Crematogaster acuta

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Crematogaster acuta
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Crematogaster
Species: C. acuta
Binomial name
Crematogaster acuta
(Fabricius, 1804)

Crematogaster acuta casent0173927 profile 1.jpg

Crematogaster acuta casent0173927 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Synonyms

This species is often found nesting in dead wood in open disturbed habitats. Biological details suggests it is adapted to early successional habitats hence is suited to nesting in dead wood in and around pastures, in agroforests and similar areas.

Identification

Longino (2003) - Crematogaster acuta and the similar species Crematogaster evallans share a unique combination of characters: largely punctate face, erect tibial pilosity, and abundant clear to whitish (not amber, as in arcuata) long erect setae on the face and mesosomal dorsum. The two species may be distinguished by several characters (see key), but perhaps the most discrete is the acute ventral postpetiolar tooth on acuta, contrasted with a bluntly rounded lobe on evallans.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Longino (2003) - Mexico to southern Brazil, Bolivia.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 15.58333333° to -64.3°.

     
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Biology

Longino (2003) - My field observations in Costa Rica, Colombia, and Venezuela suggest that this species prefers open disturbed habitats. Many collections are from roadside vegetation, pasture edges, and young second growth forest. Perfecto collected the species in an area of hurricane-flattened forest on the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. The species occurs in wet and seasonally dry climates. My highest elevational record is 1000m in Bolivia, but most records are from below 500m. Colonies are very large, but not high density, and the species is only occasionally encountered.

I have observed nests on four different occasions, and each time they have been large, polydomous colonies nesting in dead wood. One nest was in dead Piper stems, one in chambers in fence posts along a fencerow, one in dead Cecropia branches, and one in the exposed dead core of a living tree trunk. In this last example, the dead part was dry and brittle, and one section was riddled with holes and filled with workers. There were few large chambers, and the workers seemed distributed evenly, like filling the spaces of a sponge. In addition to workers there were abundant alate females scattered throughout the wood, and I found a single male. There was very little brood. I could only excavate a small portion of the dead trunk, and it looked as though the colony continued up the side of the tree and deep into the dead core.

Workers have been collected by sweeping during the day and at night, and they have been collected at tuna baits. In Peru, Davidson has observed them foraging on the ground and invading myrmecophytic Triplaris trees. When nests are disturbed workers emerge in great numbers, wave their gasters in the air, and exude copious quantities of a white frothy material from the tip of the gaster. However, they rarely bite.

Nothing is known of colony founding, but queens exhibit a morphology often associated with social parasitism.

DaRocha et al. (2015) studied the diversity of ants found in bromeliads of a single large tree of Erythrina, a common cocoa shade tree, at an agricultural research center in Ilhéus, Brazil. Forty-seven species of ants were found in 36 of 52 the bromeliads examined. Bromeliads with suspended soil and those that were larger had higher ant diversity. Crematogaster acuta was found in 8 different bromeliads but was associated with twigs and bark cavities, rather than suspended soil or litter, of the plants.

Association with Other Organisms

Explore-icon.png Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
  • This species is a host for the eulophid wasp Horismenus sp. (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (multiple encounter modes; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).

