Daceton armigerum

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Daceton armigerum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Daceton
Species: D. armigerum
Binomial name
Daceton armigerum
(Latreille, 1802)

Daceton armigerum casent0178489 profile 1.jpg

Daceton armigerum casent0178489 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Synonyms

Daceton armigerum has been studied extensively by Wheeler & Wheeler (1954, description of larvae), Wilson (1962, ecology and behavior), Blum & Portocarrero (1966, trail pheromone and venom), Hölldobler et al. (1990, chemical communication), Moffet & Tobin (1991, physical castes), Groenenberg (1996, mandibular mode of action), and Bolton (1999, 2000, classification).

Photo Gallery

  • Daceton armigerum worker. Photo by Piotr Naskrecki
  • Daceton armigerum infected by Ophiocordyceps dacetini. (Photo by João P. M. Araújo)
  • Daceton armigerum worker from Suriname. Photo by Piotr Naskrecki.

Identification

Key to the two Daceton species.

Pronotal humeral spines bifurcate, the anterior tip larger than the posterior one. First gastral tergite without standing hairs (sometimes with very short, appressed hairs). Mesonotum and metanotum divided by a strongly impressed metanotal groove. Inner (masticatory) margin of mandibles with a row of short think setae . . . . . Daceton armigerum

Pronotal humeral spines long and simple. First gastral tergite with suberect to subdecumbent hairs. Mesonotum and metanotum divided by a weakly impressed metanotal groove. Inner (masticatory) margin of mandibles lacking a row of short thick setae . . . . . Daceton boltoni

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Venezuela.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 8.75° to -14.5°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Bolivia, Brazil (type locality), Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, 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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Habitat

Terra Firma and flooded forests.

Biology

Azorsa & Sosa (2008) - Typically nests in cavities in the branches and trunks of trees previously bored by beetles and other insects. Blum and Portocarrero (1966) and Moffet and Tobin (1991) state that colonies of D. armigerum contain up to 2500 individuals, whereas Wilson (1962) and Hölldobler & Wilson (1990) estimate that colonies contain between 5000 to 10000 workers. Daceton armigerum has a complex continuously polymorphic caste system, in which smaller workers nurse the brood and larger workers hunt, dismember prey items, and defend the nest (Wilson 1962; Oster & Wilson 1978; Hölldobler & Wilson 1990). Wilson (1962) reports that workers of this highly predaceous myrmicine ant hunt individually for a variety of live insects, including flies, grasshoppers, larvae and adults of moths and beetles, and fulgorids. In addition, some workers have been observed tending coccids (Bodkin in Crawley 1916; Brown & Wilson 1960; Wilson 1962). (Refer to Wilson [1962] for further information on the behavior of D. armigerum.) Recently, Yanoviak et al. (2005) found that individuals of D. armigerum show controlled aerial descent behavior. The genus has been considered primitive with respect to other members of the Dacetini (Brown and Wilson 1959; Bolton 1998, 1999, 2000), but a phylogenetic analysis of the tribe is necessary to fully understand the relationships of its constituent species and genera. Current molecular phylogenetic evidence suggests that Dacetini may not be monophyletic (Brady et al. 2006).

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.

Diptera

  • This species is a host for the phorid fly Apocephalus sp. (a parasite) (Brown et al., 2015) (injured).

Fungi

  • This species is a host for the fungus Ophiocordyceps daceti (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).
  • This species is a host for the fungus Ophiocordyceps daceti (a pathogen) (Araujo et al., 2018).

Life History Traits

  • Mean colony size: 10,000 (Blum & Portocarrero, 1965; Beckers et al., 1989)
  • Foraging behaviour: solitary forager (Blum & Portocarrero, 1965; Beckers et al., 1989)

Castes

Worker

DacetonEconomo-header (arilab.unit.oist.jp).png  X-ray micro-CT scan 3D model of Daceton armigerum (worker) prepared by the Economo lab at OIST.

Head of specialised, arboreal trap-jaw ant from South America. See on Sketchfab. See list of 3D images.

