Dorymyrmex brunneus

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Dorymyrmex brunneus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dolichoderinae
Tribe: Leptomyrmecini
Genus: Dorymyrmex
Species: D. brunneus
Binomial name
Dorymyrmex brunneus
Forel, 1908

Dorymyrmex brunneus casent0173843 profile 1.jpg

Dorymyrmex brunneus casent0173843 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

A variable and widely ranging species that further taxonomic study may reveal to be a complex of closely related species.

Identification

Cuezzo and Guerrero (2011) - Worker Head slightly longer than wide. Posterior margin of head straight to feebly concave medially. Psammophore with short hairs disposed in a triangle, not reaching the posterior end of hypostome. Promesonotum depressed in lateral view, always lower than the apex of propodeal tubercle. Mesonotal profile with a well-defined dorsal and declivitous face in the posterior end. Metanotal suture well impressed forming a concavity anterior to the propodeum. Queen Maximum diameter of head behind the compound eyes. Posterior margin of head feebly concave medially. Forewing with only one close cubital cell. Male Dark brown. Scape long, reaching the posterior margin of compound eyes. Mandible with only three teeth. Forewing with no discoidal and no cubital cells, hindwing with only two closed cells. Pygostyle poorly developed, paramere stout and covered with long hairs.

The shape of the mesosomal profile was one of the most frequently characters used to separate species of Dorymyrmex but is almost unusable to identify D. brunneus. Local populations of this species have strong differences in the profile of mesosoma and scape length. There are morphological variations among Colombian populations which seem to be stable: only workers with broad head (CI: 90–107) have a strong mesonotal depression making a sort of tubercle at the middle of mesonotum (different from Dorymyrmex biconis), with a deep and wide metanotal groove. Besides, workers have a median ocellus and, sometimes, two tiny lateral ocelli (populations from Boyaca, Colombia). The shape of queen head in frontal view, mandibles with only three teeth in male and the number of closed cells in forewings have proved to be useful to separate D. brunneus from other Dorymyrmex species.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Known from Guatemala and from Panama to Argentina.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 25.68015° to -38.85°.

       
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Argentina (type locality), Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname.

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

Cuezzo and Guerrero (2011) - D. brunneus is mainly restricted to arid environments of the Andean region of Colombia, at elevations above 1000 m. Some lowland populations live in dry forests of western Colombia (Valle del Cauca, 400–500 m), savannas in eastern plains (Vichada, 240 m), and in Colombian Amazon basin (Amazonas, 200–300 m).

Like Dorymyrmex biconis, D. brunneus is well adapted to anthropic environments. Most of the specimens studied here have been collected in areas transformed by humans, mainly in open areas with low vegetation (stubble), coffee plantations (shade coffee culture), wooded areas for cattle grazing, and urban areas.

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Dorymyrmex brunneus casent0173846 head 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0173846 profile 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0173846 dorsal 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0173846 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0173846. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ALWC, Alex L. Wild Collection.
Dorymyrmex brunneus casent0179523 head 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0179523 profile 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0179523 dorsal 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0179523 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0179523. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by IAVH, Bogotá, Colombia.
Dorymyrmex brunneus casent0192698 head 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0192698 profile 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0192698 dorsal 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0192698 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0192698. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Dorymyrmex brunneus casent0192705 head 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0192705 profile 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0192705 dorsal 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0192705 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0192705. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Queen

Images from AntWeb

Dorymyrmex brunneus casent0173844 head 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0173844 profile 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0173844 profile 2.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0173844 dorsal 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0173844 label 1.jpg
Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0173844. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ALWC, Alex L. Wild Collection.

Male

Images from AntWeb

Dorymyrmex brunneus casent0173845 head 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0173845 profile 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0173845 profile 2.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0173845 profile 3.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0173845 dorsal 1.jpgDorymyrmex brunneus casent0173845 label 1.jpg
Male (alate). Specimen code casent0173845. 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.

