Nylanderia arenivaga

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Nylanderia arenivaga
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Lasiini
Genus: Nylanderia
Species: N. arenivaga
Binomial name
Nylanderia arenivaga
(Wheeler, W.M., 1905)

Paratrechina arenivaga casent0104195 profile 1.jpg

Paratrechina arenivaga casent0104195 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

This nocturnal species is commonly found in open, yellow sand areas in the eastern United States from Massachusetts to Florida, with some collections to the west along the Gulf States (Kallal & LaPolla, 2012).

Photo Gallery

  • After a spring rain, a male sand-roaming Nylanderia arenivaga appears at the nest entrance. Stengl Lost Pines Biological Station, Texas, USA. Photo by Alex Wild.

Identification

Kallal & LaPolla (2012) - Overall coloration yellow; gaster distally becomes brown; macrosetae dense, particularly on gaster. Compare with: Nylanderia phantasma and Nylanderia querna.

This species may be differentiated from N. phantasma based on their darker yellow coloration, dark tip of the gaster, presence of brown macrosetae on the mesosoma and gaster, and brown (not reddish) teeth. In Georgia and Florida, where both species are known to occur sympatrically, N. arenivaga is more common on yellow sands while N. phantasma is found on white (M. Deyrup, pers. comm.). The worker of this species is very similar in color to Nylanderia querna. The presence of a darker posterior region of the gaster and macrosetae pattern noted above distinguish N. arenivaga from N. querna. Nylanderia arenivaga has long, slender digiti and cuspides that are shared only with N. phantasma, whereas N. querna has shorter digiti and cuspides that are more similar to species such as Nylanderia parvula and Nylanderia faisonensis.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Eastern US, Massachusetts to Florida, Gulf coast states.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 41.140652° to 17.99416944°.

     
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

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

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

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

Open sandy areas.

Biology

This widely distributed species is a sand specialist, being found almost exclusively in deep sand deposits.

Kallal & LaPolla (2012) - Nylanderia arenivaga nests are greater than 20–30 cm deep (Trager, 1984). Numerous flat crater nests 4–7 cm in diameter clustered in one area suggest either polydomy or many neighboring colonies (Wheeler, 1905; Thompson, 1988). Up to 20 entrances may be shared by one nest (Trager, 1984). Alates have been observed in January, July, and August, with flights occurring in January through April, with later flights in the northern portion of their range (Trager, 1984). Workers are observed to forage all winter long in southern portions of their range (Trager, 1984).

This species is known to remove seeds (Atchison & Lucky, 2022; Stuble et al., 2010).

Association with Other Organisms

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Several other arthropods are known to have associations with N. arenivaga. The planthopper Oecleus borealis and Myrmecophilus crickets have both been recorded in association N. arenivaga, the former possibly benefiting from ant tunnelling to reach roots to feed (Thompson 1984). Recently, the phorid fly Pseudacteon gracilisetus was discovered and described. These flies were seen “dive-bombing” workers presumably to parasitize them (Brown et al., 2011).

  • This species is a host for the phorid fly Pseudacteon gracilisetus (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).

Life History Traits

  • Queen number: monogynous (Frumhoff & Ward, 1992)

Castes

Queen

Images from AntWeb

Paratrechina arenivaga casent0104196 head 1.jpgParatrechina arenivaga casent0104196 profile 1.jpgParatrechina arenivaga casent0104196 profile 2.jpgParatrechina arenivaga casent0104196 dorsal 1.jpg
Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0104196. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ABS, Lake Placid, FL, USA.

Male

Images from AntWeb

Paratrechina arenivaga casent0104192 head 1.jpgParatrechina arenivaga casent0104192 profile 1.jpgParatrechina arenivaga casent0104192 profile 2.jpgParatrechina arenivaga casent0104192 dorsal 1.jpgParatrechina arenivaga casent0104192 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0104192. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ABS, Lake Placid, FL, USA.

Nomenclature

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

  • arenivaga. Prenolepis arenivaga Wheeler, W.M. 1905f: 391, fig. 3 (w.m.) U.S.A. Kallal & LaPolla, 2012: 10 (q.). Combination in Pr. (Nylanderia): Forel, 1922: 98; in Paratrechina (Nylanderia): Emery, 1925b: 221; in Nylanderia: LaPolla, Brady & Shattuck, 2010a: 127. Subspecies of melanderi: Creighton, 1950a: 408. Revived status as species: Trager, 1984b: 119.

