Crematogaster montezumia

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Crematogaster montezumia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Crematogaster
Species: C. montezumia
Binomial name
Crematogaster montezumia
Smith, F., 1858

Crematogaster montezumia casent0173939 profile 1.jpg

Crematogaster montezumia casent0173939 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Synonyms

A wide ranging arboreal species. It constructs carton nests that are aggressively defended.

Identification

Longino (2003) - Crematogaster montezumia is distinctive in having a somewhat inflated propodeum, with propodeal spines reduced to short denticles. Only one other species in Costa Rica, raptor, has greatly reduced propodeal spines. Crematogaster raptor has a shiny face, in contrast to montezumia's punctate face.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Mexico to Argentina.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 25.68015° to -31.632389°.

     
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico (type locality), Panama, Paraguay, Peru.

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) - Crematogaster montezumia inhabits wet to dry forest habitats throughout the mainland Neotropics. In Costa Rica it occurs in very low density, but abundant museum collections and my own collecting in the Santa Marta area of Colombia suggest a higher density in some South American localities. Most of my observations of the species have been from brushy second growth vegetation or forest edges.

Nests are in small to large carton nests that the workers construct and vigorously defend (Emery 1890, Forel 1899, Forel 1901b, Luederwaldt 1926). The nests are in dry, exposed areas and do not contain epiphytes. Luederwaldt (1926) includes photographs of three nests. Nests I have observed have been on relatively thin branches. One I observed in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica was on a shrub overhanging a river. The nest was 15-20cm long, 10cm wide, of black carton, and it contained workers, brood and many alate queens. During a field trip to the Santa Marta area of Colombia I discovered several nests. One nest was in dry forest near a beach margin. The nest was in a knot in a small tree out in an open field. When I disturbed the nest the workers responded by quickly swarming out and running over the knot with prominent gaster-flagging. The nest contained workers, brood, and a single queen.

Another nest was in a scrubby second growth area with pastures. A carton nest was partly covered by a dead Cecropia leaf draped over a 13mm diameter live stem of Guazuma (Sterculiaceae). Under the nest was a dense accumulation of scale insects, but no scales were exposed on the plant stems or leaves. The nest was filled with workers, brood, and one colony queen. Workers were spread over the surrounding vegetation, often moving in files, and there were small satellite nests scattered around the main nest.

A third nest was in dry forest, and they were nesting in a peculiar way. They were on a small shrub that was possibly Pisonia (Nyctaginaceae). Stems had opposite leaves with a pair of sharp recurved spines at each node, often with opposite short leafy branches at each node. On one branch, each node for 5-10 nodes had a circular hole at the base of the side branch, entering a tiny chamber only a few millimeters deep. The chambers were all occupied by workers, and one chamber was slightly larger than the others and contained workers, a small amount of brood, and a queen. A search in surrounding holes and dead stems and branches yielded no more, suggesting the colony was rather small, perhaps limited to the small number I observed.

At La Selva Biological Station nests of montezumia have never been found, but an alate queen was obtained in a canopy fogging sample. The only other Atlantic slope collection I have seen was a dealate queen I found in a small nest of Crematogaster curvispinosa. A small grass stalk contained the montezumia queen and a small number of workers of curvispinosa.

The queens are shiny and with falcate mandibles, a combination of characters often associated with social parasitism. The observation of the lone queen together with curvispinosa workers is suggestive of a parasitic lifestyle, in which colonies of host species are usurped to provide a worker force that helps establish the colony of the parasitic species. The observation of what appeared to be an incipient colony in Colombia showed no evidence of social parasitism, although it is possible that the queen had started with a heterospecific host colony and it had been completely extirpated and replaced by the montezumia workers. Alternatively, the tiny queens could be an adaptation for nest founding in extremely small spaces, such as the small cavities in the Pisonia stem.