Castes

Queen

Images from AntWeb

Crematogaster acuta casent0173928 head 1.jpgCrematogaster acuta casent0173928 profile 1.jpgCrematogaster acuta casent0173928 profile 2.jpgCrematogaster acuta casent0173928 dorsal 1.jpgCrematogaster acuta casent0173928 label 1.jpg
Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0173928. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ALWC, Alex L. Wild Collection.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • acuta. Formica acuta Fabricius, 1804: 411 (w.) (South America, no state data).
    • Type-material: holotype worker.
    • Type-locality: “Habitat in America meridionali”, (no further data).
    • [Note: type-locality is given as Guyana, Essequibo by Longino, 2003a: 32.]
    • Type-depository: ZMUC.
    • Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1952b: 258 (l.); Longino, 2003a: 33 (q.); Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 65 (m.).
    • Combination in Crematogaster: Roger, 1862c: 291; Mayr, 1862: 767;
    • combination in C. (Eucrema): Santschi, 1918d: 182;
    • combination in C. (Crematogaster): Emery, 1922e: 137.
    • Status as species: Mayr, 1862: 767; Roger, 1862c: 291; Mayr, 1863: 404; Roger, 1863b: 37; Mayr, 1865: 104; Mayr, 1870b: 990 (in key); Emery, 1878a: x (in list); Dalla Torre, 1893: 79; Forel, 1895b: 130; Forel, 1899c: 83; Forel, 1907a: 25; Forel, 1912f: 219; Mann, 1916: 443; Wheeler, W.M. 1916c: 12; Mann, 1922: 29; Emery, 1922e: 137; Borgmeier, 1927c: 98; Wheeler, W.M. 1942: 193; Kempf, 1972a: 82; Bolton, 1995b: 146; Longino, 2003a: 32 (redescription); Wild, 2007b: 32; Branstetter & Sáenz, 2012: 258; Bezděčková, et al. 2015: 116; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 62 (redescription); Pedraza & Fernández, 2019: 895.
    • Senior synonym of centralis: Longino, 2003a: 32; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 62.
    • Senior synonym of quadriceps: Roger, 1862c: 291; Mayr, 1863: 404; Roger, 1863b: 37; Mayr, 1865: 104; Dalla Torre, 1893: 79; Forel, 1895b: 130; Forel, 1899c: 83; Emery, 1922e: 137; Kempf, 1972a: 82; Bolton, 1995b: 146; Longino, 2003a: 32; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 62.
    • Distribution: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru.
  • centralis. Crematogaster (Eucrema) acuta var. centralis Santschi, 1932e: 412 (w.q.) PANAMA.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated), 1 syntype queen.
    • Type-locality: Panama: Juan Diaz, 11.vi.1930 (A. Bierig).
    • Type-depository: NHMB.
    • Subspecies of acuta: Kempf, 1972a: 82.
    • Junior synonym of acuta: Longino, 2003a: 32; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 62.
  • quadriceps. Crematogaster quadriceps Smith, F. 1858b: 140 (w.) BRAZIL (Amazonas).
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Brazil: Amazonas, Ega (= Tefé).
    • Type-depository: BMNH.
    • Junior synonym of acuta: Roger, 1862c: 291; Mayr, 1863: 404; Roger, 1863b: 37; Mayr, 1865: 104; Dalla Torre, 1893: 79; Forel, 1895b: 130; Forel, 1899c: 83; Emery, 1922e: 137; Kempf, 1972a: 82; Bolton, 1995b: 160; Longino, 2003a: 32; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 62.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Longino (2003) - HL 0.873, 0.860, 0.980; HW 0.997, 0.951, 1.135; HC 0.906, 0.876, 1.052; SL 0.960, 0.900, 1.085; EL 0.191, 0.187, 0.222; A11L 0.347; A11W 0.133; A10L 0.171; A10W 0.125; A09L 0.119; A09W 0.105; A08L 0.094; A08W 0.079; WL 1.169, 1.104, 1.295; SPL 0.420, 0.384, 0.552; PTH 0.260, 0.244, 0.300; PTL 0.416, 0.359, 0.460; PTW 0.318, 0.283, 0.343; PPL 0.270, 0.246, 0.329; PPW 0.343, 0.323, 0.405; CI 114, 111, 116; OI 22, 22, 23; SI 110, 105, 111; PTHI 63, 68, 65; PTWI 76, 79, 75; PPI 127, 131, 123; SPI 36, 35, 43; ACI 0.03.

Color dark red brown to black.

Head subquadrate, with compound eyes projecting beyond lateral margins in full face view; mandibles shiny, coarsely striate; clypeus shiny, smooth or with widely spaced weak rugulae; face punctatorugose over much of surface [Central American and northern South American material punctate with rugae very feeble; grading into forms in Amazonia, southeastern Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia with more pronounced, almost clathrate rugae and reduced punctation], with variably developed anteromedian strip on face smooth and shiny; vertex margin shallowly emarginate; scapes with abundant long, suberect setae that are almost as long as width of scape; scape etched, subopaque; antennal club not well defined, terminal 3-5 segments gradually lengthening and becoming increasingly densely pubescent; face with abundant long erect whitish setae; malar spaces and ventral surface of head with abundant short erect to suberect setae.

In lateral view, dorsal profile of promesonotum strongly convex, mesonotum differentiated from pronotum, projecting and forming elevated anterior boss; propodeal suture broad, well impressed; mesonotum meeting dorsal face of propodeum at angle, dorsal and posterior faces of propodeum distinct; propodeal spines stout, conical, evenly tapering to sharp points, much longer than dorsal face of propodeum, projecting posterodorsally and divergent; side of pronotum evenly punctate and medially impressed; katepisternum evenly punctate; anepisternum punctate to rugose; side of propodeum punctate, somewhat swollen, with distinct longitudinal sulcus beneath spiracle and shorter, oblique sulcus anterodorsal to opening of metapleural gland; promesonotal dorsum and dorsal face of propodeum with variable sculpture, punctatorugose with varying density of puncta and varying strength of clathrate rugae, paralleling variation in face sculpture; posterior face of propodeum grades from shallowly microareolate and opaque to completely smooth and shiny; propodeal spines smooth and shiny; promesonotum with abundant long whitish setae, abundant shorter setae on dorsal face of propodeum and propodeal spine, no setae on posterior face of propodeum; legs with abundant erect to suberect setae on all surfaces, longer and more erect on tibia than on femur.

