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The Ants of North America
... However, the species-level taxonomy of the genus has generally proved to be challenging, and the Nearctic species are no exception. Descriptions of North American species, mostly belonging to what is now known as the C. scutellaris group, accumulated in a piecemeal fashion until Creighton (1950) attempted to provide a coherent treatment of all species. This was followed by two important contributions by Buren (1959Buren ( , 1968, with his second paper providing the most recent usable key to Nearctic species of Crematogaster (Crematogaster). ...
... Morgan & Mackay (2017: 197) considered C. parapilosa (as 'C. atkinsoni') to be a junior synonym of C. laeviuscula, a midwestern species that nests in dead stems, branches and logs, and occurs from Kansas and Missouri south to Texas and north-eastern Mexico (Creighton, 1950;Buren, 1968;Johnson, 1988). Apart from biological and distributional differences, all but the smallest workers of C. parapilosa can be distinguished from those of C. laeviuscula by their disporportionately longer propodeal spines (Fig. 45) (for worker HW > 0.85 mm, SPL/HW 0.29-0.34 in C. parapilosa vs. 0.21-0.27 in C. laeviuscula). ...
... It shows the uplifted pubescence on the head that characterizes C. pilosa, although it is on the less pilose end of the spectrum (MSC ~10, A4SC ~25) for this species. Creighton (1950) found that the type series of C. atkinsoni var. helveola was mixed, with the males, dealate queen and some workers being C. ashmeadi, while the remaining workers were a second species that Creighton (1950) considered to be C. atkinsoni. ...
We investigate the species-level taxonomy and evolutionary history of Nearctic ants in the Crematogaster scutellaris group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), drawing on evidence from morphology and UCE (ultraconserved element) phylogenomics. The New World species in this group form a well-supported clade that originated in the Late Miocene (~7.3 Mya) and subsequently diverged into three major lineages: the C. coarctata clade (south-western Nearctic), the C. opaca clade (south-western Nearctic and northern Neotropics) and the C. lineolata clade (eastern Nearctic and Caribbean, with four isolated south-west endemics). We hypothesize trans-Beringian dispersal into the New World, west-to-east movement within North America and restriction of mesophilic species to the east with increasing aridification of the west. The ancestral nesting behaviour of these ants is inferred to be ground-dwelling, and this is still the predominant condition in the arid west, whereas most species in the eastern United States are arboreal. We resurrect from synonymy nine species and describe three new species: C. detecta sp. nov. (from Nevada), C. parapilosa sp. nov. (Florida) and C. vetusta sp. nov. (Arizona). We provide a worker-based key to the 34 species of Crematogaster occurring in America north of Mexico, but emphasize that there are still ongoing taxonomic issues that need to be resolved.
... Ants are a diverse family of arthropods found abundantly throughout terrestrial environments (Creighton 1950, Ward 2007. While often regarded as pests due to aggressive behavior, painful stings, and the scavenging feeding habits of some species (Groden et al. 2005, Menke et al. 2010, ants also provide a multitude of ecosystem services that include soil aeration, regulation of other organisms, and nutrient cycling (Crist 2009, Erickson et al. 2014, Oberg et al. 2012, Ohashi et al. 2007. ...
... Over the past 60 years, ant diversity in New Brunswick, has been mentioned only briefly in the literature, including Creighton (1950), Sanders (1964), and Francoeur and Loisellle (1984). Online resources, including AntWeb (https:// www.antweb.org/) ...
... We pointed all individuals collected and identified each to species based on morphology, utilizing Cannon (1998), Schofield et al. (2016), Creighton (1950), Ellison et al. (2012), Smith (1957), Taylor (1967), Trager et al. (2007a, b), Weber (1950), Wilson (1955), and Wing (1968). Representatives of all ant species collected in RWP have been deposited in the collection of the New Brunswick Museum. ...
Based on samples from 5 discrete habitat types (Thuja occidentalis [Eastern White Cedar] stand, Eastern White Cedar fen, old field, Acadian Mixed Forest, peat bog) we report the first assessment of ant species richness for a specific locale in New Brunswick. We identified 30 ant species across 3 subfamilies and 9 genera as present in Rockwood Park, a heavily wooded, 890-ha municipal park within the city of Saint John. All ant species encountered were native. Given our estimate of a total of 85–96 ant species present in New Brunswick (based on New Brunswick Museum records and studies of ants in northeastern North America), we found ∼35% in Rockwood Park. Major differences were evident in the assemblages of ant species among the 5 habitat types examined. While each habitat included generalist ant species shared across habitat types, ant species unique to each habitat were also present. Of the habitats studied in Rockwood Park, peat bogs and Eastern White Cedar stands supported the ant assemblages that were the most diverse, including several species that have rarely been encountered in North America. Both peat bogs and Eastern White Cedar stands in New Brunswick are widely exploited for commercial purposes. Our results suggest that environmental assessments of such habitats may need to consider the presence of rare, specialist ant species.
... The study of Alberta's ant fauna began with Sharplin (1966), who assembled an annotated list of 40 species known to occur in the province. Sharplin built on the faunistic and revisionary works of such American workers as Wheeler (1905Wheeler ( , 1913, Creighton (1950), Wilson (1955), and Wheeler and Wheeler (1963). Since then, a number of new species have been described from Alberta (Buschinger 1979(Buschinger , 1983Heinze 1989;Mackay and Buschinger 2002;Buschinger and Schultz 2008), fi ve genera with representatives in Alberta have been partly or entirely revised or reviewed (Francour 1973 for Formica;Francour and Buschinger 1985 for Formicoxenus;Mackay 1993 for Dolichoderus; Mackay 2000 for Temnothorax; Hansen and Klotz 2005 for Camponotus), the faunas of a number of relevant regions have received treatments (Gregg 1972;Yensen et al. 1977;Wheeler and Wheeler 1986;1988, 1997Naumann et al. 1999;Heron 2005;Clark and Blom 2007), and a few ecological studies have focused on Albertan ants (e.g. ...
... Work in Alberta over the past 45 years, and especially the recent fi eld studies of Glasier (2012), have more than doubled the number of species known from the province, making it worthwhile to provide a key to this ecologically important fauna. The key was initially based on a variety of existing publications (Creighton 1950;Wilson 1955;Wheeler and Wheeler 1963;Francoeur 1973;Francoeur and Buschinger 1985;Wheeler and Wheeler 1986;Hansen and Klotz 2005), and modifi ed for Alberta, based on our experience with the fauna. ...
... We recognize a difference between subspecies F. oreas oreas and F. oreas comptula; however, more work is needed before determining if they are conspecific, are indeed subspecies, or deserve further taxonomic separation. In addition some specialists informally suspect that F. obscuripes and F. planipilis may hybridize or be conspecific, though we chose to keep them separate for this key as they are well established in the literature (Creighton 1950;Wheeler and Wheeler 1963;Wheeler and Wheeler 1986;. ...
... They are also sensitive to environmental change (Andersen 1990, 1995, Peck et al. 1998, Agosti et al. 2000 [1,3,22,4] . Additionally, there is a good base of taxonomic knowledge (Creighton 1950 [18,10] . In the earlier study, we reported 62 species of ants from 5 subfamilies, 30 genera from Indian Sunderbans (Bakra D, Sheela S. and Bhattacharyya S, 2022) [5] . ...
... They are also sensitive to environmental change (Andersen 1990, 1995, Peck et al. 1998, Agosti et al. 2000 [1,3,22,4] . Additionally, there is a good base of taxonomic knowledge (Creighton 1950 [18,10] . In the earlier study, we reported 62 species of ants from 5 subfamilies, 30 genera from Indian Sunderbans (Bakra D, Sheela S. and Bhattacharyya S, 2022) [5] . ...
... They have a pair of antennae with 12 segments in them and gradually thicken towards the tips. The head and thorax are deep dark brown with the gaster (abdomen) and ductal appendages that are opaque or milky white (Creighton, 1950). The thorax has no spine. ...
