Apterostigma auriculatum

Apterostigma auriculatum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Apterostigma
Species:	A. auriculatum
Binomial name
Apterostigma auriculatum Wheeler, W.M., 1925 Specimen Labels
Synonyms
Apterostigma auriculatum demerarae Wheeler, W.M., 1925 Apterostigma billi Weber, 1938 Apterostigma immobile Weber, 1940 Apterostigma wasmanni icta Weber, 1937 Apterostigma wasmanni petiolatum Weber, 1938

Identification

Mera-Rodriguez, et al. (2020) - Eyes relatively big and prominent (more than nine ommatidia along the shortest axis); frontal lobes subquadrate in full-face view, anterior margin of clypeus concave, lacking shiny cuticular strip; neck relatively long and broad, lacking median carina; humeral prominence in dorsal view shaped as angular lobe; ventral mesopleural carina in lateral view fine; and petiole in lateral view triangular, with antero- and postero-dorsal profiles almost of same length (Lattke 1997).

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 15.6864989° to -64.3°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Mera-Rodriguez, et al. (2020) - This species occurs from Honduras to Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil and is widely distributed throughout central and northwestern South America (Lattke 1997; Fernández and Sendoya 2004).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago (type locality), Venezuela.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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.

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.

Biology

Association with Other Organisms

• This species is a host for the diapriid wasp Leucopria (a parasite) (www.diapriid.org) (potential host).

Castes

Worker

• The following images are provided by AntWeb
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Queen

• The following images are provided by AntWeb
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Nomenclature

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

• auriculatum. Apterostigma auriculatum Wheeler, W.M. 1925a: 49 (w.q.) TRINIDAD.
  • Status as species: Weber, 1945: 39; Weber, 1946b: 133; Weber, 1958c: 243; Kempf, 1970b: 336; Kempf, 1972a: 23; Bolton, 1995b: 74; Lattke, 1997: 138 (redescription); Guénard & Economo, 2015: 227; Fernández & Serna, 2019: 838.
  • Senior synonym of billi: Lattke, 1997: 139.
  • Senior synonym of demerarae: Weber, 1958c: 243; Kempf, 1972a: 23; Bolton, 1995b: 74; Lattke, 1997: 139.
  • Senior synonym of icta: Lattke, 1997: 139.
  • Senior synonym of immobile: Weber, 1958c: 243; Kempf, 1972a: 23; Bolton, 1995b: 74; Lattke, 1997: 139.
  • Senior synonym of petiolatum: Lattke, 1997: 139.
• billi. Apterostigma billi Weber, 1938b: 165, figs. 5, 17 (w.) BOLIVIA.
  • Status as species: Weber, 1958c: 244; Kempf, 1972a: 23; Bolton, 1995b: 74.
  • Junior synonym of auriculatum: Lattke, 1997: 139.
• demerarae. Apterostigma auriculatum var. demerarae Wheeler, W.M. 1925a: 51 (w.q.m.) GUYANA.
  • Subspecies of auriculatum: Weber, 1946b: 133.
  • Junior synonym of auriculatum: Weber, 1958c: 243; Kempf, 1972a: 23; Bolton, 1995b: 74; Lattke, 1997: 139.
• icta. Apterostigma wasmanni var. icta Weber, 1937: 393 (q.) TRINIDAD.
  • Subspecies of wasmannii: Weber, 1945: 39.
  • Subspecies of auriculatum: Weber, 1958c: 244; Kempf, 1972a: 23; Bolton, 1995b: 74.
  • Junior synonym of auriculatum: Lattke, 1997: 139.
• immobile. Apterostigma immobile Weber, 1940a: 418 (w.m.) PANAMA.
  • Status as species: Weber, 1941b: 114.
  • Junior synonym of auriculatum: Weber, 1958c: 243; Kempf, 1972a: 23; Bolton, 1995b: 74; Lattke, 1997: 139.
• petiolatum. Apterostigma wasmanni subsp. petiolatum Weber, 1938b: 175, fig. 10 (w.m.) BOLIVIA.
  • Subspecies of auriculatum: Weber, 1958c: 244; Kempf, 1972a: 23; Bolton, 1995b: 74.
  • Junior synonym of auriculatum: Lattke, 1997: 139.

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

Description

Lattke 1999. Figure 4. Helcium and anterodorsal gastral area of Apterostigma auriculatum and Myrmicocrypta buenzlii. a, dorsal view in A. auriculatum; b, lateral view in A. auriculatum; c, dorsal view in M. buenzlii; d, lateral view in M. buenzlii. he = helcium. 10 = anterodorsal lobe.

