Ectatomma

Ectatomma Temporal range: 11.608–0 Ma K Pa Eo Ol Mi Pl Late/Upper Miocene – Recent
Ectatomma tuberculatum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ectatomminae
Tribe:	Ectatommini
Genus:	Ectatomma Smith, F., 1858
Type species
Formica tuberculata, now Ectatomma tuberculatum
Diversity
15 species 1 fossil species (Species Checklist, Species by Country) Ectatomma tuberculatum Specimen Label

Nettel-Hernanz et a. (2015) - The genus Ectatomma, with 15 recognized species, includes relatively large ants, endemic to the Neotropics (Kugler and Brown 1982). Most of these species are relatively common in diverse habitats (wet forest, dry forest, and savannah) below an altitude of 1500 min the Neotropics (Brown 1958). Some of them are commonly found in plantations where they are considered ecologically dominant (Majer et al. 1994; Schatz and Lachaud 2008). Most are generalist predators (Brown 1958), and the two most common species Ectatomma tuberculatum and Ectatomma ruidum have been extensively studied as they are regarded as important natural biological control agents against cotton, coffee, cocoa and maize pests in Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua and Mexico (Perfecto 1990; Ibarra-Núñez et al. 2001). In contrast, some Ectatomma species present a restricted distribution, and their taxonomy is surprisingly poorly known.

Identification

See images of species within this genus

Keys including this Genus

• Key to Ectatomminae Genera
• Key to Neotropical Ectatomminae genera

 

Distribution

Species by Region

Number of species within biogeographic regions, along with the total number of species for each region.

	Afrotropical Region	Australasian Region	Indo-Australian Region	Malagasy Region	Nearctic Region	Neotropical Region	Oriental Region	Palaearctic Region
Species	0	0	0	0	0	15	0	0
Total Species	2841	1736	3045	932	835	4379	1741	2862

Fossils

Fossils are known from: Sicilian amber, Italy (Late/Upper Miocene).

Biology

Nettel-Hernanz et al. (2015) - Although the geographical distribution of most Ectatomma species is in South America, the two most common species, Ectatomma ruidum and Ectatomma tuberculatum, display variation in their colony structures, both regarding the number of queens (strictly monogynous vs polygynous populations in E. tuberculatum) and their phenotypes, presenting miniaturized queens (Hora et al. 2005; Lenoir et al. 2011) in the northern part of their range.

Our phylogenetic analysis unveils cases of unrecognized or cryptic diversity strongly suggesting there are more than 15 species present in the genus. The miniaturization of queens, known from two species, has evolved independently. Ectatomma appears to have originated in the early or middle Miocene,between 15.8 and 22.8MYA.

Association with Other Organisms

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Species Uncertain

• An unknown species is a host for the eucharitid wasp Tricoryna ectatommae (a parasite) (Universal Chalcidoidea Database) (associate, primary host).
• An unknown species is a host for the eucharitid wasp Tricoryna ectatommae (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (multiple encounter modes; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).