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • montezumia. Crematogaster montezumia Smith, F. 1858b: 139, pl. 1, fig. 1 (nest) (w.q.m.) MEXICO (no state data).
    • Type-material: syntype workers, syntype queen(s), syntype male(s) (numbers not stated).
    • Type-locality: Mexico: (no further data).
    • Type-depository: BMNH.
    • [Misspelled as montesumia by Santschi, 1925d: 233.]
    • Combination in C. (Physocrema): Forel, 1912f: 220;
    • combination in C. (Orthocrema): Emery, 1922e: 135;
    • combination in C. (Neocrema): Santschi, 1922d: 244; Kempf, 1972a: 83.
    • Status as species: Mayr, 1862: 767; Mayr, 1863: 404; Roger, 1863b: 37; Mayr, 1870b: 990 (in key); Dalla Torre, 1893: 83; Forel, 1899c: 81; Forel, 1901h: 65; Forel, 1907e: 6; Forel, 1908c: 366; Forel, 1912f: 220; Bruch, 1914: 219; Luederwaldt, 1918: 42; Emery, 1922e: 135; Santschi, 1922d: 244; Borgmeier, 1927c: 97; Santschi, 1933e: 112; Gallardo, 1934: 65; Wheeler, W.M. 1942: 197; Kempf, 1968b: 386 (redescription); Kempf, 1972a: 83; Bolton, 1995b: 158; Longino, 2003a: 91 (redescription); Wild, 2007b: 32; Branstetter & Sáenz, 2012: 258; Bezděčková, et al. 2015: 117; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 257 (redescription); Pedraza & Fernández, 2019: 896.
    • Senior synonym of cristulata: Kempf, 1968b: 386; Kempf, 1972a: 83; Bolton, 1995b: 158; Longino, 2003a: 91; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 257.
    • Senior synonym of functa: Kempf, 1968b: 386; Kempf, 1972a: 83; Bolton, 1995b: 158; Longino, 2003a: 91; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 257.
    • Senior synonym of proletaria: Kempf, 1968b: 386; Kempf, 1972a: 83; Bolton, 1995b: 158; Longino, 2003a: 91; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 257.
    • Senior synonym of ramulinida: Kempf, 1968b: 386; Kempf, 1972a: 83; Bolton, 1995b: 158; Longino, 2003a: 91; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 257.
    • Senior synonym of sulcata: Forel, 1901h: 65; Santschi, 1922d: 244; Kempf, 1968b: 386; Kempf, 1972a: 83; Bolton, 1995b: 158; Longino, 2003a: 91; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 257.
    • Distribution: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru.
  • cristulata. Crematogaster (Neocrema) montezumia st. cristulata Santschi, 1925d: 233 (w.q.) BRAZIL (Santa Catarina).
    • Type-material: syntype workers, syntype queens (numbers not stated).
    • Type-locality: Brazil: Santa Catarina (no collector’s name).
    • Type-depository: NHMB.
    • Subspecies of montezumia: Borgmeier, 1927c: 98; Santschi, 1933e: 112 (in key); Gallardo, 1934: 68 (in key).
    • Junior synonym of montezumia: Kempf, 1968b: 386; Kempf, 1972a: 83; Bolton, 1995b: 151; Longino, 2003a: 91; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 257.
  • functa. Crematogaster montezumia var. functa Forel, 1911c: 300 (w.) BRAZIL (São Paulo).
    • Type-material: holotype (?) worker.
    • [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
    • Type-locality: Brazil: São Paulo, Cubatao railway station (Lüderwaldt).
    • Type-depository: MHNG.
    • Combination in C. (Orthocrema): Emery, 1922e: 135.
    • Subspecies of montezumia: Emery, 1922e: 135; Borgmeier, 1927c: 97; Santschi, 1933e: 113 (in key); Gallardo, 1934: 68 (in key).
    • Junior synonym of montezumia: Kempf, 1968b: 386; Kempf, 1972a: 83; Bolton, 1995b: 153; Longino, 2003a: 91; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 257.
  • proletaria. Crematogaster (Neocrema) montezumia var. proletaria Santschi, 1933e: 113 (w.q.) ARGENTINA (Misiones).
    • Type-material: 1 (?) syntype worker, 1 (?) syntype queen.
    • [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
    • Type-locality: Argentina: Misiones, Profundidad, no. 1943 (A.A. Ogloblin).
    • Type-depository: NHMB.
    • Subspecies of montezumia: Gallardo, 1934: 68.
    • Junior synonym of montezumia: Kempf, 1968b: 386; Kempf, 1972a: 83; Bolton, 1995b: 160; Longino, 2003a: 91; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 257.
  • ramulinida. Crematogaster sulcata var. ramulinida Forel, 1899c: 84 (footnote) (w.) COLOMBIA.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Colombia: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, nr San Antonio (A. Forel).
    • Type-depositories: MHNG, MSNG.
    • Combination in C. (Orthocrema): Emery, 1922e: 135.
    • Subspecies of montezumia: Forel, 1904c: 36; Forel, 1908c: 366; Forel, 1912f: 220; Luederwaldt, 1918: 42; Emery, 1922e: 135; Borgmeier, 1927c: 97; Santschi, 1933e: 113 (in key); Gallardo, 1934: 68 (in key).
    • Junior synonym of montezumia: Kempf, 1968b: 386; Kempf, 1972a: 83; Bolton, 1995b: 161; Longino, 2003a: 91; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 257.
  • sulcata. Crematogaster sulcata Mayr, 1870a: 403 (w.) COLOMBIA (“New Granada”).
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Colombia (“New Granada”): Santa Fé de Bogotá (Lindig).
    • Type-depositories: MHNG, NHMW.
    • Forel, 1899c: 84 (q.).
    • Combination in C. (Neocrema): Santschi, 1922d: 244;
    • combination in C. (Orthocrema): Emery, 1922e: 135.
    • Status as species: Mayr, 1870b: 991 (in key); Mayr, 1887: 624; Emery, 1888c: 356; Emery, 1890b: 53; Dalla Torre, 1893: 87; von Jhering, 1894: 394; Emery, 1894k: 57; Forel, 1895b: 131; Forel, 1899c: 84; Mann, 1916: 443.
    • Subspecies of montezumia: Forel, 1904c: 36; Forel, 1907a: 25; Emery, 1922e: 135; Borgmeier, 1927c: 98; Santschi, 1933e: 113 (in key); Gallardo, 1934: 68 (in key); Wheeler, W.M. 1942: 197.
    • Junior synonym of montezumia: Forel, 1901h: 65; Santschi, 1922d: 244; Kempf, 1968b: 386; Kempf, 1972a: 83; Bolton, 1995b: 163; Longino, 2003a: 91; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 257.