  • brunneus. Dorymyrmex pyramicus var. brunnea Forel, 1908c: 385 (w.) ARGENTINA. Gallardo, 1916a: 60 (q.); Cuezzo & Guerrero, 2011: 14 (m.). Combination in D. (Conomyrma): Forel, 1913l: 244; in Conomyrma (Biconomyrma): Kusnezov, 1952g: 430; in Biconomyrma: Kusnezov, 1959: 51; in Dorymyrmex: Shattuck, 1992c: 85. Subspecies of pyramicus: Forel, 1911c: 306; Santschi, 1912e: 531. Raised to species: Santschi, 1929d: 305; Kusnezov, 1952g: 430; Kempf, 1975c: 375.

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

Description

Worker

Cuezzo and Guerrero (2011) - Lectotype: HL: 0.95; HW: 0.8; EL: 0.23; EW: 0.125; SL: 0.875; WL: 1.175; CI: 84; SI: 92; REL: 24; OI: 54; TLI: 124.

Other material (n = 98): HL: 0.70–1.04; HW: 0.64–0.92; EL: 0.22–0.30; EW: 0.10–0.20; SL: 0.80–1.14; WL: 1.00–1.46; CI: 83–117; SI: 98–129; REL: 24–34; OI: 45–77; TLI: 122–171.

Concolorous dark brown; whitish pubescence covering all body tagma. 0–2 erected setae on the dorsum of pronotum. Head: subquadrate, with lateral margins strongly convex, maximum head width at the compound eye level. Mandibles strongly striate, reddish brown. Compound eyes in central 1/3 of the head as seen in frontal view. Scape long (SI: 92–129), surpassing the posterior margin of head by more than twice its maximum width. Posterior margin of head usually straight but sometimes feebly concave in the middle. Psammophore with a few extremely short hairs disposed in a triangle, the hairs in the top line are near to the foramen magnum and do not reach the oral cavity. Upper setae of psammophore close to the anterior margin of foramen magnum. Mesosoma: promesonotal profile sinuate to straight and, in lateral view, always lower than the apex of propodeal tubercle. Posterior end of mesonotum forming two faces, one dorsal and one declivitous but not conforming a well-developed tubercle. Propodeal tubercle stout, with wide base, and slightly directed dorsally. Declivitous face straight to slightly convex. Metasoma: petiole forward directed, included in a concavity placed in the anterior face of the first gastral segment. Scale apically thin and rounded.

Queen

Cuezzo and Guerrero (2011) - (n = 5): HL: 1.13; HW: 1.15; EL: 0.38; EW: 0.18; IOD: 0.78; SL: 1.1;WL: 2.3.

Color and pubescence as in worker; head: subquadrate, maximum diameter after the compound eyes. Clypeal sides lighter than the rest of the head; scape surpassing the posterior margin of head by more than twice its maximum width; mandibles striated with four teeth and two denticles; posterior margin of head feebly concave medially. Mesosoma: parapsidal furrows well developed, parallel, axilla not divided. A short, incomplete suture divides anepisternum from katepisternum. Forewing with only one closed cubital cell; radial cell long and close. Metasoma: low and stout petiole, apically rounded.

Male

Cuezzo and Guerrero (2011) - (n = 3): HL: 0.58–0.6; HW: 0.58–0.63; EL: 0.28–0.33; EW: 0.15–0.2; SL: 0.25; WL: 1.3–1.38.

Color of the body similar to worker and queen; head: subquadrate with round occipital corner; mandibles thin with only three teeth, the apical more than twice longer than the others. Scape long, reaching the posterior margin of compound eyes. Mesosoma: parapsidal furrows parallel, axilla not divided medially; forewing with one close radial cell and no cubital nor discoidal cell. Hindwing with only two closed cells. Metasoma: petiolar scale low, round, and stout, ventral process round, feebly developed. Pygostyle poorly developed; paramere stout covered with long, erected setae; aedeagus serrate ventrally.

Type Material

Cuezzo and Guerrero (2011) - Lectotypes. 2w, S˜ao Paulo, BRAZIL (Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève) designed by Kempf 1975: 375.

Etymology

Cuezzo and Guerrero (2011) - The name “brunneus” means dark brown. It is the main color of worker, queen, and male.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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