... The gaster is provided with a slit-like anal opening that is hairless (Smith and Whiteman, 1992). The abdomen is provided with a stalk-like structure called the pedicle, which is unitary and is usually hidden when observed dorsally from the gaster (Creighton, 1950). Ghost ants are stingless. ...
Present study based on taxonomy and plant specific interplay of unusual species of ant, the ghost ant (Tapinoma melanocephalum) found in Gauripada area (Asma complex) of Bhiwandi city, Thane, India. The Present study also concerned with the kinds of vegetation found in this area. This area is a large flat land dominated by herb, shrub and woody trees comprising both angiosperm and gymnosperm and it was observed that the ghost ant primarily prefer to colonize the trees that are well covered with bark with numerous cracks and crevices on it which provides hiding, nesting place to the ghost ant.
... Antennal scapes surpass the occipital border. Head and thorax are a deep dark brown with gaster and legs opaque or milky white (Creighton 1950). The thorax is spineless. ...
... (Smith and Whitman 1992). The abdominal pedicel (stalk-like structure immediately anterior to the gaster) consists of one segment which is usually hidden from view dorsally by the gaster (Creighton 1950). Stingers are absent. ...
This document is EENY-310 (originally published as DPI Entomology Circular 307), one of a series of Featured Creatures from the Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: October 2003. EENY310/IN532: Ghost Ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) (ufl.edu)
... relates to degree of female matedness and count of females per colony (Hughes et al., 2008;Kronauer et al., , 2011 as well as population viscosity and dispersal strategies (Pohl et al., 2023). (A) The bifurcating spectrum model relates gross morphologydas categorized by 'queen', 'worker', 'intercaste' (¼gamergate, ergatoid), and 'soldier'dto body size, recognizing that programmed cell death (PCD) of the wing imaginal discs ('wing buds') results in the differences between apterous females (workers) and macropterous females (queens) across the Formicidae (Abouheif et al., 2024), as well as between queens, soldiers (majors), supersoldiers (supermajors), and workers (minors) at least in Pheidole (Rajakumar et al., 2012(Rajakumar et al., , 2018 and likely in other genera that have discrete majors and minors (e.g., Gesomyrmex, Peeters et al., (2017b); Cephalotes, de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999), Powell et al. (2020); Crematogaster missouriensis Emery, 1895 (formerly C. smithi Creighton (1950), see Ward and Blaimer (2022); Peeters et al. (2013); and possibly Solenopsis invicta, Tschinkel (1988); as well as the super soldiers of Cataglyphis, Molet et al. (2014). The righthand side of (A) emphasizes that the apparent continuous intergradation of soldiers and intercastes is an artefact of adult comparison without integration of developmental mechanisms. ...
The overarching objective of this chapter is to provide a survey of the developmental-functional axis of morphology for ants to provide a direct link between anatomy and ecology. It considers variables of function, biomechanics and interaction with the environment, whether through traction, space traversal (locomotion), sensation and response, or manipulation (such as stinging or mastication). Because the consequences of these functional variables extend essentially to all of ant natural history, we must restrict our scope to a set of examples, which we frame from the developmental-anatomical and evolutionary morphological perspective.
... Recently, the first molecular phylogeny of Dorymyrmex revealed that its amphitropical distribution is the result of dispersal from the Southern Cone (SC) region of South America northward to the Nearctic, likely via the Central American Isthmus, but apparently before the traditional 3 Ma dating of the land bridge completion (Oberski, 2022 Despite repeated attempts to shed light on the evolution and classification of Dorymyrmex (e.g., Creighton, 1950;Cuezzo & Guerrero, 2012;Gallardo, 1919;Johnson, 1989;Kusnezov, 1959;Snelling, 1975Snelling, , 1995Trager, 1988), basic questions about these ants remain unresolved because of confounding phenotypic traits intended to define the major lineages (i.e., the former genera and subgenera). To pursue clarity in these matters, the present work extends the overview published by Oberski (2022) Table S1 for individual sample processing specifications. ...
Latitudinal diversity gradients are one of the most widely discussed patterns in global biogeography, generally in the context of high diversity in tropical regions. In contrast, ‘amphitropical’ or ‘inverse’ distributions, once thought to be unusual, are increasingly recognized as common among many hymenopteran insects. One such group is the ant genus Dorymyrmex , which specializes in arid habitats throughout the Americas. To evaluate when and how Dorymyrmex acquired its present‐day distribution, I sequenced partial genomes of 167 Dorymyrmex representing 69 species by targeting ultraconserved elements (UCEs). A matrix of 870 genetic loci was used to infer maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenies, estimate divergence dates and reconstruct hypothesized ancestral areas. These new analyses reveal that Dorymyrmex comprises four species groups, the D. flavescens , tener , wolffhuegeli , and pyramicus groups. The D. pyramicus group likely dispersed from South America to North America only once, via Central America. Like many Hymenoptera, this dispersal occurred before the traditional closure date of the Isthmus of Panama, corroborating and extending the results of previous studies. Finally, I discuss life history strategies of Dorymyrmex that may have contributed to the geographic and genetic radiation of the D. pyramicus group, detail significant insights into Dorymyrmex morphology and classical taxonomy with new comparative illustrations, and provide recommendations for future work.
... subtropical habitats of all zoogeographical regions (Bolton 1980;Hita Garcia and Fisher 2011) and with unknown native origin, supposedly Afrotropical (Creighton 1950;Brown 1957;Taylor and Wilson 1961;Wilson and Taylor 1967) or Oriental (Deyrup et al. 2000;Astruc et al. 2001). On the Arabian Peninsula, it was reported from Yemen (Collingwood and van Harten 2005), the KSA (Sharaf et al. 1012), and the UAE (Collingwood et al. 1997(Collingwood et al. , 2011. ...
We present the first faunal analysis of the ants (Formicidae) of the Kingdom of Bahrain (Bahrain), an island nation in the Arabian Gulf. We document a total of 35 ant species based on published, unpublished and new specimen records, including 26 presumed native species and nine non-native tramp species. The native fauna was predominantly of Palaearctic origin, with a few Afrotropical species. A new species of the genus Lepisiota Santschi, 1926, L. bahrainensis sp. n., is described and illustrated based on the worker caste. Habitat suitability modelling of the ant fauna of Bahrain was generated using a total of 157 recorded points against the panel of 19 bioclimatic factors. We used Maxent software to generate the final map which indicates a significantly high and excellent habitat suitability of species on the northern part of the country and high suitability on the eastern coasts. Our results show that the mean temperature of the driest season is the most effective parameter in modelling the distribution, and we present interpretations of the very low habitat suitability in the extremely arid desert in the southern regions of the main island. Finally, we present ecological and biological remarks and distribution maps for each species.
... Ants were identified based on head capsule morphology, to species whenever possible, and a reference collection was established. References used to aid in ant species identification included Creighton (1950), Wheeler and Wheeler (1973), Snelling and George (1979), Hölldobler and Wilson (1990), and Bolton (1994). Non-ant prey were identified to order (Coleoptera, Hemiptera, other Hymenoptera) with the aid of field guides (Borror and White, 1970;Powell and Hogue, 1979;White, 1983). ...
Final Project Report to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for Agreement No. 1550. 61pp.
... Emery (1925) correctly transferred B. dimmocki to Tapinoma, almost certainly without seeing the types. Creighton (1950) noted the close similarity of the T. dimmocki worker to that of T. sessile, but maintained provisional species status for T. dimmocki, given the problematic small size of the females. Shattuck, as part of his important re-assessment of the dolichoderine genera (Shattuck 1992), examined the types of T. dimmocki in the MCZC. ...
