Melissotarsus insularis

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Melissotarsus insularis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Melissotarsus
Species: M. insularis
Binomial name
Melissotarsus insularis
Santschi, 1911

Melissotarsus insularis casent0101093 profile 1.jpg

Melissotarsus insularis casent0101094 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Identification

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -17.8873° to -25.04025°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Comoros.
Malagasy Region: Madagascar (type locality), Mayotte.

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.
pChart

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.
pChart

Biology

Garcia, Wiesel and Fischer (2013) - The four species of this Afrotropical and Malagasy genus are rarely encountered. The Afrotropical species were revised by Bolton (1982) who also provided a good species identification key. These ants are special in several ways. They build their nests in healthy wood by tunnelling through the living tissue beneath the surface (Bolton, 1982; Fisher & Robertson, 1999; Belshaw & Bolton, 1994) and are rarely found outside of their nests, which could be the main reason for their relative scarcity in museum collections (Bolton, 1982). They live in close association with symbiotic coccids that are kept inside the nest. Adults are able to produce silk, which is used to close exit holes or to seal cracks (Fisher & Robertson, 1999).

Bolton (1982) - This small genus, of which only four uncommon species are presently recognized, is restricted to the Malagasy region (1 species) where it is rare, and the Afrotropical region (3 species) where it is, however, very widespread. The species nest in the healthy wood of living trees, apparently tunnelling their own galleries below the surface. For this reason most collections of Melissotarsus are made more by luck than by intent as their presence in the wood is usually not detectable on the surface. Delage-Darchen (1972) has shown that the method of walking in these ants is very strange; they progress on their front and hind legs with the middle pair projecting upwards, and presumably in contact with the gallery roof. She also noted the presence of coccids inside the galleries, also discussed by Ben-Dov (1978). It seems probable that coccid secretions form a major, if not the main, item in the diet of Melissotarsus species.

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Melissotarsus insularis casent0101094 head 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0101094 profile 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0101094 label 1.jpg
Syntype of Melissotarsus insularisWorker. Specimen code casent0101094. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland.
Melissotarsus insularis casent0101466 head 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0101466 profile 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0101466 dorsal 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0101466 label 1.jpg
Syntype of Melissotarsus insularisWorker. Specimen code casent0101466. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MNHN, Paris, France.
Melissotarsus insularis casent0107656 label 1.jpg
Specimen code casent0107656. .
Melissotarsus insularis casent0125648 head 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0125648 profile 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0125648 label 1.jpg
Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0125648. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Melissotarsus insularis casent0125650 head 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0125650 profile 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0125650 dorsal 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0125650 label 1.jpg
Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0125650. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Melissotarsus insularis casent0125657 head 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0125657 profile 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0125657 dorsal 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0125657 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0125657. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Melissotarsus insularis casent0132274 head 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0132274 profile 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0132274 profile 2.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0132274 profile 3.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0132274 label 1.jpg
Male (alate). Specimen code casent0132274. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Melissotarsus insularis casent0422973 head 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0422973 profile 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0422973 dorsal 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0422973 label 1.jpg
Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0422973. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Melissotarsus insularis casent0426119 head 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0426119 profile 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0426119 dorsal 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0426119 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0426119. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Melissotarsus insularis casent0498665 head 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0498665 profile 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0498665 dorsal 1.jpgMelissotarsus insularis casent0498665 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0498665. Photographer April Nobile, 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.

  • insularis. Melissotarsus insularis Santschi, 1911e: 122, fig. 2 (w.m.) MADAGASCAR.
    • Type-material: 2 syntype workers, 1 syntype male (“in very poor condition”).
    • Type-locality: Madagascar: Makaraingo, 1898 (Escoffre).
    • Type-depository: MNHN.
    • Status as species: Emery, 1922e: 119; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1021; Bolton, 1995b: 250.
    • Distribution: Madagascar.

Description

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Delage-Darchen B. 1972. Une fourmi de Côte d'Ivoire: Melissotarsus titubans Del., n. sp. Insectes Sociaux 19: 213-226.
  • 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.
  • Ravelomanana A., and B. L. Fisher. 2013. Diversity of ants in burned and unburned grassland , and dry deciduous forest in the Beanka Reserve, Melaky Region, western Madagascar. Malagasy Nature 7: 171-183.