Simopone mayri

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Simopone mayri
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dorylinae
Genus: Simopone
Species group: emeryi
Species: S. mayri
Binomial name
Simopone mayri
Emery, 1911

Simopone mayri casent0903786 p 1 high.jpg

Simopone mayri casent0903786 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

Known only from the male caste. The male caste is poorly known in the genus Simopone and this species may be the male of a species that presently has no associated males.

Identification

A member of the emeryi species group.

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Malagasy Region: Madagascar (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 Simopone biology 
Little is known about the biology of most species of Simopone. Specimens are rarely collected, and the number of species known only from workers is telling in regards to a lack of nest samples. Species are almost entirely arboreal but on occasion foraging workers are found on the ground or in rotten logs. Prey records are extremely sparse. They consist only of Crematogaster brood by Simopone vepres, and the brood of Terataner by Simopone sicaria. Nevertheless, these two records support the general supposition by Brown (1975) that most or all members of tribe Cerapachyini prey on other ants, or more probably the brood of other ants, but actual records are extremely rare. (Bolton and Fisher 2012)

Castes

Known only from males.

Images from AntWeb

Simopone mayri casent0903786 p 2 high.jpg
Syntype of Simopone mayriMale (alate). Specimen code casent0903786. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.

Nomenclature

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

  • mayri. Simopone ? mayri Emery, 1911d: 16 (m.) MADAGASCAR.
    • Type-material: 2 syntype maless.
    • Type-locality: Madagascar: Baia d’Antongil, 1897-98 (A. Mocquerys).
    • Type-depository: MSNG.
    • [Note: originally incorrectly described as males of Cerapachys mayri Forel, 1892: 244, by Emery, 1899f: 264; misidentification.]
    • Status as species: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1006; Brown, 1975: 36; Bolton & Fisher, 2012: 57.
    • Senior synonym of satagia (unnecessary replacement name): Bolton & Fisher, 2012: 57.
    • Distribution: Madagascar.
  • satagia. Simopone satagia Bolton, 1995b: 383.
    • Unnecessary replacement name for mayri Emery, 1899f: 264.
    • Junior synonym of mayri: Bolton & Fisher, 2012: 57.

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

Description

Bolton and Fisher (2012) note: This species was described from a couple of large Madagascan males that were originally thought by Emery (1899) to be the males of Lioponera mayri, a species previously described from workers by Forel (1892). Emery (1911) realised that he had probably placed them in the wrong genus, and transferred them to Simopone but indicated his reservations about this choice with a question mark in his 1911 citation. From the description alone, it is impossible to tell what the correct generic combination should be, as characters critical at genus-rank were all omitted. Examination of the two specimens has revealed that all the genus-rank characters of male Simopone are present in combination and the inclusion of mayri in Simopone is confirmed. However, these males have yet to be matched to any worker-based species as the syntypes of mayri differ from all other male samples, worker-associated or isolated, that are currently available. All that can be said at the moment is that S. mayri is a member of the emeryi group and appears to be related to Simopone rex, but differs by the characters given in the provisional key to males.

Syntype Specimen Labels

Type Material

Bolton and Fisher (2012) - Syntype males, Madagascar: Baia di Antongil, 1897–98 (A. Mocquerys) (Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genoa) [examined].

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Bolton B., and B. L. Fisher. 2012. Taxonomy of the cerapachyine ant genera Simopone Forel, Vicinopone gen. n. and Tanipone gen. n. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 3283: 1-101.
  • Brown W. L., Jr. 1975. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. V. Ponerinae, tribes Platythyreini, Cerapachyini, Cylindromyrmecini, Acanthostichini, and Aenictogitini. Search Agric. (Ithaca N. Y.) 5(1): 1-115.
  • Emery C. 1911. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum 118: 1-125.
  • Fisher B. L. 1997. Biogeography and ecology of the ant fauna of Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Natural History 31: 269-302.
  • Fisher B. L. 2003. Formicidae, ants. Pp. 811-819 in: Goodman, S. M.; Benstead, J. P. (eds.) 2003. The natural history of Madagascar. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, xxi + 1709 pp.
  • Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. IX. A synonymic list of the ants of the Malagasy region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 1005-1055