Forelius mccooki

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Forelius mccooki
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dolichoderinae
Tribe: Leptomyrmecini
Genus: Forelius
Species: F. mccooki
Binomial name
Forelius mccooki
(McCook, 1879)

Forelius mccooki casent0005322 profile 1.jpg

Forelius mccooki casent0005322 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen Label

Synonyms

This species nests in the soil, with the entrance surrounded by a small mound (few cms diameter); it also nests under stones. Nests may be found at the bases of desert plants. Reproductives were found in nests in June and July. This species has multiple queens in their nests. Workers are group foragers, which can be found in rapidly moving groups early in the hot afternoon when no other ants are active. Foragers capture living insects, feed on dead insects and collect nectar from a variety of desert plants ranging from the small, prostate Euphorbia spp. to foraging in the flowers of cholla (Opuntia spp). They also nest at the edges of Pogonomyrmex rugosus nests. (Mackay and Mackay 2002)

At a Glance • Polygynous  

Photo Gallery

  • Forelius mccooki is a small thermophilic ant common in southwestern North America. Photo taken in Tucson, Arizona by Alex Wild.
  • Male and female Forelius mccooki in the nest. Tucson, Arizona, USA. Photo by Alex Wild.
  • Forelius mccooki male and worker ants gathering at the nest entrance prior to a mating flight. Tucson, Arizona, USA. Photo by Alex Wild.

Identification

Identification Keys including this Taxon

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 44.5054° to -19.6°.

     
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: United States (type locality).
Neotropical Region: Greater Antilles, Mexico.

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.
pChart

Habitat

Most common in arid habitats, but also occurs in mesic sites ranging from grasslands to cottonwood forests. (Mackay and Mackay 2002)

Biology

Castes

Worker

MCZ-ENT00550071 Forelius mccooki wrkr hef.jpgMCZ-ENT00550071 Forelius mccooki wrkr hal.jpgMCZ-ENT00550071 Forelius mccooki wrkr had.jpgMCZ-ENT00550071 Forelius mccooki wrkr lbs.JPG
. Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Images from AntWeb

Forelius mccooki casent0102754 head 1.jpgForelius mccooki casent0102754 profile 1.jpgForelius mccooki casent0102754 dorsal 1.jpgForelius mccooki casent0102754 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0102754. Photographer Jen Fogarty, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

  • foetida. Formica foetida Buckley, 1866: 167 (w.q.) U.S.A. Crozier, 1970: 113 (k.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1974b: 401 (l.). [Junior primary homonym of Formica foetida Linnaeus, 1758: 582 (now in Pachycondyla).] Replacement name: mccooki McCook, 1879: 187.
  • mccooki. Iridomyrmex mccooki McCook, 1880: 187 (w.) U.S.A. Junior synonym of foetida Buckley: Wheeler, W.M. 1901b: 520 and hence first available replacement name for Formica foetida Buckley, 1866: 167. [Junior primary homonym of Formica foetida Linnaeus, 1758: 582.] [Iridomyrmex maccooki Forel, 1878: 382. Nomen nudum.] Mayr, 1886d: 432 (q.m.); Forel, 1886b: xxxix (w.). Combination in Forelius: Emery, 1888d: 389. Senior synonym of andrei: Smith, D.R. 1979: 1419. See also: Cuezzo, 2000: 249; Ward, 2005: 9.
  • andrei. Forelius maccooki r. andrei Forel, 1912h: 44 (w.) U.S.A. Subspecies of foetidus: Smith, M.R. 1951a: 836. Junior synonym of foetidus: Wheeler, W.M. 1901b: 520; of mccooki: Smith, D.R. 1979: 1419.
  • maccooki. Iridomyrmex maccooki Forel, 1886b: xxxix (w.) U.S.A. (Texas).
    • [Iridomyrmex maccooki Forel, 1878: 382. Nomen nudum.]
    • Status as species: Forel, 1895b: 110; Forel, 1899c: 102; Wheeler, W.M. 1905b: 131; Emery, 1906c: 176; Wheeler, W.M. 1910g: 569; Forel, 1912h: 43; Gallardo, 1916a: 78; Cole, 1937b: 137; Wheeler, W.M. 1938: 252; Shattuck, 1994: 94 (error).
    • Junior homonym and junior synonym of mccooki McCook, 1880: 187.

Description

Karyotype

  • n = 16, 2n = 32 (USA) (Crozier, 1970b; Crozier, 1975) (as F. foetidus).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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