Lachnomyrmex amazonicus

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Lachnomyrmex amazonicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Lachnomyrmex
Species: L. amazonicus
Binomial name
Lachnomyrmex amazonicus
Feitosa & Brandão, 2008

Lachnomyrmex amazonicus casent0178855 profile 1.jpg

Lachnomyrmex amazonicus casent0178855 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen Label

Lachnomyrmex amazonicus is known from Amazonian Brazil, in 60–200m elevation rainforest. It is one of the few species in the genus occurring in lowland forests rather than in submontane localities. All records refer to workers obtained in samples of sifted litter from the forest floor.

Identification

Feitosa and Brandão (2008) - Body irregularly rugose; promesonotum in profile elevated well above the level of propodeum; metanotal groove weakly impressed to obsolete; propodeal spines slightly directed upwards; teeth of propodeal lobes reduced; dorsum of postpetiole with more than 10 long, flexuous hairs; first gastral tergite entirely devoid of long hairs. The general habitus of this species allies it with Lachnomyrmex longinoi, Lachnomyrmex nordestinus, Lachnomyrmex plaumanni, and Lachnomyrmex victori. These species share the irregular body sculpturation, the obsolete metanotal groove, and the absence of long hairs on the first tergite of gaster. However, L. amazonicus can be distinguished from these species by the combination of promesonotum strongly convex, propodeal spines directed upwards, and dorsum of postpetiole bearing more than 10 long hairs.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -1.736° to -10.783°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Brazil (type locality).

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

Explore-icon.png Explore Overview of Lachnomyrmex biology 
Template:Overview/Lachnomyrmex

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Lachnomyrmex amazonicus casent0178855 head 1.jpgLachnomyrmex amazonicus casent0178855 profile 1.jpgLachnomyrmex amazonicus casent0178855 dorsal 1.jpgLachnomyrmex amazonicus casent0178855 label 1.jpg
Paratype of Lachnomyrmex amazonicusWorker. Specimen code casent0178855. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Images from AntWeb

Lachnomyrmex amazonicus casent0173882 head 1.jpgLachnomyrmex amazonicus casent0173882 profile 1.jpgLachnomyrmex amazonicus casent0173882 dorsal 1.jpgLachnomyrmex amazonicus casent0173882 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0173882. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MPEG, Belém, Brazil.

Nomenclature

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

  • amazonicus. Lachnomyrmex amazonicus Feitosa & Brandão, 2008: 11, figs. 2, 20 (w.q.) BRAZIL.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype. HL 0.58; HW 0.58; ML 0.16; SL 0.31; EL 0.11; WL 0.66; PSL 0.14; PL 0.28; PPL 0.13; GL 0.76; TL 2.57; CI 100; SI 54; OI 18. (n=6). HL 0.52–0.66; HW 0.54–0.66; ML 0.16–0.21; SL 0.31–0.41; EL 0.08– 0.13; WL 0.57–0.74; PSL 0.11–0.17; PL 0.22–0.29; PPL 0.12–0.15; GL 0.68–0.82; TL 2.26–2.84; CI 100– 103; SI 50–63; OI 13–19.

Color dark reddish-brown to blackish, with waist and gaster slightly lighter; appendages yellowish to light brown. Body densely covered by vermiculate short rugae, forming irregular areolae on promesonotum; rugae somewhat longer and longitudinal on head dorsum, and slightly sparser on mesopleura and lateral surfaces of propodeum; mandibles with short longitudinal striae restricted to basal portion; petiole and postpetiole finely and irregularly rugose. Abundant pilosity on head and mesosoma dorsum; dorsum of petiolar node and postpetiole each with more than 10 long, flexuous hairs; first gastral tergite entirely devoid of long hairs.

Head as long as broad, with vertexal margin weakly convex; frontal lobes laterally rounded; eyes with about seven facets on maximum diameter. Promesonotum strongly convex in profile, elevated well above the level of propodeum; metanotal groove shallow to virtually obsolete; propodeal spines slightly directed upwards; teeth of propodeal lobes reduced, with around one-third of propodeal spines length. Petiolar node moderately elevated, dorsally rounded, and with the posterior face weakly sloped in lateral view; postpetiole feebly convex dorsally and without ventral processes.

Queen

Differing from worker by the larger eyes, with around 14 facets at maximum diameter; propodeal spines straight, without the apexes curved upwards.

Type Material

Holotype worker. BRAZIL: Pará: Parauapebas, Fl. Nacional de Carajás, Garagem, 06º02'54S 50º04'55W, 25.iv–02.v.2008, Rogério R. Silva col., no. 5 Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo. Paratypes. same data as holotype, no. 1 (1 worker) California Academy of Sciences; same data, no. 4 (1 worker) Laboratório de Mirmecologia CEPEC / CPDC same data (1 worker) Museo de Historia Natural, Bogata; same data, no. 5 (1 worker) National Museum of Natural History; same data (1 worker) William and Emma Mackay Collection; same data, nos. 1/2/3/4/5 (5 workers and 3 gynes) [MZSP]; BRAZIL: Amazonas: Manaus, 22.ix.1993, A.B. Casimiro col., no. 4829 (1 worker) Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia; iii-iv.1994, R. Didham col. (3 workers) The Natural History Museum; same data (1 worker) [MZSP]; Mato Grosso: Alta Floresta, 10º47'S 56º49'W, 28.iv.1999, H.L. Vasconcelos col. (1 worker) [INPA]; Pará: Melgaço, Caxiuanã, 1º44'9S 51º29'15"W, 27–29.i.2003, A.Y. Harada, E.P. Fagundes, P. Batra, R. Calisto & Mó cols, no. 5 Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi; 1º45'15S 51º31'20"W, 23–25.i.2004, A.Y. Harada, E. P. Fagundes, R. Calisto & Mó cols, no. 5 (1 worker) [MZSP]; Parauapebas, Fl. Nacional de Carajás, Casa de Hóspedes, 06º03'41S 50º03'13W, 25.iv–02.v.2008, Rogério R. Silva col., no. 1 (1 worker) [MZSP]; Núcleo Urbano, 06º03'53S 50º03'42W, 25.iv–02.v.2008, Rogério R. Silva col., no. 1 (1 worker) [MZSP]; Zoobotânico, 06º03'41S 50º03'13W, 25.iv–02.v.2008, Rogério R. Silva col., no. 1 (1 worker) [MZSP].

Etymology

The name refers to the region from where this species is known, the Amazon Basin.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Feitosa, R.M. and C.R.F Brandao. 2008. A taxonomic revision of the Neotropical myrmicine ant genus Lachnomyrmex Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 1890:1-49
  • 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.