All Associate Records for Genus

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Taxon	Relationship	Associate Type	Associate Taxon	Associate Relationship	Locality	Source	Notes
Ectatomma	host	eucharitid wasp	Tricoryna ectatommae	parasite		Universal Chalcidoidea Database	associate, primary host
Ectatomma	host	eucharitid wasp	Tricoryna ectatommae	parasitoid		Quevillon, 2018	multiple encounter modes; direct transmission; transmission outside nest
Ectatomma goninion	host	phorid fly	Apocephalus catholicus	parasite		Brown et al., 2015	injured
Ectatomma lugens	host	phorid fly	Apocephalus paraponerae	parasite		Brown et al., 2015	injured
Ectatomma lugens	host	phorid fly	Dohrniphora sp (not D. longi-gp)	parasite		Brown et al., 2015	injured
Ectatomma lugens	prey	phorid fly	Dohrniphora sp.	predator		Quevillon, 2018
Ectatomma parasiticum	inquiline	ant	Ectatomma tuberculatum	host		de la Mora et al., 2021; Feitosa et al., 2008; Feneron et al., 2013; Hora et al., 2005; Hora et al., 2009
Ectatomma ruidum	host	eucharitid wasp	Isomerala azteca	parasite		Universal Chalcidoidea Database	primary host
Ectatomma ruidum	host	eucharitid wasp	Isomerala coronata	parasite		Universal Chalcidoidea Database	primary host
Ectatomma ruidum	host	eucharitid wasp	Kapala iridicolor	parasitoid		Quevillon, 2018	multiple encounter modes; direct transmission; transmission outside nest
Ectatomma ruidum	host	eucharitid wasp	Kapala izapa	parasitoid		Quevillon, 2018	multiple encounter modes; direct transmission; transmission outside nest
Ectatomma ruidum	host	eucharitid wasp	Kapala sulcifacies	parasite		Universal Chalcidoidea Database	primary host
Ectatomma ruidum	host	fungus	Beauveria bassiana	parasitoid		Quevillon, 2018	encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission within nest
Ectatomma ruidum	host	nematode	Meximermis ectatommi	parasite	Mexico	Poinar et al., 2006	see also Weber, 1946 (Trinidad)
Ectatomma ruidum	host	phorid fly	Apocephalus glabriventris	parasite		phorid.net	attacked
Ectatomma ruidum	host	phorid fly	Apocephalus paraponerae	parasitoid		Quevillon, 2018	encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest
Ectatomma ruidum	prey	''Microdon'' fly	Microdon sp.	predator		Quevillon, 2018
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	ant	Ectatomma parasiticum	inquiline
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	eucharitid wasp	Dilocantha lachaudii	parasite		Universal Chalcidoidea Database	associate
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	eucharitid wasp	Isomerala azteca	parasite		Universal Chalcidoidea Database	associate
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	eucharitid wasp	Isomerala coronata	parasite		Universal Chalcidoidea Database	associate
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	eucharitid wasp	Kapala sp. 2	parasitoid		Quevillon, 2018	multiple encounter modes; direct transmission; transmission outside nest
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	nematode	Mermis sp.	parasitoid		Quevillon, 2018	encounter mode secondary; indirect transmission; transmission outside nest
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	nematode	Mermithidae (unspecified "Mermix")	parasite	Panama, Trinidad	Wheeler, 1930; Laciny, 2021
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	nematode	unidentified nematode	parasite	French Guiana
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	phorid fly	Apocephalus comosus	parasite		Brown et al., 2015	injured
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	phorid fly	Apocephalus lobicauda	parasite		Brown et al., 2015	injured
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	phorid fly	Apocephalus lobicauda	parasite		phorid.net	attacked
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	phorid fly	Apocephalus paraponerae	parasite		Brown et al., 2015	attracted to injured
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	phorid fly	Apocephalus paraponerae	parasite		phorid.net	attacked
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	phorid fly	Megaselia sp	parasite		Brown et al., 2015	injured
Ectatomma tuberculatum	host	phorid fly	Megaselia sp.	parasitoid		Quevillon, 2018	encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest

Flight Period

All Flight Records for Genus

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Taxon	Month	Source	Notes
Ectatomma ruidum	Jan • Mar • Apr • May • Jun • Jul • Aug • Sep • Oct • Nov • Dec	antkeeping.info; Kaspari et al., 2001
Ectatomma tuberculatum	May • Jun • Jul • Aug • Sep • Oct • Nov • Dec	Kaspari et al., 2001

Life History Traits

• Mean colony size: 30-400 (Greer et al., 2021)
• Compound colony type: inquilinism (Greer et al., 2021)
• Nest site: hypogaeic (Greer et al., 2021)
• Diet class: omnivore (Greer et al., 2021)
• Foraging stratum: subterranean/leaf litter; arboreal (Greer et al., 2021)
• Foraging behaviour: solitary (Greer et al., 2021)

Morphology

Worker Morphology

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• Antennal segment count: 12 • Antennal club: absent • Palp formula: 2,2 • Total dental count: 12-30 • Spur formula: 1 simple-barbulate, 1 simple-barbulate • Eyes: >100 ommatidia • Pronotal Spines: absent; dentiform • Mesonotal Spines: absent • Propodeal Spines: absent; dentiform • Petiolar Spines: absent • Caste: none or weak • Sting: present • Metaplural Gland: present • Cocoon: present

Male Morphology

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 • Antennal segment count 13 • Antennal club 0 • Palp formula 5,3 • Total dental count 8-9 • Spur formula 1 barbulate- pectinate, 1 barbulate- pectinate

Karyotype

All Karyotype Records for Genus

• See additional details at the Ant Chromosome Database.

