Brachyponera lutea

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Brachyponera lutea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Ponerinae
Tribe: Ponerini
Genus: Brachyponera
Species: B. lutea
Binomial name
Brachyponera lutea
(Mayr, 1862)

Pachycondyla lutea casent0217564 p 1 high.jpg

Pachycondyla lutea casent0217564 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

Easily the most abundant species in the group, and occurs throughout Australia. Typically this species can be found cohabiting with termites under stones or rotting logs, and the latter are a prey item. As well as being widespread in native woodlands, B. lutea is common in suburban areas, where anecdotal reports suggest it not infrequently stings people tending their gardens. (Heterick 2009)


Photo Gallery

  • Brachyponera lutea worker found descending the trunk of a tree on a rainy day. Kalamunda, Perth, Western Australia. Photo by Farhan Bokhari, 19 July 2009.

Identification

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 22.5045° to -34.87387°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (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

Association with Other Organisms

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  • This species is a host for the mutillid wasp Ponerotilla clarki (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode independent; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).
  • This species is a host for the mutillid wasp Ponerotilla crinata (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode independent; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).
  • This species is a host for the mutillid wasp Ponerotilla incarinata (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode independent; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).
  • This species is a host for the mutillid wasp Ponerotilla lamelligera (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode independent; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).
  • This species is a host for the mutillid wasp Ponerotilla lissantyx (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode independent; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).

Castes

Size difference between queens and workers is the highest among all Ponerinae. This is associated with the ability of newly mated queens to start new colonies without foraging outside the nest ('claustral') (Haskins & Haskins 1950).

Dealate queen, male and worker, showing the very pronounced dimorphism in female body size. From Wheeler 1933
Larvae and cocoons from a nest of B. lutea excavated in New South Wales, Australia. The two sizes of cocoons show the very pronounced dimorphism in body size between queens and workers. Photograph by C. Peeters.

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Pachycondyla lutea casent0249181 h 1 high.jpgPachycondyla lutea casent0249181 p 1 high.jpgPachycondyla lutea casent0249181 d 1 high.jpgPachycondyla lutea casent0249181 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0249181. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by PSWC, Philip S. Ward Collection.
Pachycondyla lutea casent0902499 h 1 high.jpgPachycondyla lutea casent0902499 p 1 high.jpgPachycondyla lutea casent0902499 p 2 high.jpgPachycondyla lutea casent0902499 d 1 high.jpgPachycondyla lutea casent0902499 l 1 high.jpg
Holotype of Euponera lutea claraWorker. Specimen code casent0902499. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.
Pachycondyla lutea casent0217564 d 2 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0217564. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

