a rapidly emerging and economically important invasive species in the southern United States. It is originally from east-c...

Appendix S1. Occurrence data, climatic variables and cross‐correlation Tables. Appendix S2. Model selection summary Table. Appendix S3. Variable importance and species response curves.

A broad range of interesting fossil insects have been discovered recently in Kishenehn Formation shale (middle Eocene, ca. 46 myo) in northwestern Montana, among them a diversity of ant species. Two hundred forty-nine ant fossils were examined in this study, with 152 them assignable at least to subfamily. Here, twelve fossil ant species are formall...

The ant genus Paratrechina is reexamined based on the discovery of two new species from Madagascar (P. ankarana sp. n. and P. antsingy sp. n.). Paratrechina kohli, a species known from central Africa, is transferred to Paratrechina from Prenolepis based on a new morphological interpretation of the genus and an updated morphological diagnosis of the...

Recent survey work in the Seychelles has revealed two new species of Paraparatrechina that are here described: P. illusio sp. n. and P. luminella sp. n. A revised key to the workers of Paraparatrechina for the Afrotropical and Malagasy regions is provided. The taxonomy of the hypogaeic weissi species-group is also reviewed in light of recent field...

With the recent finding of Paratrechina (broad sense) paraphyly, only Paratrechina longicornis remained in a redefined genus. As one of the most widely distributed ant species due to human transfer around the world, there is much interest in the biology of P. longicornis. One issue concerning P. longicornis has been as to where exactly the species...

The dominance of ants in the terrestrial biosphere has few equals among animals today, but this was not always the case. The oldest ants appear in the fossil record 100 million years ago, but given the scarcity of their fossils, it is presumed they were relatively minor components of Mesozoic insect life. The ant fossil record consists of two prima...

The taxonomy of the Nearctic Nylanderia fauna is revised. Three new species are established, bringing the total number of native species from the region to 14. The new species are: N. magnella, N. querna, and N. trageri. Several species possess workers that are difficult to distinguish from each other and the presence of males is required for morph...

In the past decade, Houston, Texas has been virtually overrun by an unidentified ant species, the sudden appearance and enormous population sizes and densities of which have received national media attention. The Rasberry Crazy Ant, as it has become known due to its uncertain species status, has since spread to neighboring states and is still a maj...

Molecular data and GenBank accession numbers. (XLSX)

Morphometric data. For specimens where GPS coordinates were not provided on the label (indicated by an asterisk), when possible we estimated the GPS data based on the collection information. Specimens highlighted in red were excluded from DAPC due to missing data points. (XLS)

The ant genus Prenolepis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is the nominal member of the recently established Prenolepis genus‐group within the subfamily Formicinae. Our molecular phylogenetic analyses using fragments from five nuclear genes (arginine kinase, carbomoylphosphate synthase, elongation factor 1‐alpha F1, elongation factor 1‐alpha F2, wingless)...

The taxonomy of the Afrotropical Nylanderia fauna is revised for the first time. Fourteen native species are revealed, of which eight are described as new: N. boltoni LaPolla and Fisher, N. brevisetula LaPolla and Fisher, N. impolita LaPolla and Fisher, N. luteafra LaPolla and Fisher, N. scintilla LaPolla and Fisher, N. silvula LaPolla and Fisher,...

This paper serves as an introduction to a world monographic series addressing the species-level taxonomy of the ant genus Nylanderia. This series will consist of several regionally based taxonomic revisions. The systematics and biology of Nylanderia are discussed in a global context, and a diagnosis of the genus is given. Several morphological feat...

The taxonomy of the Afrotropical Nylanderia fauna is revised for the first time. Fourteen native species are revealed, of which eight are described as new: N. boltoni LaPolla and Fisher, N. brevisetula LaPolla and Fisher, N. impolita LaPolla and Fisher, N. luteafra LaPolla and Fisher, N. scintilla LaPolla and Fisher, N. silvula LaPolla and Fisher,...

This paper serves as an introduction to a world monographic series addressing the species-level taxonomy of the ant genus Nylanderia. This series will consist of several regionally based taxonomic revisions. The systematics and biology of Nylanderia are discussed in a global context, and a diagnosis of the genus is given. Several morphological feat...

The mealybug tribe Xenococcini (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) comprises three genera, Eumyrmococcus Silvestri, Neochavesia Williams & Granara de Willink and Xenococcus Silvestri, trophobiotically associated with ants of the genus Acropyga Roger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Alate Acropyga queens vertically transmit trophobionts by carrying them along on...

The fossil record of the Prenolepis genus-group is comprehensively reviewed for the first time. Five fossil species are presently known from this clade: Nylanderia vetula, sp. nov. (Dominican amber); Nylanderia pygmaea, comb. nov., Prenolepis henschei and Pseudolasius boreus (Baltic and other contemporaneous amber deposits); and Protrechina carpent...

The dacetine ants of Guyana are reviewed. One genus, Acanthognathus, is added to the three genera reported previously from Guyana. A total of 42 species are reported, 32 of which are new records for Guyana. Among these 32 species, the following five are new species: Pyramica dahlanae sp. n., Pyramica mariae sp. n., Strumigenys acarai sp. n., Strumi...