Male

Images from AntWeb

Daceton armigerum casent0178490 head 1.jpgDaceton armigerum casent0178490 profile 1.jpgDaceton armigerum casent0178490 profile 2.jpgDaceton armigerum casent0178490 profile 3.jpgDaceton armigerum casent0178490 profile 4.jpgDaceton armigerum casent0178490 dorsal 1.jpgDaceton armigerum casent0178490 label 1.jpg
Male (alate). Specimen code casent0178490. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MZSP, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Nomenclature

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

  • armigerum. Formica armigera Latreille, 1802c: 244, pl. 9, fig. 58 (w.) BRAZIL. Smith, F. 1853: 226 (q.m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1955a: 122 (l.). Combination in Daceton: Perty, 1833: 136. Senior synonym of cordata: Roger, 1862c: 290. See also: Wilson, 1962b: 401; Bolton, 2000: 18; Azorsa & Sosa-Calvo, 2008: 30.
  • cordata. Myrmecia cordata Fabricius, 1804: 425 (w.) CENTRAL AMERICA. Junior synonym of armigerum: Roger, 1862c: 290.

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

Description

Worker

Azorsa & Sosa (2008) - Measurements (mm): EL 0.44–0.87, GL 1.89–4.50, HL 1.44–4.06, HW 1.58–4.17, ML 0.79–3.32, PL 0.78–1.93, PPL 0.26-0.51, PSL 0.32-1.59, PW 1.38-4.60, SL 0.94-2.77, TL 6.91-17.8, WL 1.70–4.24.

Indexes: CI 102–113, MI 55–88, PI 41–52, PSI 18–39, SI 59–73 (17 measured).

Polymorphic. Head wider than long, heart-shaped. Mandibles linear and elongate, each with an apical fork of two teeth that overlap at full closure, of which the ventral tooth is the largest. Inner (masticatory) margin of mandibles lacking any dentition but with a series of short, thick setae that differ from any other pilosity present on mandibles. Outer margin of mandibles lacking hairs completely or with very short, appressed hairs. Mandibles, in full-face view, somewhat long and narrow [(MW/ML')*100= 25–40]. Palp formula 5,3. Depressions, adjacent to and ventral to the mandibular insertion, deep. Clypeus without standing hairs. Pronotal humeri with acute tubercles. Lateral pronotal spines bifurcate, the anterior tips larger than the posterior ones. Metanotal groove deeply impressed. Mesosoma glabrous. Petiolar node with an anterior-lateral pair of long spines and a pair of small but sharp tubercles, located underneath the anterior-lateral spines. First gastral tergite finely reticulate and devoid of any erect or semi-erect pilosity, sometimes with very short, appressed hairs. Color of head, mesosoma, and metasoma, usually red-brown to red-yellowish, sometimes dark red-brown or rarely bicolored; petiole, postpetiole, and gaster darker than rest of body.

Most of the within-species morphological variation in D. armigerum workers is manifested in the form of the promesonotum and, to a lesser degree, in the forms of the petiole, postpetiole, and gaster. This variation includes: (i) Lateral spines bifurcate, the posterior spine projecting upwards and curving at the tip in major workers, whereas in small or median workers this spine not curving at the tip. In small workers the posterior spine is very short, almost vestigial when viewed in profile, but conspicuous in dorsal view. (ii) Short, simple, and appressed hairs present on the first gastral tergite in some individuals from Brazil and Peru. On other workers, hairs on the first gastral segment are absent. (iii) Humeral spines, in smaller workers, vestigial or present as very low carinae. Median and larger-sized workers with humeral tubercles that are spinose or acute. (iv) The posterior pair of petiolar tubercles reduced, rounded and low in smaller workers, whereas tubercles acute in larger workers. (v) Large workers with posterior promesonotal tubercles truncate and flattened in profile. (vi) Anterior spines of petiole long and diverging with intervening space concave or with intervening space discontinuous. Anterior spines of petiole in smaller workers shorter than in other castes.

Type Material

Azorsa & Sosa (2008): Syntype(?) worker, Brazil (not seen).

Myrmecia cordata. Syntypes, 2 workers, America Meridionali [South America]. (seen)