Four new inquiline social parasites are described in the dolichoderine ant genus Tapinoma from the Nearctic region, and keys are provided for queens and males of the Nearctic Tapinoma species. The new social parasite species represent the first inquiline species in the genus Tapinoma and the first confirmed inquilines known from the ant subfamily Dolichoderinae. The four new species appear to be workerless inquilines that exploit a single host, Tapinoma sessile (Say), and they represent at least two distinct life history syndromes. Tapinoma incognitum Cover & Rabeling, sp. nov. is highly derived morphologically and is a host-queen-tolerant inquiline. In contrast, T. inflatiscapus Cover & Rabeling, sp. nov. shows a lesser degree of morphological modification and appears to be a host-queen-intolerant social parasite. The life history of T. pulchellum Cover & Rabeling, sp. nov. is presently unknown, but its close similarity to T. incognitum suggests that it is also a host-queen-tolerant inquiline. The life history of T. shattucki Cover & Rabeling, sp. nov. is still uncertain. Our findings provide novel insights into the complex biology of ant inquiline life history syndromes.
... Browne and Gregg (1969) conducted collections between 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., but the length of time at sampling sites was not specified. Browne and Gregg (1969) identified ants to species using Creighton (1950) and stored them in 85% ethyl alcohol. To compare species between time periods, we updated Browne and Gregg's (1969) species determinations to contemporary names. ...
Identifying the mechanisms underlying the changes in the distribution of species is critical to accurately predict how species have responded and will respond to climate change. Here, we take advantage of a late‐1950s study on ant assemblages in a canyon near Boulder, Colorado, USA, to understand how and why species distributions have changed over a 60‐year period. Community composition changed over 60 years with increasing compositional similarity among ant assemblages. Community composition differed significantly between the periods, with aspect and tree cover influencing composition. Species that foraged in broader temperature ranges became more widespread over the 60‐year period. Our work highlights that shifts in community composition and biotic homogenization can occur even in undisturbed areas without strong habitat degradation. We also show the power of pairing historical and contemporary data and encourage more mechanistic studies to predict species changes under climate change.
... We did not collect eggs because they were too small to reliably detect. Using current taxonomic keys, we identified the ants as A. mariae (Creighton 1950, DeMarco 2015. Voucher specimens are deposited in the NC State University Insect Museum (NCSU) (workers: NCSU_ENT00299518-NCSU_ENT00299520; females: NCSU_ ENT00299521-NCSU_ENT00299523; males: NCSU_ENT00299524-NCSU_ ENT00299526; intercastes: NCSU_ ENT00299527-NCSU_ENT00299530). ...
Aphaenogaster mariae Forel is a rarely encountered North American arboreal ant that has eluded collectors for decades. Here, we provide the first formal documentation of a whole colony collection of the species found seventeen meters high in the canopy of the North Carolina Piedmont. We discovered a mature colony with more than 1000 individuals, including workers, alate reproductives, immatures, and intercastes. We present the first images of the males, larvae, pupae, and intercaste workers, redescribe the male, and provide natural history insights and colony demographics for this elusive species. Our collections suggest that A. mariae occurs at low densities consistent with its putative socially parasitic life history. Although much remains to be learned about this species, our results expand knowledge of its life history and facilitate future nest discovery and identification.
... Travelling with the settlers, this species has managed to establish itself in the north-east of the United States where a single specimen was described in 1934 by William Creighton as Anergates friedlandi sp. nov., later referred to as a synonym of Anergates atratulus (CREIGHTON, 1934;1950) (Fig. 1). Despite this extensive range, this parasite is in no case common. ...
Anergates atratulus (Schenck, 1852) and Strongylognathus testaceus (Schenck, 1852) are the only two parasitic ant species in Belgium to be found in the nests of their host Tetramorium spp. Parasitic species are increasingly less common than their hosts and their status is therefore often represented as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. The two parasitic species we will discuss here also belong to this classification. The data at our disposal have enabled us to present a better picture for the current situation in Belgium. Additionally, some aspects of the biology of these parasites have been highlighted. Samenvatting In België huisvest de gastheer Tetramorium spp. slechts twee parasitaire miersoorten: Anergates atratulus (Schenck, 1852) en Strongylognathus testaceus (Schenck, 1852). Een parasitaire soort is steeds minder algemeen dan de gastheer waarbij de status als kwetsbaar, bedreigd of ernstig bedreigd wordt omschreven. Ook de twee soorten die wij hier zullen bespreken, komen in aanmerking voor deze classificatie. De gegevens waarover wij beschikken, laten ons toe deze situatie voor België te beoordelen. Bovendien kunnen met deze data sommige aspecten van hun biologie worden toegelicht. Résumé En Belgique, on ne trouve que deux fourmis parasites dans les nids de Tetramorium spp.: Anergates atratulus (Schenck, 1852) et Strongylognathus testaceus (Schenck, 1852). Une espèce parasite est toujours moins commune que son hôte et son statut de conservation est dès lors souvent vulnérable, en danger ou en danger critique. Les deux espèces parasites qui font l'objet de cette discussion ont également ce statut. Les données à notre disposition permettent de se faire une meilleure idée de la situation en Belgique, et nous mettons en lumière certains aspects de la biologie de ces parasites.
... Pogonomyrmex rugosus and P. barbatus are closely related within the P. barbatus complex and share many behavioral and ecological characteristics, with large disc nests cleared of vegetation, group foraging behavior organized along centralized trunk trails, and aggressive territoriality that leads to nest overdispersion (Creighton 1950;Weier & Feener 1995;Gordon & Kulig 1996). Both species displayed geographically and ecologically wide ranges with high ecological overlap, suggesting considerable flexibility at the species level in habitat requirements that would facilitate interspecific contact and potential interbreeding. ...
Interspecific hybridization generates novel combinations of alleles, whose persistence depends on the extent to which hybrids are reproductively isolated and ecologically competitive in the environments in which they occur. In the ant genus Pogonomyrmex, two historical hybrid zones between the congeners P. rugosus and P. barbatus have given rise to socially hybridogenetic populations, in which two co-occurring lineages derived from the two species obligately interbreed to produce F1 hybrid workers, but only within-lineage crosses develop into reproductive females. We tested whether two independently-derived hybridogenetic populations (J1/J2 and FGH1/FGH2) occupy distinct ecological niches at a regional scale, and whether their occupancy patterns are consistent with hybrid superiority in intermediate or novel habitats. We then investigated ecological habitat segregation and reproductive isolation at the local scale where hybridogenetic and parental colonies overlap. Niche modeling revealed significant differences between the two parental species, with P. rugosus occurring in drier and more seasonal habitats than P. barbatus. Both hybridogenetic taxa occupied distinct niches from the two parents and from one another. The FGH1/FGH2 population showed high niche overlap with both parents, consistent with displacement the parental species in intermediate areas. In contrast, J1/J2 occupied a unique habitat most similar to P. rugosus, but with higher and more concentrated winter precipitation. There was virtually no interbreeding at contact sites between a parent species and the hybridogenetic lineage pair. Ecologically, both adult colonies and founding queens were spatially segregated at five of the six sites, with colony identity significantly predicted by microhabitat characteristics associated with moisture and resource availability. Altogether, these results suggest that the socially hybridogenetic lineages have become evolutionarily independent from their parent species, with both bounded hybrid superiority and ecological novelty serving as drivers of the ecological persistence of these unusual two-lineage interdependent systems.
... This is despite many European species from a range of functional groups being described in the literature as dominant, including species of Formica, Lasius, Crematogaster, Pheidole, Camponotus and Tetramorium [12][13][14]18,21,39,51]. However, behavioural dominance is a relative term, and species that are dominant over others locally are not necessarily dominant from a broader perspective [52]. ...
Here we examine the extent to which European patterns of ant diversity and functional composition conform with those documented in North America. Following protocols previously used in North America, ant species distribution and behavioural dominance were quantified at fifteen sites on two environmental gradients, one following elevation (140–1830 m) in France and the other tree cover (0–95%) in Denmark. Pitfall traps were used to assess species distributions, and behaviour at tuna baits was used to inform behavioural dominance. We specifically test three predictions based on North American patterns: (1) Species richness and overall levels of behavioural dominance will decline with increasing thermal stress. (2) Geographic patterns of key taxa in Europe will be consistent with those in North America. (3) Behavioural dominance of European taxa will be consistent with related taxa in North America. We then use our results to classify the European ant fauna into functional groups, as had been done for North American ants. Based on these functional groups, we analyse distributional patterns along our gradients and re-analyse ant community data from published studies to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the structure of European ant communities. Distributional and behavioural predictions of the European ant taxa were consistent with those in North America. Geographical patterns of functional-group composition were very similar to those previously recorded for North America, varying systematically and predictably along the environmental gradients. Our findings indicate that there is a functionally coherent ant fauna throughout the Holarctic.