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Taxon	Haploid	Diploid	Karyotype	Locality	Source	Notes
Ectatomma edentatum	23	46		Brazil	Barros et al., 2008; Mariano et al., 2015
Ectatomma muticum	20		16M+4A; 32M+ 8A	Brazil	Barros et al., 2008; Mariano et al., 2015
Ectatomma permagnum	23	46	20M+26A	Brazil	Barros et al., 2008; Mariano et al., 2015
Ectatomma tuberculatum	18	36	30M+6A	Brazil	Barros et al., 2008; Mariano et al., 2015

Phylogeny

Ectatomminae

Heteroponerini Bazboltonia  (1 species, 0 fossil species) Acanthoponera  (4 species, 0 fossil species) Heteroponera  (27 species, 0 fossil species) Ectatommini Ectatomma  (15 species, 1 fossil species) Rhytidoponera  (104 species, 3 fossil species) Stictoponera  (43 species, 0 fossil species) Gnamptogenys  (32 species, 5 fossil species) Typhlomyrmex  (11 species, 0 fossil species) Poneracantha  (18 species, 1 fossil species) Alfaria  (9 species, 0 fossil species) Holcoponera  (40 species, 0 fossil species)

See Phylogeny of Ectatomminae for details.

Nomenclature

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

• ECTATOMMA [Ectatomminae: Ectatommini]
  • Ectatomma Smith, F. 1858b: 102. Type-species: Formica tuberculata, by subsequent designation of Bingham, 1903: 82.

