Myrmicocrypta erectapilosa

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Myrmicocrypta erectapilosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Myrmicocrypta
Species: M. erectapilosa
Binomial name
Myrmicocrypta erectapilosa
Sosa-Calvo & Schultz, 2010

Identification

Sosa-Calvo & Schultz (2010) - Worker body covered with erect simple hairs; hypostomal teeth short, triangular, and acute; sculpture on mesosoma reduced; frontal lobes triangular and partially covering the antennal insertions.

Distribution

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 Fungus Growing 
For additional details see Fungus growing ants.

A handful of ant species (approx. 275 out of the known 15,000 species) have developed the ability to cultivate fungus within their nests. In most species the fungus is used as the sole food source for the larvae and is an important resource for the adults as well. Additionally, in a limited number of cases, the fungus is used to construct part of the nest structure but is not as a food source.

These fungus-feeding species are limited to North and South America, extending from the pine barrens of New Jersey, United States, in the north (Trachymyrmex septentrionalis) to the cold deserts in Argentina in the south (several species of Acromyrmex). Species that use fungi in nest construction are known from Europe and Africa (a few species in the genera Crematogaster, Lasius).


The details of fungal cultivation are rich and complex. First, a wide variety of materials are used as substrate for fungus cultivating. The so-called lower genera include species that prefer dead vegetation, seeds, flowers, fruits, insect corpses, and feces, which are collected in the vicinity of their nests. The higher genera include non leaf-cutting species that collect mostly fallen leaflets, fruit, and flowers, as well as the leafcutters that collect fresh leaves from shrubs and trees. Second, while the majority of fungi that are farmed by fungus-feeding ants belong to the family Lepiotaceae, mostly the genera Leucoagaricus and Leucocoprinus, other fungi are also involved. Some species utilise fungi in the family Tricholomataceae while a few others cultivate yeast. The fungi used by the higher genera no longer produce spores. Their fungi produce nutritious and swollen hyphal tips (gongylidia) that grow in bundles called staphylae, to specifically feed the ants. Finally, colony size varies tremendously among these ants. Lower taxa mostly live in inconspicuous nests with 100–1000 individuals and relatively small fungus gardens. Higher taxa, in contrast, live in colonies made of 5–10 million ants that live and work within hundreds of interconnected fungus-bearing chambers in huge subterranean nests. Some colonies are so large, they can be seen from satellite photos, measuring up to 600 m3.

Based on these habits, and taking phylogenetic information into consideration, these ants can be divided into six biologically distinct agricultural systems (with a list of genera involved in each category):

Nest Construction

A limited number of species that use fungi in the construction of their nests.

Lower Agriculture

Practiced by species in the majority of fungus-feeding genera, including those thought to retain more primitive features, which cultivate a wide range of fungal species in the tribe Leucocoprineae.

Coral Fungus Agriculture

Practiced by species in the Apterostigma pilosum species-group, which cultivate fungi within the Pterulaceae.

Yeast Agriculture

Practiced by species within the Cyphomyrmex rimosus species-group, which cultivate a distinct clade of leucocoprineaceous fungi derived from the lower attine fungi.

Generalized Higher Agriculture

Practiced by species in several genera of non-leaf-cutting "higher attine" ants, which cultivate a distinct clade of leucocoprineaceous fungi separately derived from the lower attine fungi.

Leaf-Cutter Agriculture

A subdivision of higher attine agriculture practiced by species within several ecologically dominant genera, which cultivate a single highly derived species of higher attine fungus.

Note that the farming habits of Mycetagroicus (4 species) are unknown. Also, while species of Pseudoatta (2 species) are closely related to the fungus-feeding genus Acromyrmex, they are social parasites, living in the nests of their hosts and are not actively involved in fungus growing. ‎

Castes

Queen

M erectapilosa queen.jpg

Nomenclature

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

  • erectapilosa. Myrmicocrypta erectapilosa Sosa-Calvo & Schultz, 2010: 189, figs. 16-22 (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

TL = 3.22 (3.23-3.33); WL = 0.87 (0.84-0.91); HL = 0.67 (0.66-0.71); HW = 0.58 (0.57-0.63); SL = 0.60 (0.61-0.65); ML = 0.46 (0.44-0.47); EL = 0.05 (0.05-0.06); PL = 0.36 (0.29-0.33); PPL = 0.16 (0.15-0.16); GL = 0.70 (0.76-0.78); CI = 87 (86-89); SI = 103 (103-107); MI = 69 (63-68); FLD = 0.22 (0.21-0.24) (n = 4).