... tends to avoid such sites, nesting in shaded locations (Yamauchi and Hayashida, 1968 for other members of the subgenus Dendrolasius, and two colonies of L. mo.: unpublished data: Y Notomi). B. c. is often found beneath stones and pavement tiles but may prefer decomposing wood (Creighton, 1950;Allen, 2017). Among the colonies used in this study, the two Lasius spp. ...
Many insects, including ants, are known to respond visually to conspicuous objects. In this study, we compared orientation in an arena containing only a black target beacon as local information in six species of ants of widely varying degree of phylogenic relatedness, foraging strategy, and eye morphology (Aphaenogaster, Brachyponera, Camponotus, Formica, and two Lasius spp.), often found associated in similar urban anthropogenic habitats. Four species of ants displayed orientation toward the beacon, with two orienting toward it directly, while the other two approached it via convoluted paths. The two remaining species did not show any orientation with respect to the beacon. The results did not correlate with morphological parameters of the visual systems and could not be fully interpreted in terms of the species' ecology, although convoluted paths are linked to higher significance of chemical signals. Beacon aiming was shown to be an innate behavior in visually naive Formica workers, which, however, were less strongly attracted to the beacon than older foragers. Thus, despite sharing the same habitats and supposedly having similar neural circuits, even a very simple stimulus-related behavior in the absence of other information can differ widely in ants but is likely an ancestral trait retained especially in species with smaller eyes. The comparative analysis of nervous systems opens the possibility of determining general features of circuits responsible for innate and possibly learned attraction toward particular stimuli.
... There are few useful regional monographs such as Creighton's (1950) review of the ants of North America and North of Mexico. Ant larvae have been described by Wheeler (1951,1986) with a supplementary supplied by Picquet (1958). ...
about species of ants recorded in Khartoum state-Sudan
... There are several reasons for this: Many species within the Dolichoderinae appear superficially similar, with most species lacking spines, tubercles, or elaborately developed sculpture, leading many taxonomists to direct their attentions to morphologically more diverse groups (Shattuck 1992). Since securing clear-cut external characters even for generic boundaries within the subfamily was such a challenge (Creighton 1950, Shattuck 1992, there are certainly cryptic species within dolichoderine genera that are not immediately evident by morphology but form independently evolving units. Furthermore, Dolichoderinae have a precedent for being under-described. ...
Dorymyrmex Mayr 1866, the ‘pyramid ants’ or ‘cone ants’, are conspicuous inhabitants of arid landscapes across the Americas. Ranging from the Great Plains to Patagonia, they are concentrated north and south of the tropics in contrast to the latitudinal diversity gradient canon. Despite being frequently collected and ecologically important, Dorymyrmex ants exemplify the taxonomic neglect typical in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. The genus has never had the benefit of a global revision, and even the major lineages are still uncertain. This work characterizes the issues at hand and ushers 22 Dorymyrmex species into the world of modern-day phylogenomics: By targeting ultraconserved elements (UCEs) across the genome, I construct an alignment of 1,891 loci, infer phylogenies under maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches, and estimate divergence dates. Three major clades of Dorymyrmex emerge with maximal support, corresponding to former genera: Dorymyrmex sensu stricto, Araucomyrmex Gallardo 1919, and Conomyrma Forel 1913. The pyramicus group (‘Conomyrma’) shows a recent, rapid radiation with minimal morphological differentiation, reaffirming the difficulty of species delimitation in this widespread clade. Finally, I observe a general south-to-north pattern of dispersal, likely by way of savanna ‘stepping stones’ across the tropics during cooler, drier periods. Intercontinental dispersal occurred after the hypothetical Caribbean landspan in the Miocene, but before the Pleistocene or the completion of the Panamanian isthmus, suggesting dispersal by flight. This corroborates patterns observed in other arid-adapted amphitropical New World taxa. Characterizing the major Dorymyrmex species groups is an important first step towards stable taxonomic definitions—which underpin active studies in behavior, chemical ecology, and physiology.
... Some Formica species use independent colony foundation (ICF), when new colonies are started by a single queen (i.e., haplometrosis) or a group of coop-erating queens (i.e., pleometrosis). Queens of other species rely on dependent colony founding (DCF), cooperating with groups of conspecific workers to found a new colony (i.e., budding) or invading an existing heterospecific colony as a temporary social parasite (TSP) or a permanent social parasite (PSP) ( Table 2) (1,(56)(57)(58)(59)(60)(61)(62). In contrast to other studies (63), we regard TSP as a form of DCF because the socially parasitic queen relies on the social environment of the host for colony founding and rearing of the first brood. ...
Significance
Identifying the conditions associated with a life history transition from cooperative colony life to exploitative social parasitism is important for understanding how changes in behavior contribute to speciation. To explore the evolutionary origins of social parasitism, we reconstructed the evolutionary history of Formica ants because half of all species are social parasites and all socially parasitic life history syndromes known from eusocial insects are represented in this genus. We demonstrate that social parasites evolved from an ancestor that lost the ability to establish new colonies independently and that highly specialized parasites can evolve from less complex social parasite syndromes. Our findings emphasize that social parasite syndromes readily originate in socially polymorphic organisms and evolved convergently across the ant phylogeny.
... Queens of different species often differ considerably with dramatic variation in size, eye-length, and color, whereas the workers of those species may be very similar in appearance. (2003), Bolton (2000), Creighton (1950), DuBois and Davis (1998), Brown (2005, 2010), MacGown and Brown (2006) Smith (1979), Snelling (1988Snelling ( , 1995, Trager (1984Trager ( , 1988, Trager et al. (2007), Umphrey (1996), Ward (1985), Watkins (1985), and Wilson (2003). MEM staff has collected 179 species of ants from Mississippi since 2001, including many of those reported in the afore mentioned papers. ...
One hundred and ninety-three species of ants, plus the hybrid fire ant, Solenopsis invicta X richteri, are reported for Mississippi. Thirty-two species are considered to be exotic to Mississippi. County records are given for each species.
... Interestingly, queen miniaturization evolved a second time, independently in the temporary social para site species of the Nearctic Formica dakotensis clade (Figure 3), consisting of F. dakotensis and F. reflexa (Figure 2). Formica dakotensis is a facultative temporary social parasite (Creighton, 1950) and fully inde pendent colonies are common. In contrast, Formica reflexa is rare and was only found in association with "fusca group" host workers (Buren, 1942; King andSallee, 1951) (SP Cover, pers. ...
Studying the behavioral and life history transitions from a cooperative, eusocial life history to exploitative social parasitism allows for deciphering the conditions under which changes in behavior and social organization lead to diversification. The Holarctic ant genus Formica is ideally suited for studying the evolution of social parasitism because half of its 178 species are confirmed or suspected social parasites, which includes all three major classes of social parasitism known in ants. However, the life-history transitions associated with the evolution of social parasitism in this genus are largely unexplored. To test competing hypotheses regarding the origins and evolution of social parasitism, we reconstructed the first global phylogeny of Formica ants and representative formicine outgroups. The genus Formica originated in the Old World during the Oligocene (~30 Ma ago) and dispersed multiple times to the New World. Within Formica, the capacity for dependent colony foundation and temporary social parasitism arose once from a facultatively polygynous, independently colony founding ancestor. Within this parasitic clade, dulotic social parasitism evolved once from a facultatively temporary parasitic ancestor that likely practiced colony budding frequently. Permanent social parasitism evolved twice from temporary social parasitic ancestors that rarely practiced colony budding, demonstrating that obligate social parasitism can originate from different facultative parasitic backgrounds in socially polymorphic organisms. In contrast to inquiline ant species in other genera, the high social parasite diversity in Formica likely originated via allopatric speciation, highlighting the diversity of convergent evolutionary trajectories resulting in nearly identical parasitic life history syndromes.