References

• Ashmead, W. H. 1905c. A skeleton of a new arrangement of the families, subfamilies, tribes and genera of the ants, or the superfamily Formicoidea. Can. Entomol. 37: 381-384 (page 382, Ectatomma in Pachycondylinae, Ectatommini)
• Barden, P. 2017. Fossil ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): ancient diversity and the rise of modern lineages. Myrmecological News 24: 1-30.
• Bingham, C. T. 1903. The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Hymenoptera, Vol. II. Ants and Cuckoo-wasps. London: Taylor and Francis, 506 pp. (page 82, Type-species: Formica tuberculata; by subsequent designation)
• Bolton, B. 2003. Synopsis and Classification of Formicidae. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 71: 370pp (page 173, Ectatomma in Ectatomminae, Ectatommini)
• Brown, W. L., Jr. 1958g. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. II. Tribe Ectatommini (Hymenoptera). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 118: 173-362 (page 206, Revisions of genus)
• Burchill, A.T., Moreau, C.S. 2016. Colony size evolution in ants: macroevolutionary trends. Insectes Sociaux 63, 291–298 (doi:10.1007/s00040-016-0465-3).
• Camacho, G.P., Franco, W., Branstetter, M.G., Pie, M.R., Longino, J.T., Schultz, T.R., Feitosa, R.M. 2022. UCE phylogenomics resolves major relationships among Ectaheteromorph ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ectatomminae, Heteroponerinae): A new classification for the subfamilies and the description of a new genus. Insect Systematics and Diversity 6(1): 5; 1–20 (doi:10.1093/isd/ixab026).
• 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).
• Cantone, S., Von Zuben, C.J. 2019. The hindwings of ants: A phylogenetic analysis. Psyche: A Journal of Entomology 2019, 1–11 (doi:10.1155/2019/7929717).
• Chanson, A., Moreau, C.S., Duplais, C. 2023. Impact of nesting mode, diet, and taxonomy in structuring the associated microbial communities of Amazonian ants. Diversity 15, 126 (doi:10.3390/d15020126).
• Dalla Torre, K. W. von. 1893. Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Vol. 7. Formicidae (Heterogyna). Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 289 pp. (page 23, Ectatomma in Ponerinae)
• Emery, C. 1895l. Die Gattung Dorylus Fab. und die systematische Eintheilung der Formiciden. Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere 8: 685-778 (page 767, Ectatomma in Ponerinae, Ectatommini)
• Emery, C. 1911e. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum 118: 1-125 (page 41, Ectatomma in Ponerinae, Ectatommini)
• Fernandez, F., Guerrero, R.J., Sánchez-Restrepo, A.F. 2021. Sistemática y diversidad de las hormigas neotropicales. Revista Colombiana de Entomología 47, 1–20 (doi:10.25100/socolen.v47i1.11082).
• Forel, A. 1895b. A fauna das formigas do Brazil. Bol. Mus. Para. Hist. Nat. Ethnogr. 1: 89-139 (page 112, Ectatomma in Ponerinae, Ponerini)
• Forel, A. 1899b. Formicidae. [part]. Biol. Cent.-Am. Hym. 3: 1-24 (page 5, Ectatomma in Ponerinae, Ponerini)
• Forel, A. 1900f. Les Formicides de l'Empire des Indes et de Ceylan. Part VII. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 13: 303-332 (page 316, Ectatomma in Ponerinae, Ponerini)
• Forel, A. 1917. Cadre synoptique actuel de la faune universelle des fourmis. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 51: 229-253 (page 236, Ectatomma in Ponerinae, Ectatommini)
• Gallardo, A. 1918c. Las hormigas de la República Argentina. Subfamilia Ponerinas. An. Mus. Nac. Hist. Nat. B. Aires 30: 1-112 (page 27, Ectatomma in Ponerinae, Ectatommini)
• Kugler, C.; Brown, W. L., Jr. 1982. Revisionary and other studies on the ant genus Ectatomma, including the description of two new species. Search Agric. (Ithaca N. Y.) 24: 1-8 (page 6, Revision of genus)
• Mayr, G. 1862. Myrmecologische Studien. Verh. K-K. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 12: 649-776 (page 714, Ectatomma in Ponerinae (in key) [Poneridae])
• Mayr, G. 1865. Formicidae. In: Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte "Novara" um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859. Zoologischer Theil. Bd. II. Abt. 1. Wien: K. Gerold's Sohn, 119 pp. (page 14, Ectatomma in Ponerinae [Poneridae])
• Mayr, G. 1868c. Die Ameisen des baltischen Bernsteins. Beitr. Naturkd. Preuss. 1: 1-102 (page 75, Ectatomma in Ponerinae [Poneridae])
• Mendoza-Penagos, C.C., Hessen, K.O.V., Almeida, R.P.S. 2020. Assessing sodium limitation as a resource for ground-dwelling ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in an area of the Amazonian Terra Firme Forest. Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi - Ciências Naturais 15, 135–143 (doi:10.46357/bcnaturais.v15i1.269).
• Nettel-Hernanz, A., J. P. Lachaud, D. Fresneau, R. A. Lopez-Munoz, and C. Poteaux. 2015. Biogeography, cryptic diversity, and queen dimorphism evolution of the Neotropical ant genus Ectatomma Smith, 1958 (Formicidae, Ectatomminae). Organisms Diversity & Evolution. 15:543-553. doi:10.1007/s13127-015-0215-9
• Rabeling, C. 2020. Social Parasitism. In: Starr, C. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Social Insects. Springer, Cham. (doi:10.1007/978-3-319-90306-4_175-1).
• Smith, F. 1858b. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London: British Museum, 216 pp. (page 102, Ectatomma in Poneridae)
• Smith, F. 1871a. A catalogue of the Aculeate Hymenoptera and Ichneumonidae of India and the Eastern Archipelago. With introductory remarks by A. R. Wallace. [part]. J. Linn. Soc. Lond. Zool. 11: 285-348 (page 324, Ectatomma in Poneridae)
• Wheeler, W. M. 1910b. Ants: their structure, development and behavior. New York: Columbia University Press, xxv + 663 pp. (page 135, Ectatomma in Ponerinae, Ectatommini)
• Wheeler, W. M. 1922i. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VII. Keys to the genera and subgenera of ants. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 45: 631-710 (page 643, Ectatomma in Ponerinae, Ectatommini)
• Wheeler, W.M. 1915i. The ants of the Baltic Amber. Schriften der Physikalisch-Ökonomischen Gesellschaft zu Königsberg 55: 1-142. (page 33, Ectatomma in Ponerinae, Ectatommini)