Head. In full-face view 1.13X - 1.15X as long as wide (excluding mandibles); cephalic margin with shallow median concavity, posterior corners evenly convex, lacking sharp angles, spines, or tubercles; frontal carinae vestigial, past level of eyes merging with abundant scabrous sculpture; eyes very small (six to eight ommatidia total) and in full-face view located approximately midway between posteriormost margin of head and insertion of mandibles; antenna with 11 segments; antennal scape slightly wider at midpoint; hairs on antennal scape long and erect or semierect; antennal scapes surpassing cephalic margin by nearly 1.8X their apical width; clypeal apron evenly convex, transparent, and shiny with shallow transverse striae and with five pairs of simple, long, slender, appressed hairs that originate on posterior margin of clypeal apron and overhang mandibles; medially with unpaired long (0.14-0.16 mm), thick seta; frontoclypeal teeth prominent, triangular, dentiform, and covered with simple erect hairs; mandibles with six to seven teeth increasing in size from base to apex; dorsal surface of mandibles striate and bearing hairs, shorter and more appressed on lateral margins, longer and suberect toward tips. Frontal lobes, in full face view, triangular and partially covering antennal insertions; hypostomal teeth short, triangular, and acute; hypostoma glabrous, smooth, and shiny; occiput not extended into a “neck” or “collar.” Head covered mainly with erect and suberect hairs; integument evenly reticulate-rugose. Mesosoma: pronotal humeral and lateral spines reduced to eroded tubercles occurring at intersections of carinae; anterior pronotal spines absent; dorsum of pronotum with a median longitudinal carina arising at anterior pronotal margin and extending posteriorly at least to level of lateral pronotal spines; dorsum of pronotum sometimes with low wrinkles; inferior pronotal margin evenly rounded; propleuron adjacent to inferior pronotal edge with one or two very small tubercles, each bearing a simple hair; all mesonotal spines reduced to carinae; anterior propodeal spines absent; posterior portion of propodeum with short, blunt teeth; base of propodeum, in profile, flat and as long as declivity of propodeum; declivity of propodeum with a very reduced but conspicuous lamella on each side. Metasoma: petiole pedunculate; ventrally with a pair of closely approximated longitudinal median carinae that end anteriorly in a slightly raised process that, when viewed laterally, looks like a single longitudinal carina ending in a very small tooth; node of petiole in profile rounded, in dorsal view ellipsoidal and with a longitudinal carina; postpetiole in profile longer than high and dorsally convex; posterior edge of postpetiole in dorsal view slightly emarginate and with distinct lateral corners; postpetiole wider than long (1.6-1.9X). In lateral view, base of abdominal segment IV at junction with postpetiole ventrally evenly convex and smooth; in dorsal view, base of abdominal segment IV at junction with postpetiole with a transverse carina with lateral corners; laterally a few short carinae extend posterad from these corners. Dorsum of abdominal segment IV punctulate-reticulate.

Individuals uniformly brown ferruginous; antennal scapes, head, and mesosoma covered with simple, erect hairs restricted mainly to carinae or tubercles; hairs on dorsum of abdominal segment IV hook-like.

Queen

TL = 4.24; WL = 1.19; HL = 0.81; HW = 0.71; SL = 0.75; ML = 0.51; EL = 0.12; PL = 0.46; PPL = 0.22; GL = 1.05; CI = 88; SI = 106; MI = 63; FLD = 0.28. (n = 1).

Characters similar to those in worker with modifications expected for caste and with following differences: Head: Frontal carina extending posterad to almost level of mid-ocellus and splitting into two low carinae, vertexal ones being more conspicuous; eyes large, containing eight ommatidia in largest row, ~45 ommatidia in total; ocelli small (maximum length of middle ocellus = 0.06); occipital collar (neck) moderately developed laterally, with both upper and lower extensions small and blunt, lower one slightly larger than upper. Mesosoma: Dorsum of pronotum conspicuously rugose; humeral and lateral pronotal tubercles present; propleuron adjacent to inferior pronotal edge somewhat angulate and bearing several curved hairs; mesoscutum overall rugose; mesoscutal sulcus, in dorsal view, conspicuous and short, not extending > one third length of mesoscutum; notauli absent; parapsidal lines conspicuous and extending nearly to anterior margin of mesoscutum; transscutal articulation conspicuous; scutellum posteriorly bidentate, dorsally rugose; propodeum with a pair of short denticles; declivity of propodeum with a conspicuous lamella on each side. Metasoma: Petiole as in worker; postpetiole 2.5x wider than long, with projecting latero-posterior corners; dorsum of abdominal tergite IV densely reticulate, basally with widely spaced, short costulae and with conspicuous antero-lateral carinae, as in worker. Individual’s body dark yellow or light brown; pilosity as in worker.

Type Material

HOLOTYPE. Worker, labeled: “Brazil: Amazonas, Manaus, BR. 174 Km 45 EEST 51, 13-IX-1991, (AY Harada and AG Bandeira).” (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia) USNM ENT No. 00537304.

Paratypes. 2 workers, same locality as holotype; one dealate gyne, same locality as holotype. (INPA) USNM ENT No. 00537305; one worker labeled: “Brazil: Amazonas 4832, Manaus, Dimona Camp, RS 2108, 21-X-93, plot C-5, (AB Casimiro) P. Colecao do Laboratorio de Myrmecologia # 62 (Laboratório de Mirmecologia CEPEC / CPDC)” USNMENT No. 00537329.

Etymology

The name erectapilosa derives from the latin erecta = standing and pilosa = hairy and refers to the erect hairs present in this species, the first such species to come to our attention.

References