References

• Albuquerque, E., Prado, L., Andrade-Silva, J., Siqueira, E., Sampaio, K., Alves, D., Brandão, C., Andrade, P., Feitosa, R., Koch, E., Delabie, J., Fernandes, I., Baccaro, F., Souza, J., Almeida, R., Silva, R. 2021. Ants of the State of Pará, Brazil: a historical and comprehensive dataset of a key biodiversity hotspot in the Amazon Basin. Zootaxa 5001, 1–83 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5001.1.1).
• Bolton, B. 1995b. A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 504 pp. (page 74, catalogue)
• Cantone S. 2017. Winged Ants, The Male, Dichotomous key to genera of winged male ants in the World, Behavioral ecology of mating flight (self-published).
• Cantone S. 2018. Winged Ants, The queen. Dichotomous key to genera of winged female ants in the World. The Wings of Ants: morphological and systematic relationships (self-published).
• Franco, W., Ladino, N., Delabie, J.H.C., Dejean, A., Orivel, J., Fichaux, M., Groc, S., Leponce, M., Feitosa, R.M. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674, 509–543 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4674.5.2).
• Lattke, J. E. 1997. Revisión del género Apterostigma Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Arq. Zool. (São Paulo) 34: 121-221 (page 139, Senior synonym of billi, icta and petiolatum)
• Mera-Rodríguez, D., Serna, F., Sosa-Calvo, J., Lattke, J., Rabeling, C. 2020. A checklist of the non-leaf-cutting fungus-growing ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Colombia, with new biogeographic records. Check List 16, 1205–1227 (doi:10.15560/16.5.1205).
• Weber, N. A. 1958d. Synonymies and types of Apterostigma (Hym: Formicidae). Entomol. News 69: 243-251 (page 243, senior synonym of demerarae and immobile)
• Wheeler, W. M. 1925a. Neotropical ants in the collections of the Royal Museum of Stockholm. Ark. Zool. 17A(8 8: 1-55 (page 49, worker, queen described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Alonso L. E., J. Persaud, and A. Williams. 2016. Biodiversity assessment survey of the south Rupununi Savannah, Guyana. BAT Survey Report No.1, 306 pages.
• Fernandes I., and J. de Souza. 2018. Dataset of long-term monitoring of ground-dwelling ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the influence areas of a hydroelectric power plant on the Madeira River in the Amazon Basin. Biodiversity Data Journal 6: e24375.
• Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
• 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.
• Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
• Klingenberg, C. and C.R.F. Brandao. 2005. The type specimens of fungus growing ants, Attini (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae) deposited in the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil. Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia 45(4):41-50
• Kusnezov N. 1953. La fauna mirmecológica de Bolivia. Folia Universitaria. Cochabamba 6: 211-229.
• Lattke J. E. 1997. Revisión del género Apterostigma Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Arquivos do Instituto Biológico (São Paulo) 34: 121-221
• Longino J. T. 2013. Ants of Honduras. Consulted on 18 Jan 2013. https://sites.google.com/site/longinollama/reports/ants-of-honduras
• Longino J. T. 2013. Ants of Nicargua. Consulted on 18 Jan 2013. https://sites.google.com/site/longinollama/reports/ants-of-nicaragua
• Longino J. T., and R. K. Colwell. 2011. Density compensation, species composition, and richness of ants on a neotropical elevational gradient. Ecosphere 2(3): 16pp.
• Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/
• Mayhe-Nunes A. J., and K. Jaffe. 1998. On the biogeography of attini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Ecotropicos 11(1): 45-54.
• Solomon S. E., C. Rabeling, J. Sosa-Calvo, C. Lopes, A. Rodrigues, H. L. Vasconcelos, M. Bacci, U. G. Mueller, and T. R. Schultz. 2019. The molecular phylogenetics of Trachymyrmex Forel ants and their fungal cultivars provide insights into the origin and coevolutionary history of ‘higher-attine’ ant agriculture. Systematic Entomology 44: 939–956.
• Sosa-Calvo J., F. Fernandez, and T. R. Schultz. 2018. Phylogeny and evolution of the cryptic fungus-farming ant genus Myrmicocrypta F. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) inferred from multilocus data. Systematic Entomology DOI: 10.1111/syen.12313
• Villesen, P., U. Mueller, T.R. Schultz, R.M.M. Adams and A.C. Bouck. Evolution of Ant-Cultivar Specialization and Cultivar Switching in Apterostigma Fungus-Growing Ants. Evolution 58(10):2252-2265
• Weber N. A. 1937. The biology of the fungus-growing ants. Part l. New forms. Rev. Entomol. (Rio J.) 7: 378-409.
• Weber N. A. 1940. The biology of the fungus-growing ants. Part VI. Key to Cyphomyrmex, new Attini and a new guest ant. Rev. Entomol. (Rio J.) 11: 406-427.
• Weber N. A. 1941. The biology of the fungus-growing ants. Part VII. The Barro Colorado Island, Canal Zone, species. Rev. Entomol. (Rio J.) 12: 93-130.
• Weber N. A. 1945. The biology of the fungus-growing ants. Part VIII. The Trinidad, B. W. I., species. Revista de Entomologia (Rio de Janeiro) 16: 1-88.
• Weber N. A. 1946. The biology of the fungus-growing ants. Part IX. The British Guiana species. Revista de Entomologia (Rio de Janeiro) 17: 114-172.
• Weber N. A. 1958. Synonymies and types of Apterostigma (Hym: Formicidae). Entomological News 69: 243-251.
• Wheeler W. M. 1925. Neotropical ants in the collections of the Royal Museum of Stockholm. Arkiv för Zoologi 17A(8): 1-55.