Petiole robust, in side view trapezoidal, side strongly to faintly punctate; anteroventral tooth pronounced, forming right to acute angle; dorsal face rectangular, longer than wide, faintly microaerolate to smooth and shining; posterolateral tubercles vary from simple gibbosities to short, acute, posteriorly directed teeth; postpetiole with acute anteriorly directed ventral tooth, in dorsal view subquadrate, posterior margin emarginate, with weak to pronounced longitudinal median sulcus; anterolateral margin nearly perpendicular to stem of helcium, node of postpetiole separated from helcium by a distinct sulcus; fourth abdominal tergite with faintly microareolate sculpture; petiole, postpetiole, and fourth abdominal tergite with abundant erect to suberect whitish setae of variable length.

Queen

Longino (2003) - In lateral profile dorsal face of propodeum sloping obliquely from postscutellum, such that most of propodeum is posterior to scutellum (in contrast to normal queens, in which dorsal face of propodeum drops steeply from postscutellum and much of propodeum appears ventral to scutellum and postscutellum); scape etched and subopaque as in worker, but entire remainder of head, mesosoma, legs, petiole, postpetiole, and fourth abdominal tergite smooth and shining; propodeal spines long, acute; petiole and postpetiole robust, generally similar to worker in shape but lacking anteroventral petiolar tooth and ventral postpetiolar tooth; antennae, head, mesosomal dorsum, legs, petiole, and postpetiole with abundant long erect to suberect whitish setae; side of pronotum with abundant setae anterodorsally, a dense fringe of short setae along ventral margin, and lacking setae posteroventrally; katepisternum, anepisternum, and side of propodeum lacking setae; fourth abdominal tergite with sparse erect to suberect whitish setae; size characters as in Figures.