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) - (Costa Rica) HL 0.621, 0.563, 0.621; HW 0.681, 0.608, 0.670; HC 0.613, 0.566, 0.601; SL 0.593, 0.522, 0.570; EL 0.175, 0.146, 0.189; A11L 0.264; A11W 0.127; A10L 0.125; A10W 0.097; A09L 0.062; A09W 0.070; A08L 0.055; A08W 0.065; WL 0.728, 0.626, 0.708; SPL 0.055, 0.048, 0.107; PTH 0.181, 0.147, 0.162; PTL 0.269, 0.208, 0.250; PTW 0.184, 0.155, 0.187; PPL 0.177, 0.142, 0.183; PPW 0.235, 0.206, 0.229; CI 110, 108, 108; OI 28, 26, 30; SI 95, 93, 92; PTHI 67, 71, 65; PTWI 68, 75, 75; PPI 133, 145, 125; SPI 8, 8, 15; ACI 1.58.

Color dark red brown to black.

Mandibles smooth and shiny, becoming striate near base; clypeus emarginate anteriorly, convex, shiny; face punctate over much of surface, with variably developed anteromedian strip on face smooth and shiny; scapes with a combination of erect and subdecumbent setae, setae abundant, as long as width of scape or greater; terminal three segments of antenna gradually lengthening and becoming increasingly densely pubescent, terminal two segments the largest and most conspicuous, so that antennal club appears two-segmented; face with abundant erect amber setae; in full face view abundant setae projecting from posterior margin and sides of head posterior to eye, absent anterior to eye.

In lateral view, pronotum short but strongly convex, mesonotum differentiated from pronotum, somewhat projecting and forming elevated anterior boss; propodeal suture deeply impressed, in some cases obscured in lateral view by small lateral carinulae that bridge suture; mesonotum and dorsal face of propodeum in about the same plane; dorsal and posterior faces of propodeum distinct; propodeum strongly swollen, large relative to promesonotum; propodeal spines very short, acute, sharp; side of pronotum and katepisternum with faint microareolate microsculpture, sublucid; side of propodeum smooth and shining; promesonotal dorsum and dorsal face of propodeum punctate, overlain with clathrate rugae; posterior face of propodeum smooth and shiny; promesonotum and dorsal face of propodeum with abundant amber to whitish erect setae of variable lengths, no setae on posterior face of propodeum; legs with relatively sparse, short, fully decumbent setae.

Petiole in side view triangular, with faint microareolate sculpture; anteroventral tooth completely absent; dorsal face rectangular, longer than wide, smooth and shiny on anterior two thirds, faintly microaerolate on posterior third, with row of setae across posterior margin; postpetiole with blunt ventral tooth, postpetiole in dorsal view subquadrate, wider than long, posterior margin emarginate, with longitudinal median sulcus, and four pairs erect setae; fourth abdominal tergite with faint microareolate sculpture; fourth abdominal tergite with abundant erect setae.