Type Material

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

Description

Worker

Kallal & LaPolla (2012) - Measurements (n=21): TL: 1.84–2.63; HW: 0.43–0.64; HL: 0.54–0.70; EL: 0.13–0.19; SL: 0.55–0.78; PW: 0.33–0.44; WL: 0.63–0.87; GL: 0.63–1.18; PH: 0.17–0.27; PFL: 0.46–0.69; PFW: 0.11-0.19.SMC: 1–12; PMC: 2–7; MMC: 1–4. Indices: CI: 78–99; REL: 23–30; SI: 98–123; FI: 81–126.

Overall yellow; head slightly darker, mandibles with brownish teeth, mesocoxae and metacoxae same color as mesosoma; posterior region of gaster brownish; cuticle smooth and shiny; cephalic pubescence dense; mesosoma and gastral pubescence virtually absent; macrosetae particularly numerous on gaster. Head ovate; posterior margin slightly emarginated medially; scapes surpass posterior margin by about the length of first 3–4 funicular segments; ocelli not apparent. Pronotal anterior face approximately 45°; pronotum inflected weakly with pronotal anterior face shorter than pronotal dorsal face; anterior margin of mesonotum continuous with posterior pronotal margin; propodeum low with a rounded dorsal face descending smoothly into shorter declivitous face.

Queen

Kallal & LaPolla (2012) - Measurements (n=4) TL: 4.20–4.67; HW: 0.64–0.90; HL: 0.85–1.01; EL: 0.27–0.31; SL: 0.86–0.95; PW: 1.00–1.18; MW: 0.93–1.05; WL: 1.45–1.59; GL: 1.88–2.15; PH: 0.47–0.57; PFL: 0.81–0.96; PFW: 0.21–0.28. SMC: 3–7; PMC: 3–10; MMC: 10–25; MtMC: 3–7. Indices: CI: 74–99; REL: 29–33; SI: 94–110; FI: 88–111.

Overall yellow with darker, yellow-brown portions of mesosoma and gaster; generally darker coloration than in worker; cuticle smooth and shiny; dense pubescence covers entire body; pubescence yellow, macrosetae yellowish-brown. Head as broad as it is long; scapes surpass posterior margin by first 3–4 funicular segments. Propodeum with short, sloped dorsal face and longer declivitous face.

Male

Kallal & LaPolla (2012) - Measurements (n=8): TL: 1.77–2.26; HW: 0.46–0.53; HL: 0.47–0.56; EL: 0.18–0.22; SL: 0.51–0.64; PW: 0.46–0.58; MW: 0.41–0.56; WL: 0.58–0.79; GL: 0.64–0.89; PH: 0.18–0.37; PFL: 0.47–0.64; PFW: 0.10–0.14; PL: 0.21–0.30. SMC: 0–5; MMC: 3–12; MtMC: 2–5. Indices: CI: 94–104; REL: 38–48; SI: 101–116; FI: 97–120.

Overall brown, with distal segments of legs, mandibles, and antennae yellowish; gaster often darker brown than remainder of body; cuticle smooth and shiny in areas not obscured by pubescence; cephalic pubescence moderate; mesonotum with dense pubescence; gastral pubescence virtually absent. Head as broad as long; eyes convex, extending well beyond lateral margin of head in full face view; scapes surpass posterior margin by first 2–4 funicular segments; mandible with long, straight inner mandibular margin, a basal angle at approximately 90°, and a smooth masticatory margin with a single, large apical tooth. Mesosoma enlarged to accommodate flight muscles; in lateral view, pronotal margin short and straight; propodeum with steep dorsal face slightly longer than the declivitous face. Genitalia: parameres laterally oriented, long, triangular, and curved slightly inward; digiti and cuspides elongate, slightly curved toward each other, with rounded, peg-like teeth present on the surfaces where they meet; cuspides broadly rounded distally; aedeagal valves triangular, tapered slightly distally, teeth absent; ninth sternite broad with short, blunt lateral apodemes and short medial apodeme.

Worker Morphology

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  • Caste: monomorphic

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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