... Veromessorpergandei (subfamily myrmicinae) is a common soil nesting, seed-harvester ant that inhabits the Sonoran, Colorado, and Mojave Deserts, typically in sandy soils at elevations < 900 mareas that collectively encompass the hottest, most arid portions of North America (Creighton, 1950(Creighton, , 1953Johnson, 1992Johnson, , 2000cTevis, 1958). Mature colonies contain > 35,000 foragers that form conspicuous foraging trails that extend > 35 m from the nest (Plowes et al., 2012). ...
The desert harvester ant Veromessor pergandei displays geographic variation in colony founding with queens initiating nests singly (haplometrosis) or in groups (pleometrosis). The transition from haplo‐ to pleometrotic founding is associated with lower rainfall. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain the evolution of cooperative founding in this species, but the ultimate explanation remains unanswered. In laboratory experiments, water level was positively associated with survival, condition, and brood production by single queens. Queen survival also was positively influenced by water level and queen number in a two‐factor experiment. Water level also was a significant effect for three measures of queen condition, but queen number was not significant for any measure. Foundress queens excavated after two weeks of desiccating conditions were dehydrated compared to alate queens captured from their natal colony, indicating that desiccation can be a source of queen mortality. Long‐term monitoring in central Arizona, USA, documented that recruitment only occurred in four of 20 years. A discriminant analysis using rainfall as a predictor of recruitment correctly predicted recruitment in 17 of 20 years for total rainfall from January to June (the period for mating flights and establishment) and in 19 of 20 years for early plus late rainfall (January–March and April–June, respectively), often with a posterior probability > 0.90. Moreover, recruitment occurred only in years in which both early and late rainfall exceeded the long‐term mean. This result also was supported by the discriminant analysis predicting no recruitment when long‐term mean early and late rainfall were included as ungrouped periods. These data suggest that pleometrosis in V. pergandei evolved to enhance colony survival in areas with harsh abiotic (desiccating) conditions, facilitating colonization of habitats in which solitary queens could not establish even in wet years. This favorable‐year hypothesis supports enhanced worker production as the primary advantage of pleometrosis. This manuscript addresses abiotic physiological tolerance of ant queens during colony founding, suggesting that grouping facilitates survival during favorable years when single queens could not survive. Moreover, grouping by ant queens may facilitate colonizing harsh environments in a manner similar to that suggested for cooperative breeding birds.
... The genus originated approximately 18.5 Ma ago and is placed within or as sister taxon to the genus Lasius (Blaimer et al., 2015). The taxonomy within the genus Myrmecocystus has been subject to much debate and repeated revisions (e.g., Cole, 1936;Creighton, 1950Creighton, , 1956Emery, 1893;Forel, 1901;Gregg, 1963;McCook, 1882;Smith, 1951;Wheeler, 1908Wheeler, , 1913. The most recent systematic revision and taxonomic key were presented in a monograph by Snelling (1982Snelling ( , 1976, subdividing Myrmecocystus based on morphology into three subgenera (Myrmecocystus s. str., Endiodioctes, Eremnocystus), eight species groups and 29 species. ...
The New World ant genus Myrmecocystus Wesmael, 1838 (Formicidae: Formicinae: Lasiini) is endemic to arid and semi-arid habitats of the western United States and Mexico. Several intriguing life history traits have been described for the genus, the best-known of which are replete workers, that store liquified food in their largely expanded crops and are colloquially referred to as “honeypots”. Despite their interesting biology and ecological importance for arid ecosystems, the evolutionary history of Myrmecocystus ants is largely unknown and the current taxonomy presents an unsatisfactory systematic framework. We use ultraconserved elements to infer the evolutionary history of Myrmecocystus ants and provide a comprehensive, dated phylogenetic framework that clarifies the molecular systematics within the genus with high statistical support, reveals cryptic diversity, and reconstructs ancestral foraging activity. Using maximum likelihood, Bayesian and species tree approaches on a data set of 134 ingroup specimens (including samples from natural history collections and type material), we recover largely identical topologies that leave the position of only few clades uncertain and cover the intra- and interspecific variation of 28 of the 29 described and six undescribed species. In addition to traditional support values, such as bootstrap and posterior probability, we quantify genealogical concordance to estimate the effects of conflicting evolutionary histories on phylogenetic inference. Our analyses reveal that the current taxonomic classification of the genus is inconsistent with the molecular phylogenetic inference, and we identify cryptic diversity in seven species. Divergence dating suggests that the split between Myrmecocystus and its sister taxon Lasius occurred in the early Miocene. Crown group Myrmecocystus started diversifying about 14.08 Ma ago when the gradual aridification of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico led to formation of the American deserts and to adaptive radiations of many desert taxa.
... The taxonomy of the three host species has remained stable for more than 50 yr (Creighton 1950, MacKay 2000 and there is a considerable literature on each. Similarly, the status of the slavemaker P. americanus as a single species has remained unchanged, although the species has been elevated to its own genus (Bolton 1994). ...
... Aphaenogaster japonica: Choi et al., 1985: 445;Choi, 1985: 411;Choi, 1986: 297;Kim and Choi, 1987: 125;Choi and Kim, 1987: 360;Choi, 1988: 222;Kim et al., 1989: 217;Choi and Park, 1991a: 69;Choi and Park, 1991b: 83;Choi and Bang, 1992a: 106;Choi and Bang, 1992b: 25;Choi and Bang, 1992c: 36;Kim et al., 1992: 350;Choi and Bang, 1993: 321;Choi et al., 1993: 344;Kim et al., 1996: 122;Choi, 1996a: 9;Choi, 1996b: 46;Kim, 1996: 175;Yamane, 1996: 111;Choi, 1997a: 54;Choi, 1997b: 130;Choi, 1998: 217;Choi and Park, 1998: 59;Choi, 1999: 504;Choi and Lee, 1999: 2;Choi and Park, 1999: 25;Park and Kim, 2000: 108. Aphaenogaster funkikoensis Creighton, 1950: 152: Brown, 1954. ...
The species of the Aphaenogaster lepida Wheeler, 1930 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were recorded in Korea for the first time. Morphological characteristics of workers of this species and a taxonomic key of species to the Korean Aphaenogaster are provided.
... In each plot, we set four pitfall traps (opening diameter: 7.5 cm, depth: 10 cm), filled with a 50:50 nontoxic antifreeze: water solution, into the ground so that the lip was flush with the surface. Trap arrays were arranged in a y-shape with 0.5-m plastic lawn edging between each of the four cups, a method useful for funneling or guiding invertebrates to specific collection points (Winder et al. 2001 Ants were identified to genus using taxonomic keys (Creighton 1950, Hölldobler and Wilson 1990, Fisher and Cover 2007. Higherlevel taxonomic identification (i.e., genus compared to species) allows for more rapid and cost-effective biomonitoring, often revealing similar patterns to species richness for invertebrate groups like ants, beetles, butterflies, and spiders (Gaston and Williams 1993, Pik et al. 1999, Timms et al. 2013). ...
The establishment and spread of non-native species often results in negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem function. Several species of saltcedar, Tamarix spp. L., have been recently naturalized in large portions of the United States where they have altered plant and animal communities. To test the prediction that saltcedar negatively affects invertebrates, we measured ant genera diversity and the activity density of the exotic isopod Armadillidium vulgare Latrielle (Isopoda: Oniscoidea) for 2 yr using pitfall traps located within 30 5-m2 plots with or without saltcedar at a south-central Nebraska reservoir. From 2005 to 2006, we collected 10,837 ants representing 17 genera and 4,953 A. vulgare. Per plot, the average number of ant genera was not different between saltcedar (x̅ = 3.9) and non-saltcedar areas ( x̅ = 3.9); however, saltcedar plots were compositionally different and more similar from plot to plot (i.e., they had lower beta diversity than control plots) in 2005, but not in 2006. Isopods were likewise temporally affected with higher activity density (+89%) in control plots in 2005, but higher activity density (+27%) in saltcedar plots in 2006. The observed temporal differences occurred as the drought that initially enabled the saltcedar invasion became less severe in 2006. Combined, our results suggest that invertebrate groups like ants, which are generally omnivorous, may be better equipped than more specialized taxa like detritivores to withstand habitat changes due to invasions by non-native species, especially during extreme weather events such as prolonged droughts.