Queen

Longino (2003) - (Costa Rica) 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); entire body (head, mesosoma, petiole, postpetiole, fourth abdominal tergite, appendages) polished, very smooth and shiny; mandible smooth and shiny, apical tooth of masticatory margin long and narrowly acute, much longer than other teeth; anterior margin of clypeus emarginate; clypeus with a broad anteromedian concavity; antennal club three-segmented; scapes with combination of long decumbent setae and long erect setae; face, pronotal dorsum, and anterior mesonotum with abundant erect white setae, sparser erect setae on remainder of mesosomal dorsum, posterior petiole, postpetiole, and fourth abdominal tergite; propodeal spines present, narrowly acute; femora with sparse long appressed pilosity; tibiae with abundant suberect setae; petiole similar to worker, with no anteroventral tooth, dorsal face subrectangular, slightly wider anteriorly than posteriorly, with anterolateral humeri somewhat produced as gibbosities and anteromedian area concave; size characters as in Figures.

Type Material

Longino (2003) - Syntype worker, queen, male: Mexico The Natural History Museum.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Bruch C. 1914. Catálogo sistemático de los formícidos argentinos. Revista del Museo de La Plata 19: 211-234.
  • Calixto J. M. 2013. Lista preliminar das especies de formigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) do estado do Parana, Brasil. Universidad Federal do Parana 34 pages.
  • Cuezzo, F. 1998. Formicidae. Chapter 42 in Morrone J.J., and S. Coscaron (dirs) Biodiversidad de artropodos argentinos: una perspectiva biotaxonomica Ediciones Sur, La Plata. Pages 452-462.
  • Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
  • Emery C. 1890. Studii sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 22: 38-8
  • Emery C. 1894. Estudios sobre las hormigas de Costa Rica. Anales del Museo Nacional de Costa Rica 1888-1889: 45-64.
  • Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
  • Forel A. 1907. Formicides du Musée National Hongrois. Ann. Hist.-Nat. Mus. Natl. Hung. 5: 1-42.
  • Forel A. 1908. Ameisen aus Sao Paulo (Brasilien), Paraguay etc. gesammelt von Prof. Herm. v. Ihering, Dr. Lutz, Dr. Fiebrig, etc. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 58: 340-418.
  • Forel A. 1911. Ameisen des Herrn Prof. v. Ihering aus Brasilien (Sao Paulo usw.) nebst einigen anderen aus Südamerika und Afrika (Hym.). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1911: 285-312.
  • Gallardo A. 1934. Las hormigas de la República Argentina. Subfamilia Mirmicinas, segunda sección Eumyrmicinae, tribu Crematogastrini (Forel), género Crematogaster Lund. Anales del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Buenos Aires 38: 1-84.
  • INBio Collection (via Gbif)
  • Kempf W. W. 1968. Miscellaneous studies on Neotropical ants. IV. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Studia Entomologica 11: 369-415.
  • 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).
  • Kusnezov N. 1978. Hormigas argentinas: clave para su identificación. Miscelánea. Instituto Miguel Lillo 61:1-147 + 28 pl.
  • Leponce, M., L. Theunis, J.H.C. Delabie and Y. Roisin. 2004. Scale dependence of diversity measures in a leaf-litter ant assemblage. Ecography. 27:253-267.
  • Longino J. T., J. Coddington, and R. K. Colwell. 2002. The ant fauna of a tropical rain forest: estimating species richness three different ways. Ecology 83: 689-702.
  • Longino, J.T. 2003. The Crematogaster (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae) of Costa Rica. Zootaxa 151:1-150
  • Longino, J.T. 2010. Personal Communication. Longino Collection Database
  • Luederwaldt H. 1918. Notas myrmecologicas. Rev. Mus. Paul. 10: 29-64.
  • 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.
  • Pignalberi C. T. 1961. Contribución al conocimiento de los formícidos de la provincia de Santa Fé. Pp. 165-173 in: Comisión Investigación Científica; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (Argentina) 1961. Actas y trabajos del primer Congreso Sudamericano de Zoología (La Plata, 12-24 octubre 1959). Tomo III. Buenos Aires: Librart, 276 pp.
  • 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.
  • Santschi F. 1925. Nouveaux Formicides brésiliens et autres. Bulletin et Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 65: 221-247.
  • Santschi F. 1933. Fourmis de la République Argentine en particulier du territoire de Misiones. Anales de la Sociedad Cientifica Argentina. 116: 105-124.
  • 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.
  • Vittar, F. 2008. Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de la Mesopotamia Argentina. INSUGEO Miscelania 17(2):447-466
  • Vittar, F., and F. Cuezzo. "Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de la provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina." Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina (versión On-line ISSN 1851-7471) 67, no. 1-2 (2008).
  • Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133
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