The taxonomy of the Afrotropical and Malagasy Paraparatrechina fauna is revised for the first time. Thirteen species are revealed, of which eight are described as new: P. brunnella LaPolla & Cheng; P. concinnata LaPolla & Cheng; P. gnoma LaPolla & Cheng; P. myops LaPolla & Fisher; P. ocellatula LaPolla & Fisher; P. oreias LaPolla & Cheng; P. splend...

The taxonomy of the Afrotropical and Malagasy Paraparatrechina fauna is revised for the first time. Thirteen species are revealed, of which eight are described as new: P LaPolla & Cheng. An identification key to the worker caste is provided.

We investigated the phylogeny and taxonomy of the Prenolepis genus-group, a clade of ants we define within the subfamily Formicinae comprising the genera Euprenolepis, Nylanderia, gen. rev., Paraparatrechina, gen. rev. & stat. nov., Paratrechina, Prenolepis and Pseudolasius. We inferred a phylogeny of the Prenolepis genus-group using DNA sequence d...

The taxonomy of Euprenolepis has been in a muddled state since it was recognized as a separate formicine ant genus. This study represents the first species-level taxonomic revision of the genus. Eight species are recognized of which six are described as new. The new species are E. echinata, E. maschwitzi, E. thrix, E. variegata, E. wittei, and E. z...

The taxonomy of Euprenolepis has been in a muddled state since it was recognized as a separate formicine ant genus. This study represents the first species-level taxonomic revision of the genus. Eight species are recognized of which six are described as new. The new species are E. echinata, E. maschwitzi, E. thrix, E. variegata, E. wittei, and E. z...

Observations on a mating swarm of Acropyga arnoldi are reported for the first time. Aspects of the trophophoretic nature of the queens are discussed. The mealybugs carried by the queens were all females. For specimens examined further, each mealybug was found to possess a single, very large egg, an unusual observation for mealybugs.

The ant genus Pseudolasius in the Afrotropical region is reviewed. Two species are considered valid, P. bufonus and P. weissi, and diagnostic morphological characters are provided for each. Scanning electron micrographs are provided for each species, and the male genitalia of P. bufonus are illustrated for the first time. Four species are synomized...

FIGURE 1. Euprenolepis procera: A) mandalus indicated by arrow (worker mandible); B) penis valve.

FIGURE 10 A – D. E. thrix worker. A) lateral view; B) gaster in dorsal view; C) head in full-frontal view; D) scape. Holotype, Malaysia, Borneo (USNM).

FIGURE 13 A – I. E. wittei queen and male. A) queen in lateral view; B) queen head in full-frontal view; C) male in lateral view; D) male head in full-frontal view; E – I male genitalia: E) dorsal view; F) ventral view; G) lateral view; H) volsellar lobe; I) penis valve. Queen and male are both from Malaysia, West Malaysia (USNM)

FIGURE 3 A – D. E. echinata worker. A) lateral view; B) gaster in dorsal view; C) head in full-frontal view; D) scape. Holotype, Malaysia, Borneo (USNM).

FIGURE 9 A – I. E. procera queen and male. A) queen in lateral view; B) queen head in full-frontal view; C) male in lateral view; D) male head in full-frontal view; E – I male genitalia: E) dorsal view; F) ventral view; G) lateral view; H) volsellar lobe; I) penis valve. Queen and male are both from South Thailand (SYPC)

FIGURE 14 A – D. E. zeta worker. A) lateral view; B) gaster in dorsal view; C) head in full-frontal view; D) scape. Holotype, Malaysia, Borneo (USNM)

FIGURE 4 A – D. E. maschwitzi worker. A) lateral view; B) gaster in dorsal view; C) head in full-frontal view; D) scape. Holotype, Malaysia, Borneo (USNM).

FIGURE 6 A – I. E. negrosensis queen and male. A) queen in lateral view; B) queen head in full-frontal view; C) male in lateral view; D) male head in full-frontal view; E – I male genitalia: E) dorsal view; F) ventral view; G) lateral view; H) volsellar lobe; I) penis valve. Malaysia, Borneo (KEPC).

FIGURE 8 A – D. E. procera minor worker. A) lateral view; B) head in full-frontal view. Malaysia (SYPC)

FIGURE 12 A – D. E. wittei worker. A) lateral view; B) gaster in dorsal view; C) head in full-frontal view; D) scape. Holotype, Malaysia, West Malaysia (USNM)

FIGURE 2. Distribution of Euprenolepis species.

FIGURE 5 A – D. E. negrosensis worker. A) lateral view; B) gaster in dorsal view; C) head in full-frontal view; D) scape. Malaysia, Borneo (SYPC).