... Our data shows the value of DNA barcodes to identify species of Brachymyrmex as long as comparative sequences are available for well-identified individuals. Genetic resources are especially important considering the uncertain taxonomy of this genus and the ambiguity that long existed on putatively diagnostic morphological traits (Ortiz and Fernández 2014;Creighton 1950;Ortiz-Sepulveda et al. 2019). However, studies with additional genetic markers are required to better understand phylogenetic relationships within Brachymyrmex. ...
Brachymyrmex cordemoyi Forel, 1985 is a small ant species native to the Neotropics, but it has been introduced into Africa, Madagascar, the Arabian Peninsula and some tropical oceanic islands. We report on a non-native Brachymyrmex population that has been discovered indoors in the vicinity of Euskirchen (Germany). Specimens were identified morphologically and subjected to DNA barcoding; molecular data of the new population was analyzed jointly with morphologically verified GenBank entries. Morphological identification and phylogenetic inference based on a fragment of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase subunit 1 gave congruent results. The population was clearly assigned to B. cordemoyi and represents the second report of this species from Europe, with a recent record from the Netherlands. In Germany the species has only been found indoors, and the here reported population has been exterminated. This new record represents one of many indoor introductions of the genus Brachymyrmex, likely via tropical plants. We present a diagnosis of the species and additionally review all known introductions of the genus which have been identified to the species level.
... Collingwood and Van Harten's (1993) report of Solenopsis innota from the Cabo Verde islands off the coast of West Africa, appears to be based on misidentification of S. globularia. Santschi (1915) described Solenopsis geminata innota Santschi from Gabon, Liberia, and Congo (Zaire), but it is now considered a junior synonym of S. geminata (Wheeler, 1922;Creighton, 1950;Trager, 1991). Collingwood and Van Harten (1993) compared the Cabo Verde specimens with S. geminata and S. globularia noting "the enlarged petiole and postpetiole link it with S. globularia of South America. ...
Several species of Solenopsis have spread beyond their native ranges and have become exotic pests, most notably Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius) and Solenopsis invicta Buren. Here, I examine the geographic spread of a smaller, less conspicuous Solenopsis species, Solenopsis globularia (Smith). I compiled S. globularia specimen records from >700 sites. I documented the earliest known S. globularia records for 59 geographic areas (countries, US states, and major West Indian islands), including many for which I found no previously published records: Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Barbuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Congo, Curaçao, Dominica, Martinique, Montserrat, Nevis, St Kitts, St Martin, San Andrés Island, Senegal, Tobago, and Trinidad. Solenopsis globularia has a broad distribution in the New World, from Corrientes, Argentina (28.4°S) in the south to Craven County, North Carolina (35.1°N) in the north. Most S. globularia records came from islands. It is unclear whether S. globularia is native throughout its New World range. For example, it is possible that this species is exotic to the Galapagos Islands. All populations of S. globularia outside the New World are probably exotic, introduced through human commerce, including populations on Atlantic islands (Ascension, Cabo Verde, St Helena), Pacific islands (Hawaii, French Polynesia, Philippines), and Africa (Congo, Ivory Coast, Senegal). On the Cabo Verde islands, off the coast of West Africa, S. globularia is extremely widespread on all nine inhabited islands. Records from nine diverse sites in Ivory Coast indicates that S. globularia is well able to spread in continental Africa as well.
Most canopy insect research takes place in tropical forests, where communities are highly vertically stratified. However, temperate forest canopies also provide critical resources to many species and are under intense pressure from global change drivers. The relative lack of knowledge regarding temperate canopy insect ecology impedes our forest management and conservation decisions such that we may be losing temperate canopy biodiversity before we know it exists.
We directly compared ant diversity and community composition on the ground and in the tree canopy of North American temperate deciduous forests for the first time. We also evaluated two canopy sampling methods—baits and hand collections.
We collected 34 ant species from 102 trees across seven sites. Ant diversity was greater on the ground than in the canopy, and species turnover created distinct communities across vertical strata. Only 12% of species were exclusively arboreal, but 47% were collected in both strata, indicating the canopy is an important resource for temperate ants, even if they are not restricted there.
Baiting and hand‐collecting recovered similar species richness, but whether baits captured a subset of hand‐collected species or a unique assemblage was site‐dependent. Nevertheless, we suggest that these methods are most effective in conjunction.
Hand collection allowed us to document arboreal nests of 10 species, including the invasive needle ant, Brachyponera chinensis , which was previously thought to be strictly terrestrial.
Our results emphasise the importance of including the canopy in temperate forest ecology and conservation assessments.
William Morton Wheeler (1865–1937) was among the greatest experts on ants and his influence on the field of sociobiology, along with that of his academic grandson E. O. Wilson, is second to none. In 1923, Wheeler published his landmark book “Social Life Among the Insects” [1], which marked the beginning of the modern study of insect societies. In this centenary year of its publication, we are honoured and proud to pay tribute to William Morton Wheeler.
The density and abundance of arid‐dwelling taxa often change significantly in response to precipitation fluctuations and the abundance of their predators. The survival and density of burrowing arthropods and their burrows in arid environments following prolonged dry periods and subsequent rains is poorly understood, as is the potential influence of reintroductions of their predators, such as fossorial mammals. The persistence of these arthropods and their burrows may be important for other species that rely on them for food or use their burrows for shelter. In this study, we examined the density of burrowing and ground‐nesting arthropods and their burrows in Australia's Strzelecki Desert over two years between 2019 and 2021. This period spanned the tail‐end of the worst drought on record and subsequent drought‐breaking rains. We employed a Before‐After Control‐Impact (BACI) study design to examine the short‐term effects of a fossorial mammal reintroduction of the greater bilby ( Macrotis lagotis ) into predator‐free fenced exclosures and used an inspection camera to detect the presence of spiders and other taxa within individually marked burrows. We observed the largest changes in arthropod abundance and burrow density between a period that encompassed a third consecutive summer in drought and the commencement of drought‐breaking rains, with some taxa declining by as much as 77% ( p < 0.001). While the density of harvester ant middens erupted over this time, the density of tarantulas, trapdoor spiders and scorpions declined significantly. The greater bilby reintroduction had no short‐term effect on the densities of the arthropods or their burrows, but their arrival may have implications on their post‐drought recovery. Further studies are needed to determine if the significant declines in arthropod populations and burrows are reflective of normal boom‐bust population dynamics due to the poor natural history knowledge of the arthropods we examined.
Global climate change is expected to have pervasive effects on the diversity and distribution of species, particularly ectotherms whose body temperatures depend on environmental temperatures. However, these impacts remain difficult to predict, in part because ectotherms may adapt or acclimate to novel conditions or may use behavioural thermoregulation to reduce their exposure to stressful microclimates.
Here we examine the potential for physiological and behavioural changes to mitigate effects of environmental warming on five species of ants in a temperate forest habitat subject to urban warming.
We worked in eight urban and eight non‐urban forest sites in North Carolina, USA; sites experienced a 1.1°C range of mean summer air temperatures. At each site, we documented species‐specific microclimates (ant operative temperatures, Te) and ant activity on a transect of 14 bait stations at three times of day. In the laboratory, we measured upper thermal tolerance (CTmax) and thermal preference (Tpref) for each focal species. We then asked whether thermal traits shifted at hotter sites, and whether ants avoided non‐preferred microclimates in the field.