  • lutea. Ponera lutea Mayr, 1862: 721 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA (New South Wales).
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Australia: Sydney (Novara Expd.) (sent by R. von Frauenfeld).
    • Type-depositories: MSNG, NHMW.
    • Mayr, 1865: 67 (m.); Crawley, 1918: 86 (m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1971b: 1207 (l.); Imai, Crozier & Taylor, 1977: 347 (k.).
    • Combination in Euponera (Brachyponera): Emery, 1901a: 47;
    • combination in Pachycondyla: Brown, in Bolton, 1995b: 307;
    • combination in Brachyponera: Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1971b: 1207; Schmidt, C.A. & Shattuck, 2014: 80.
    • Status as species: Roger, 1863b: 16; Mayr, 1863: 449; Mayr, 1865: 66 (redescription); Mayr, 1876: 88; Mayr, 1879: 662 (in key); Emery, 1887b: 433; Dalla Torre, 1893: 40; Forel, 1907h: 271; Emery, 1911d: 84; Emery, 1914b: 180; Forel, 1915b: 22; Crawley, 1915b: 232; Crawley, 1918: 86; Poulton & Crawley, 1922: 120; Wheeler, W.M. 1933i: 93 (redescription); Wheeler, W.M. 1934d: 140; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 23; Taylor, 1987a: 9; Bolton, 1995b: 307; Heterick, 2009: 135.
    • Senior synonym of clara: Bolton, 1995b: 307.
    • Senior synonym of socialis: Emery, 1911d: 84; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 23; Taylor, 1987a: 9; Bolton, 1995b: 307.
    • Distribution: Australia.
  • clara. Euponera (Brachyponera) lutea var. clara Crawley, 1915a: 133 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Northern Territory).
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Australia: Northern Territory, Stapleton, 23.xii.1912 (G.F. Hill).
    • Type-depository: BMNH (perhaps also OXUM).
    • Combination in Brachyponera: Taylor & Brown, 1985: 23.
    • Subspecies of lutea: Taylor & Brown, 1985: 23; Taylor, 1987a: 10.
    • Junior synonym of lutea: Bolton, 1995b: 304.
  • socialis. Ectatomma socialis MacLeay, 1873: 369 (w.) AUSTRALIA (New South Wales).
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Australia: New South Wales, Mundarlo, i.1870 (W. MacLeay).
    • Type-depository: ANIC.
    • Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 26.
    • Junior synonym of lutea: Emery, 1911d: 84; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 23; Taylor, 1987a: 9; Bolton, 1995b: 309.
  • solitaria. Ponera solitaria Smith, F. 1874: 404 (w.) JAPAN.
    • Type-material: 2 syntype workers.
    • Type-locality: Japan: Hiogo, “74/16” (G. Lewis).
    • [Note: BMNH accessions register gives: “1874 no. 16. 2 Ponera solitaria. Hiogo (Japan). Presented by Fred. Smith. These insects were all collected by Mr Geo. Lewis, except those from Hokadadi which were collected by Mr Whiteley and Mr R. Fortune.”; (ii) in the original description Smith gives the type-locality merely as “Hiogo.” (Bolton (unpublished notes) 1978).]
    • Type-depository: BMNH.
    • [Junior primary homonym of Ponera solitaria Smith, 1860b: 103.]
    • Forel, 1900e: 267 (q.).
    • Combination in Euponera (Brachyponera): Emery, 1901a: 47;
    • combination in Euponera (Trachymesopus): Santschi, 1937h: 363.
    • Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 42; Forel, 1900e: 267, 284; Wheeler, W.M. 1906c: 306; Emery, 1909c: 366; Yano, 1910: 418; Emery, 1911d: 84; Forel, 1912l: 339; Santschi, 1925f: 82; Wheeler, W.M. 1928c: 6; Wheeler, W.M. 1928d: 98; Wheeler, W.M. 1929f: 2; Wheeler, W.M. 1930h: 60; Santschi, 1937h: 363; Teranishi, 1940: 7; Azuma, 1950: 24; Creighton, 1950a: 45; Smith, M.R. 1951a: 786; Azuma, 1951: 86; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 64; Azuma, 1953: 1; Smith, M.R. 1958c: 111; Smith, D.R. 1979: 1341; Guénard & Dunn, 2012: 61 (error).
    • Senior synonym of chinensis: Brown, 1958h: 22; Onoyama, 1980: 196; Bolton, 1995b: 309.
    • Replacement name: Ponera nigrita subsp. chinensis Emery, 1895k: 460.
    • [Note: chinensis junior synonym of solitaria Smith, F. 1874 (synonymy by Brown, 1958h: 22); hence chinensis first available replacement name.]

Type Material

Description

Karyotype

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  • n = 8, 2n = 16, karyotype = 8M + 8A (Australia) (Imai et al., 1977; Mariano et al., 2015).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Andersen A. N., B. D. Hoffman, and J. Somes. 2003. Ants as indicators of minesite restoration: community recovery at one of eight rehabilitation sites in central Queensland. Ecological Management and Restoration 4: 12-19.
  • Andersen A. N., J. Lanoue, and I. Radford. 2010. The ant fauna of the remote Mitchell Falls area of tropical north-western Australia: Biogeography, environmental relationships and conservation significance. Journal of Insect Conservation 14: 647-661.
  • Emery C. 1914. Formiche d'Australia e di Samoa raccolte dal Prof. Silvestri nel 1913. Bollettino del Laboratorio di Zoologia Generale e Agraria della Reale Scuola Superiore d'Agricoltura. Portici 8: 179-186.
  • Forel A. 1893. Nouvelles fourmis d'Australie et des Canaries. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 37: 454-466.
  • Heterick B. E., B. Durrant, and N. R. Gunawardene. 2010. The ant fauna of the Pilbara Bioregion, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 78: 157-167.
  • Heterick B. E., M. Lythe, and C; Smithyman. 2012. Urbanisation factors impacting on ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) biodiversity in the Perth metropolitan area, Western Australia: Two case studies. Urban Ecosyst. DOI 10.1007/s11252-012-0257-23
  • Read J. L., and A. N. Andersen. 2000. The value of ants as early warning bioindicators: responses to pulsed cattle grazing at an Australian arid zone locality. Journal of Arid Environments 45: 231-251.
  • Schnell M. R., A. J. Pik, and J. M. Dangerfield. 2003. Ant community succession within eucalypt plantations on used pasture and implications for taxonomic sufficiency in biomonitoring. Austral Ecology 28: 553–565.
  • Taylor R. W. 1987. A checklist of the ants of Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) Division of Entomology Report 41: 1-92.