Type Material

Longino (2003) - Holotype worker: Guyana, Essequibo Zoologisk Museum, University of Copenhagen (examined).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Adams B. J., S. A. Schnitzer, and S. P. Yanoviak. 2016. Trees as islands: canopy ant species richness increases with the size of liana-free trees in a Neotropical forest. Ecography doi: 10.1111/ecog.02608
  • Adams B. J., S. A. Schnitzer, and S. P. Yanoviak. 2019. Connectivity explains local ant community structure in a Neotropical forest canopy: a large-scale experimental approach. Ecology 100(6): e02673.
  • Armbrecht I., I. Tischer, and P. Chacon. 2001. Nested subsets and partition patterns in ant assemblages (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Colombian dry forest fragments. Pan-Pacific Entomologist 77(3): 196-209.
  • Costa-Milanez C. B., F. F. Ribeiro, P. T. A. Castro, J. D. Majer, S. P. Ribeiro. 2015. Effct of fire on ant assemblages in Brazilian Cerrado in areas containing Vereda wetlands. Sociobiology 62(4): 494-505.
  • Costa-Milanez C. B., G. Lourenco-Silva, P. T. A. Castro, J. D. Majer, and S. P. Ribeiro. 2014. Are ant assemblages of Brazilian veredas characterised by location or habitat type? Braz. J. Biol. 74(1): 89-99.
  • Davidson, D.W. 2005. Ecological stoichiometry of ants in a New World rain forest. Oecologia 142:221-231
  • Favretto M. A., E. Bortolon dos Santos, and C. J. Geuster. 2013. Entomofauna from West of Santa Catarina State, South of Brazil. EntomoBrasilis 6 (1): 42-63.
  • Felizardo S. P. S., and A. Y. Harada. 2007. The genus Crematogaster Lund, 1831 (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Crematogastrini) at ant collection from Emílio Goeli Paraense Museum (MPEG). Biológico, São Paulo 69(2): 425-427.
  • Fernandes I., and J. de Souza. 2018. Dataset of long-term monitoring of ground-dwelling ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the influence areas of a hydroelectric power plant on the Madeira River in the Amazon Basin. Biodiversity Data Journal 6: e24375.
  • Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
  • INBio Collection (via Gbif)
  • Iop S., V. M. Caldart, J. A. Lutinski, and F. R. Mello Garcia. 2009. Formigas urbanas da cidade de Xanxerê, Santa Catarina, Brasil. Biotemas 22(2): 55-64.
  • Kempf W. W. 1978. A preliminary zoogeographical analysis of a regional ant fauna in Latin America. 114. Studia Entomologica 20: 43-62.
  • Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
  • Longino J. T. 2013. Ants of Nicargua. Consulted on 18 Jan 2013. https://sites.google.com/site/longinollama/reports/ants-of-nicaragua
  • Longino, J.T. 2003. The Crematogaster (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae) of Costa Rica. Zootaxa 151:1-150
  • Luederwaldt H. 1918. Notas myrmecologicas. Rev. Mus. Paul. 10: 29-64.
  • Lutinski J. A., B. C. Lopes, and A. B. B.de Morais. 2013. Diversidade de formigas urbanas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de dez cidades do sul do Brasil. Biota Neotrop. 13(3): 332-342.
  • Lutinski J. A., F. R. Mello Garcia, C. J. Lutinska, and S. Iop. 2008. Ants diversity in Floresta Nacional de Chapecó in Santa Catarina State, Brazil. Ciência Rural, Santa Maria 38(7): 1810-1816.
  • Morgan C., and W. P. Mackay. 2017. The North America acrobat ants of the hyperdiverse genus Crematogaster. Mauritius: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, 540 pp.
  • Morgan, C.E. 2009. Revision of the ant genus Crematogaster (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in North America. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Texas at El Paso, 268 pp.
  • Pires de Prado L., R. M. Feitosa, S. Pinzon Triana, J. A. Munoz Gutierrez, G. X. Rousseau, R. Alves Silva, G. M. Siqueira, C. L. Caldas dos Santos, F. Veras Silva, T. Sanches Ranzani da Silva, A. Casadei-Ferreira, R. Rosa da Silva, and J. Andrade-Silva. 2019. An overview of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the state of Maranhao, Brazil. Pap. Avulsos Zool. 59: e20195938.
  • Rosa da Silva R. 1999. Formigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) do oeste de Santa Catarina: historico das coletas e lista atualizada das especies do Estado de Santa Catarina. Biotemas 12(2): 75-100.
  • Ryder Wilkie K.T., A. L. Mertl, and J. F. A. Traniello. 2010. Species Diversity and Distribution Patterns of the Ants of Amazonian Ecuador. PLoS ONE 5(10): e13146.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013146
  • Santos P. P., A. Vasconcelos, B. Jahyny, and J. H. C. Delabie. 2010. Ant fauna (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) associated to arboreal nests of Nasutitermes spp. (Isoptera, Termitidae) in a cacao plantation in southeastern Bahia, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 54(3): 450–-454.
  • Santschi F. 1932. Quelques fourmis inédites de l'Amérique centrale et Cuba. Revista de Entomologia (Rio de Janeiro). 2: 410-414.
  • Siqueira de Castro F., A. B. Gontijo, P. de Tarso Amorim Castro, and S. Pontes Ribeiro. 2012. Annual and Seasonal Changes in the Structure of Litter-Dwelling Ant Assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Atlantic Semideciduous Forests. Psyche doi:10.1155/2012/959715
  • Siqueira de Castro F., A. B. Gontijo, W. Duarte da Rocha, and S. Pontes Ribeiro. 2011. As comunidades de formigas de serapilheira nas florestas semidecíduas do Parque Estadual do Rio Doce, Minas Gerais. MG.BIOTA, Belo Horizonte 3(5): 5-24.
  • Ulyssea M.A., C. E. Cereto, F. B. Rosumek, R. R. Silva, and B. C. Lopes. 2011. Updated list of ant species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) recorded in Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil, with a discussion of research advances and priorities. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 55(4): 603-–611.
  • Vasconcelos, H.L., J.M.S. Vilhena, W.E. Magnusson and A.L.K.M. Albernaz. 2006. Long-term effects of forest fragmentation on Amazonian ant communities. Journal of Biogeography 33:1348-1356
  • Wheeler W. M. 1916. Ants collected in British Guiana by the expedition of the American Museum of Natural History during 1911. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 35: 1-14.
  • Wheeler W. M. 1942. Studies of Neotropical ant-plants and their ants. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 90: 1-262.
  • Wild, A. L.. "A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Zootaxa 1622 (2007): 1-55.
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