CTmax and Tpref did not increase at warmer sites, indicating that these populations did not adapt or acclimate to urban warming. Consistent with behavioural thermoregulation, four of the five species were less likely to occupy baits where Te departed from Tpref. Apparent thermoregulation resulted from fixed diel activity patterns that helped ants avoid the most inappropriate temperatures but did not compensate for daily or spatial temperature variation: Hotter sites had hotter ants.
This study uses a novel approach to detect behavioural thermoregulation and sublethal warming in foraging insects. The results suggest that adaptation and behaviour may not protect common temperate forest ants from a warming climate, and highlight the need to evaluate effects of chronic, sublethal warming on small ectotherms.
Se registraron 73 especies de plantas comestibles, pertenecientes a 29 familias botánicas. Estas plantas demuestran la persistencia y lo diversos que es el consumo de plantas silvestres en la zona de estudio.
Desde hace varios años los cultivos de palma africana de la región de Urabá en el departamento de Antioquia (Colombia) vienen siendo afectados por la enfermedad de pudrición de la flecha-pudrición del cogollo, la cual ha sido la causa de pérdidas de más del 25% de las palmas en las plantaciones de dicha zona. Teniendo en cuenta la importancia económica de esta enfermedad, la Secretaría de Agricultura de Antioquia efectuó una serie de estudios para investigar la relación de los insectos más frecuentes en las plantaciones con dicha pudrición. Los trabajos fueron realizados de 1970 a 1972, en la plantación "La Arenosa" en el municipio de Turbo propiedad de la compañía Coldesa ...
Insects play an incredible variety of essential roles in all ecosystems; insect diversity is intimately linked with the diversity of other organisms, including plants and birds. In this fully illustrated report I present a guide to 277 insect species (212 identified to species plus an additional 65 identified to genus) on the Sevenmile Creek restoration site near Helena, Montana, USA, along with observations of their seasonal occurrence. I
summarize information from the literature about the ecology and life history of each insect and relate this information to field observations at Sevenmile Creek. In order to facilitate a thorough understanding of ecological relationships, I also present an annotated checklist of 232 species of vascular plants I have documented on the site
and review the insect-feeding habits of the 164 species of birds recorded there. This guide will prove useful not only for biologists but also for all those in the Helena area with an interest in understanding the landscape around them.
Resumen: Los insectos tienen papeles increíblemente variados y esenciales en todos los ecosistemas; la diversidad
de insectos se vincula íntimamente a la diversidad de otros organismos, incluso las plantas y aves. A través de este
informe completamente ilustrado les doy una guía que presenta 277 especies de insectos (212 identificados al nivel
de especie y 65 identificados al nivel de género) desde el lugar de restauración del Arroyo Sevenmile cerca de
Helena, Montana, EE.UU., junto con observaciones sobre la temporada de aparición para cada especie. Resumo
informaciones generales de la literatura científica sobre las relaciones ecológicas y la historia de vida de cada
insecto y vinculo estas informaciones con las observaciones en el sitio de restauración. También, para facilitar un
entendimiento a fondo de las relaciones ecológicas en este lugar, presento una lista anotada de 232 especies de
plantas vasculares las que he documentado en este lugar y reviso cuáles son los hábitos respecto a consumir
insectos de los 164 especies de pájaros registrados allí. Esta guía será útil no sólo para los biólogos sino también
para todos en esta área a que les interese entender el paisaje en que vivan.
NOTE: the most current version of this guide is my completed thesis, available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360477362_The_Insects_of_Sevenmile_Creek_A_Pictorial_Guide_to_their_Diversity_and_Ecology.
Summary: Insects play an incredible variety of essential roles in all ecosystems; insect diversity is intimately linked with the diversity of other organisms, including plants and birds. In this fully illustrated report I present a guide to 277 insect species (212 identified to species plus an additional 65 identified to genus) on the Sevenmile Creek restoration site near Helena, Montana, along with observations of their seasonal occurrence. I summarize information from the literature about the ecology and life history of each insect and relate this information to field observations at Sevenmile Creek. In order to facilitate a thorough understanding of ecological relationships, I also present an annotated checklist of 232 species of vascular plants I have documented on the site and review the insect-feeding habits of the 164 species of birds recorded there. This guide will prove useful not only for biologists but also for all those in the Helena area with an interest in understanding the landscape around them.
ERRATUM: In this pre-print, I include the pollen wasp Pseudomasaris zonalis, which was a misidentification; this individual is actually P. marginalis. Many thanks to Casey Delphia and Nathaniel Green for their help with this correction.
Biological invasions are a grave threat to ecosystems. The black garden ant (Lasiusniger) is a pest species in Europe. Current literature states that L. niger occupies a disjunct native distribution in the Holarctic, however, based on recent work, we re-evaluate this distribution. The native range of L. niger is reconsidered based on phylogenetic relationships (nine mitochondrial and nuclear markers, 5670 bp), DNA-barcoding (98 Holarctic specimens), morphometry (88 Holarctic specimens, 19 different measurements) and subjective assessment of phenotype. The potential spread of this species is estimated using ecological niche modeling. Lasius niger is more closely related to other Palearctic species than to the Nearctic ants known under this name. The latter are described as a distinct species, L. ponderosae sp. nov. However, DNA-barcoding discovered established populations of L. niger in metropolitan areas in Canada (Vancouver and Halifax). We describe a morphometrical method to delineate L. ponderosae sp. nov. and L. niger. MtDNA diversity and divergence is high within L. ponderosae sp. nov., but low within L. niger. More than 1,000,000 km2 are suitable as a habitat for L. niger in North America. This case emphasizes the critical role of integrative taxonomy to detect cryptic species and identify potential biological invasions in their nascent stages.
A list of 35 species of the genus Pheidole distributed in the state of Puebla, Mexico is provided, based on literature
reports and specimens from regional collections, and complemented with diagnoses, distributional, biological, and
taxonomic comments. Pheidole hirtula Creighton, 1958 is synonymized under Pheidole obtusospinosa Pergande 1896,
because both names are considered to represent extremes of the normal intraspecific variation of a single species.
Thirteen species are endemic to the country and 7 are new state records. Seventeen morphospecies could not be
identified to species level.
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 collected male specimens for species description and identification. Taxonomy is further
complicated by Nylanderia being one of the most frequently intercepted ant genera at ports of entry worldwide, and at least 15 globetrotting species have widespread and expanding ranges, making species-level diagnoses difficult. Three species complexes (‘bourbonica complex’, ‘fulva complex’, and ‘guatemalensis complex’) include
globetrotting species. To elucidate the phylogenetic positions of these three complexes and delimit species boundaries within each, we used target enrichment of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) from 165 specimens representing 98 Nylanderia morphospecies worldwide. We also phased the UCEs, effectively doubling sample size and increasing population-level sampling. After recovering strong support for the monophyly of each complex, we extracted COI barcodes and SNPs from the UCE data and tested within-complex morphospecies hypotheses using three molecular delimitation methods (SODA, bPTP, and STACEY). This comparison revealed that most methods tended to over-split taxa, but results from STACEY were most consistent with our morphospecies hypotheses.
Using these results, we recommend species boundaries that are conservative and most congruent across all methods. This work emphasizes the importance of integrative taxonomy for invasive species management, as globetrotting occurs independently across at least nine different lineages across Nylanderia.