FIGURE 7 A-D. E. procera major worker. A) lateral view; B) gaster in dorsal view; C) head in full-frontal view; D) scape. Malaysia, Sarawak (BMNH)

FIGURE 11 A – D. E. variegata worker. A) lateral view; B) gaster in dorsal view; C) head in full-frontal view; D) scape. Holotype, Malaysia, Borneo (USNM)

A peculiar new genus of Ortheziidae is described from Queensland, Australia. Acropygorthezia williamsi LaPolla & Miller, n. gen. & sp. was discovered in two localities in the nests of Acropyga myops. Descriptions and illustrations are provided for the adult female, adult male, first-instar nymph, prepupa, and pupa; descriptions only are provided fo...

Species in the diverse ant genus Paratrechina form an important component of most ant communities around the world, but its taxonomy is virtually inaccessible. The genus also contains some of the worlds most destructive invasive ant species. In order to begin a global monographic revision of this genus, the generic limits of Paratrechina and close...

Biological conservation efforts require an in-depth analysis and understanding of the biodiversity and species richness of an ecosystem. Ants can be used to assess the health of an ecosystem, due to their importance and relative affluence. Pheidole, a dominant genus of ant, is found across the globe. Morphological analysis on specimens has identifi...

Whether phylogenetic data should be differentially or equally weighted is currently debated. Further, if differential weighting is to be explored, there is no consensus among investigators as to which weighting scheme is most appropriate. Mitochondrial genome data offer a powerful tool in assessment of differential weighting schemes because taxa ca...

Leaf litter ants are an important group of organisms for informing conservation planning. This study presents the beginning of a leaf litter ant dataset for Guyana. Following the ants of the leaf litter protocol, ants were extracted from sifted leaf litter sampled along eight transects from across Guyana. A total of 230 species were collected from...

The myrmicine ant genus Rogeria in Guyana is reviewed. Using previously published records, older collections, and collections from recent leaf litter ant survey work, nine Rogeria species are now known from Guyana, with another two species that probably also occur in Guyana. Among these eleven species, a new species, R. tsumani, is here described,...

Trophophoresy is exhibited in two ant genera: Acropyga (Formicinae), in which all 37 species are thought to be trophophoretic, and Tetraponera (Pseudomyrmecinae), in which it has been observed in only one species, T. binghami. This study analyses a dataset comprised of both morphological and molecular (D2 region of 28S rRNA and EF1-alpha) data. Evi...

An ant queen of the now extinct species Acropyga glaesaria, preserved in amber with a mealybug (Electromyrmococcus reginae) between the mandibles, has proved that ant species 15 to 20 million years ago were ''farming'' mealybugs in colonies to provide food.

Brachymyrmex Mayr is an exclusively New World ant genus that currently contains 38 described species. In this study, we describe Brachymyrmex nebulosus, new species from Costa Rica. The new species exhibits morphological characters suggestive of both Brachymyrmex and Myrmelachista Roger. Notes on the morphological characters that separate these two...

Two new species of Pheidole from Guyana are described, P. funki LaPolla and P. schultzi LaPolla. One species, P. funki, belongs to the scrobifera-group and is only the second member of the species-group known from South America. The other species, P. schultzi, belongs to the tachigaliae-group. P. tachigaliae is also illustrated to identify morpholo...

The discovery of several pieces of Dominican amber with Acropyga inclusions provides evidence that the trophophoretic behavior of Acropyga queens is at least 15-20 million years old. A fossil species, A. glaesaria, is described and its relationship to extant Acropyga is discussed.

A new species of Acropyga, A. bakwele sp. nov., is described from Gabon. This is an intriguing species because unlike any other known because its worker possesses a median ocellus, unlike any other known Acropyga. This species is the largest Acropyga known from Africa, and one of the largest in the world. In overall appear- ance, the worker resembl...

The mealybug-tending ant A. epedana is an obligate coccidiphile with trophophoretic queens. Trophophoresy is defined as the behavior of a foundress queen transporting a trophobiont on her mating flight for the establishment of a new mealybug "herd" in her new colony. Both the male and queen of A. epedana are described here for the first time. Obser...

Although Pseudolasius dodo has recently been placed in the genus Acropyga, several characters suggest the species should be placed back into Pseudolasius; these include: 12 segmented antennae, eyes positioned anteriorly near the midline, a deeply impressed metanotal area, small propodeal spiracles, and a gaster without dense pubescence. P. dodo is...

Raids by the army ant Neivamyrmex rugulosus (tribe Ecitonini) on a nest aggregation of the fungus-grow- ing ant Trachymyrmex arizonensis (tribe Attini) resulted in major brood loss and partial destruction of the fungus-gar- dens in the attacked nests. T. arizonensis workers attempted to rescue their brood by carrying them to ad-hoc shelters under r...

A visit to Kauai in 1997 revealed a catastrophic drop in Laupala cricket populations in the Keahua region of the island. Ants, previously unknown at collection sites, were now found in large numbers. This study investigates the possible effects of ants on Laupala. Localities from Hawaii, Kauai, Oahu, and Maui, previously known to possess large cric...

Ants preserved in copal are reported from localities in Colombia, South America. Representatives of 21 genera (5 subfamilies) are reported from Boyaca Department; representatives of 24 genera (6 subfamilies) are reported from Santander Department. Comparisons between the faunas were made using presence/absence measures and alpha diversity measures....

Botany (includes current program administration): Christian Feuillet.