Myrmecia cordata Fabricius, Syntypes, 2 workers, labeled: “Essequibo [possibly Guyana], Smidt. Mus. de Sehestedt. Armigerum, Latr. [Latreille] Myrmecia cordata, worker, Fabr. [Fabricius].” Deposited in Zoologisk Museum, University of Copenhagen.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Alonso L. E. 2010. A preliminary survey of the ants of the Kwamalasamutu region, SW Suriname. In: O’Shea, B.J., L.E. Alonso, & T.H. Larsen, (eds.). 2011. A Rapid Biological Assessment of the Kwamalasamutu region, Southwestern Suriname. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment 63. Conservation International, Arlington, VA.
  • Alonso L. E., J. Persaud, and A. Williams. 2016. Biodiversity assessment survey of the south Rupununi Savannah, Guyana. BAT Survey Report No.1, 306 pages.
  • Alonso L. E., and J. A. Helms. 2013. A Rapid Assessment of the Ants of the Grensgebergte and Kasikasima Regions of Southeastern Suriname. A Rapid Biological Assessment of the Upper Palumeu River Watershed (Grensgebergte and Kasikasima) of Southeastern Suriname: 109-118.
  • Azorsa F. and J. Sosa-Calvo. 2008. Description of a remarkable new species of ant in the genus Daceton Perty (Formicidae: Dacetini) from South America. Zootaxa 1749: 27-38
  • Dejean A., A. Compin, J. H. C. Delabie, F. Azemar, B. Corbara, and M. Leponce. 2019. Biotic and abiotic determinants of the formation of ant mosaics in primary Neotropical rainforests. Ecological Entomology https://doi-org.eproxy.lib.hku.hk/10.1111/een.12735
  • Dejean A., J. H. C. Delabie, B. Corbara, F. Azemar, S. Groc, et al. 2012. The Ecology and Feeding Habits of the Arboreal Trap-Jawed Ant Daceton armigerum. PLoS ONE 7(6): e37683. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0037683
  • Fernandez F. C., and L. Schneider S. 1989. Reconocimiento de hormigas en la reserva La Macarena. Revista Colombiana de Entomologia 15(1): 38-44.
  • Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
  • Field Museum Collection, Chicago, Illinois (C. Moreau)
  • Franco W., N. Ladino, J. H. C. Delabie, A. Dejean, J. Orivel, M. Fichaux, S. Groc, M. Leponce, and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674(5): 509-543.
  • Galvis J. P., and F. Fernandez. 2007. SINOPSIS DE LAS HORMIGAS DACETINAS DE LOS GÉNEROS Daceton perty Y Acanthognathus mayr (FORMICIDAE: MYRMICINAE) DE COLOMBIA. Acta biol. Colomb. 12 (1): 123.
  • Herzog H., M. C. Muller, M. Granier, J. Lattke, and K. Jaffe. 1989. Notas etnomirmecologicas Yanomani. Acta Terramaris 1: 51-57.
  • Jaffe, K., et al. 2007. Comparing the ant fauna in a tropical and a temperat forest canopy. Ecotropicos 20(2):74-81
  • Kempf W. W. 1961. A survey of the ants of the soil fauna in Surinam (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Studia Entomologica 4: 481-524.
  • Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
  • Miranda P. N., F. B. Baccaro, E. F. Morato, M. A. Oliveira. J. H. C. Delabie. 2017. Limited effects of low-intensity forest management on ant assemblages in southwestern Amazonian forests. Biodivers. Conserv. DOI 10.1007/s10531-017-1368-y
  • 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.
  • Radoszkowsky O. 1884. Fourmis de Cayenne Française. Trudy Russkago Entomologicheskago Obshchestva 18: 30-39.
  • Sosa-Calvo J., T. R. Schultz, and J. S. LaPolla. 2010. A review of the dacetine ants of Guyana (Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 19: 12-43.
  • 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.
  • 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
  • Vicente R. E., J. Damborz, and M. Rocha Barreto. 2011. New distribution record of Daceton boltoni Azorsa and Sosa-Calvo, 2008 (Insecta: Hymenoptera) ant in the Brazilian Amazon. Check List 7(6): 878-879.
  • 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.
  • Wilson E. O. 1962. Behavior of Daceton armigerum (Latreille), with a classification of self-grooming movements in ants. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 127: 403-421.
  • Wilson, E.O. 1987. The Arboreal Ant Fauna of Peruvian Amazon Forests: A First Assessment. Biotropica 19(3):245-251.
  • da Silva Monteiro D., R. E. Vicente, J. de Oliveira, and T. Junqueira Izzo. 2011. Composicao e riqueza de Formigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) em areas de floresta ombrofila densa e reflorestamento de Teca (Tectona grandis L. F. - Verbenaceae) na Fazenda Sao Nicolau, Cotriguacu, MT. Chapter 13, pp 287-301. In: Descobrindo a Amazonia Meridional: Biodiversidade da Fazenda Sao Nicolau; de Jesus Rodrigues D., T. J. Izoo, and L. D. Battirola (Eds).
  • da Silva de Oliveira A. B., and F. A. Schmidt. 2019. Ant assemblages of Brazil nut trees Bertholletia excelsa in forest and pasture habitats in the Southwestern Brazilian Amazon. Biodiversity and Conservation 28(2): 329-344.