Temnothorax is a large myrmicine ant genus with a range spanning the northern hemisphere, including the northern half of the Neotropics. Many of the Neotropical species were originally placed in the now defunct genus Macromischa. Recent molecular work has revealed that distinct lineages of Neotropical Temnothorax have arrived by evolutionary convergence at a morphological syndrome with characteristics that were used to diagnose the former genus Macromischa. One such lineage is the salvini clade, which in this study is redefined to contain 63 species, 35 of which are described as new. A key to all species of the salvini clade based on the worker caste is provided; additionally, a worker-based key to all clades of the New World is provided. The following species are redescribed: T. albispinus (Wheeler), T. androsanus (Wheeler), T. annexus (Baroni Urbani), T. augusti (Baroni Urbani), T. aztecus (Wheeler), T. ciferrii (Menozzi & Russo), T. flavidulus (Wheeler & Mann), T. fuscatus (Mann), T. goniops (Baroni Urbani), T. huehuetenangoi (Baroni Urbani), T. ixili (Baroni Urbani), T. leucacanthus (Baroni Urbani), T. nigricans (Baroni Urbani), T. ocarinae (Baroni Urbani), T. pastinifer (Emery), T. pergandei (Emery), T. politus (Smith), T. pulchellus (Emery), T. rugosus (Mackay), T. salvini (Forel), T. schwarzi (Mann), T. skwarrae (Wheeler), T. subditivus (Wheeler), T. tenuisculptus (Baroni Urbani), T. terricola (Mann), T. terrigena (Wheeler), T. torrei (Aguayo). The gynes of T. ciferrii, T. fuscatus, T. ixili, T. politus, T. rugosus, T. salvini, T. tenuisculptus and T. torrei are described. The males of T. albispinus and T. fuscatus are described. Lectotypes are designated for T. androsanus, T. annexus, T. augusti, T. aztecus, T. flavidulus, T. fuscatus, T. nigricans, T. pastinifer, T. pergandei, T. politus, T. pulchellus, T. salvini, T. skwarrae, T. subditivus, T. terricola, and T. terrigena. A neotype for Temnothorax salvini obscurior (Forel) is designated, the taxon is raised to species, and a replacement name is designated: T. longicaulis stat. nov., nom. nov. The following species are described as new: T. achii sp. nov., T. acuminatus sp. nov., T. acutispinosus sp. nov., T. agavicola sp. nov., T. altinodus sp. nov., T. arbustus sp. nov., T. aureus sp. nov., T. aztecoides sp. nov., T. bahoruco sp. nov., T. balaclava sp. nov., T. balnearius sp. nov., T. bison sp. nov., T. casanovai sp. nov., T. fortispinosus sp. nov., T. harlequina sp. nov., T. hippolytus sp. nov., T. laticrus sp. nov., T. leucacanthoides sp. nov., T. longinoi sp. nov., T. magnabulla sp. nov., T. misomoschus sp. nov., T. nebliselva sp. nov., T. obtusigaster sp. nov., T. paraztecus sp. nov., T. parralensis sp. nov., T. parvidentatus sp. nov., T. pilicornis sp. nov., T. quercicola sp. nov., T. quetzal sp. nov., T. rutabulafer sp. nov., T. terraztecus sp. nov., T. tuxtlanus sp. nov., T. wettereri sp. nov., T. wilsoni sp. nov., T. xincai sp. nov.
The members of the Temnothorax salvini (Forel) species group are rarely collected, arboreally nesting ants of Central American forests. Previously thought to consist of two broadly dispersed species, recent collections have revealed a diversity of specimens that defy the two-species salvini group concept, but these are difficult to distinguish from each other based solely on morphology. I contrast several model-based approaches to species delimitation based on target-enriched genomic data. With molecular data from thousands of ultraconserved elements (UCEs), mitochondrial genome sequences and morphometric data, I use an integrated approach to species delimitation within the salvini group. Morphometric data were analysed using cluster analysis of principal component analysis (PCA) output. I use several popular methods of molecular species delimitation, including bPTP, BPP and STACEY, using a novel approach to filtering UCE data based on posterior predictive checks of nucleotide substitution model adequacy. In addition, I use iBPP to integrate morphometric PCA data and filtered UCE data in a 'total evidence' analysis. I use geographical range data for an independent contrast to discriminate among competing species delimitation hypotheses. Furthermore, I investigate the evolutionary timescale and biogeographical history of the group and find that it arose roughly 13 Ma ago in habitats associated with present day mid-to-high elevations of the mountain complex spanning southern Mexico to northern Nicaragua. In addition, dispersal of the salvini group into the Southern Sierra Madre in Mexico, lowland habitats and the southern Central American cordilleras in Costa Rica and Panama subsequent to mountain building in southern Central America 5-8 Ma ago appears to follow a taxon-cycle dynamic, with the lowland-adapted T. aztecus representing the most recent expansion phase. I find that the salvini group, which previously contained two named species, is composed of nine, all of which are morphologically diagnosable a posteriori.
The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and ground-dwelling ant species native to Georgia were observed and studied in tree-canopied and open uncanopied habitats in two state parks in central Georgia. Population density, native species diversity, and interactions of native species with each other and with the invasive S. invicta were determined and compared in the two habitats. Sampling methods included pitfall traps, baits, collection of leaf litter, and visual searches. In comparison to the open uncanopied habitats, red imported fire ant population density was lower in tree-canopied habitats, and native ant species diversity was greater in the canopied habitats. We also observed native species competing with red imported fire ants more intensely in canopied than in open habitats primarily by foraging activity and by predation of S. invicta reproductives. Our results suggest that native ant species can suppress S. invicta population numbers and density and that competition by native ant species should be considered in approaches of managing red imported fire ant.
A detailed study of the holotype of Sphecomyrma canadensis Wilson, 1985 from Canadian amber has led to the conclusion that the specimen belongs to a new genus, here named Boltonimecia gen.n. Since the taxonomy of stem-group ants is not well understood, in order to find the taxonomic position of this genus, it is necessary to review the classification of stem-group ants in a study of their relation to crown-group ants. In the absence of data for traditional taxonomic approaches, a statistical study was done based on a morphometric analysis of antennae. Scape elongation is believed to play an important role in the evolution of eusociality in ants; however, this hypothesis has never been confirmed statistically. The statistical analysis presented herein lends support to the view that antennal morphology reliably distinguishes stem-group ants from crown-group ants to determine whether a species belongs to one or the other group. This, in turn, may indicate a relationship exists between eusociality and scape elongation. A review of Cretaceous records of ants is made and the higher classification of Formicidae with definitions of stem and crown groups is proposed. Newly obtained data are discussed focusing particularly on the origin, evolution and diversity of ants.
The morphology of organisms relates to most aspects of their life history and autecology. As such, elucidating the drivers of morphological variation along environmental gradients might give insight into processes limiting species distributions. In eusocial organisms, the concept of morphology is more complex than in solitary organisms. Eusocial insects such as ants exhibit drastic morphological differences between reproductive and worker castes. How environmental selection operates on the morphology of each caste, and whether caste‐specific selection has fitness consequences is largely unknown, but is potentially crucial to understand what limits ant species' distributions.
Here we aimed to examine whether ant shape and body size covaries with climate at the scale of an entire continent, and whether such relationship might be caste specific.
We used 26,472 georeferenced morphometric measurements from 2,206 individual ants belonging to 32 closely related North American species in the genus Formica to assess how ant morphology relates to geographic variation in the abiotic environment.
Although precipitation and seasonality explained some of the geographic variation in morphology, temperature was the best predictor. Specifically, geographic variation in body size was positively related to temperature, meaning that ants are smaller in cold than in warm environments. Moreover, the strength of the relationship between size and temperature was stronger for the reproductive castes (i.e. queens and males) than for the worker caste. The shape of workers and males also varied along these large‐scale abiotic gradients. Specifically, the relative length of workers' legs, thoraxes and antennae positively related to temperature, meaning that they had shorter appendages in cold environments. In contrast, males had smaller heads, but larger thoraxes in more seasonal environments.
Overall, our results suggest that geographic variation in ambient temperature influences the morphology of ants, but that the strength of this effect is caste specific. In conclusion, whereas ant ecology has traditionally focused on workers, our study shows that considering the ecology of the reproductive castes is imperative to move forward in this field.
In 1901, Forel described an ant species from a relatively poorly known genus of ants from North America, naming it Strumigenys pilinasis. In 1931 M. R. Smith obtained the holotype and redescribed it, and he included a first illustration. The description was incomplete and the illustration resembled Strumigenys brevisetosa Smith, 1935, more than it resembled S. pilinasis, which led subsequent taxonomists to make consistent misidentifications and to consider S. brevisetosa to be a synonym of S. pilinasis. Here I redescribe both S. pilinasis and S. brevisetosa (revived status).
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