Myrmicocrypta bucki

Myrmicocrypta bucki
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Myrmicocrypta
Species:	M. bucki
Binomial name
	Myrmicocrypta bucki; Sosa-Calvo & Schultz, 2010

Type material was collected from a nest found in forest habitat.

Identification

Sosa-Calvo & Schultz (2010) - Similar in size and habitus to Myrmicocrypta erectapilosa, but differing from it by having frontal lobes vestigial, failing to cover antennal insertions; hypostomal teeth long; vertexal carina present; humeral and lateral pronotal spines acute; dorsum of pronotum smooth and glabrous; propodeal spines long and acute; petiole subquadrate.

M. bucki more specifically differs from M. erectapilosa by having simple, curved hairs (simple but entirely erect in M. erectapilosa); frontoclypeal teeth blunt (large and acute in M. erectapilosa); hypostomal teeth long (short and triangular in M. erectapilosa); frontal lobes narrow (triangular in M. erectapilosa) exposing part of the antennal condyles; vertexal carinae forming a pair of tubercles on cephalic margin in full-face view (these tubercles absent in M. erectapilosa); humeral and lateral tubercles acute (reduced in M. erectapilosa); node of petiole subquadrate in profile (rounded in M. erectapilosa). M. bucki can be separated from any other Myrmicocrypta species by the presence of simple, semierect hairs.

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -2.9667° to -13.02833333°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Brazil, Peru (type locality).

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

Explore Fungus Growing

For additional details see Fungus growing ants.

A handful of ant species (approx. 275 out of the known 15,000 species) have developed the ability to cultivate fungus within their nests. In most species the fungus is used as the sole food source for the larvae and is an important resource for the adults as well. Additionally, in a limited number of cases, the fungus is used to construct part of the nest structure but is not as a food source.

These fungus-feeding species are limited to North and South America, extending from the pine barrens of New Jersey, United States, in the north (Trachymyrmex septentrionalis) to the cold deserts in Argentina in the south (several species of Acromyrmex). Species that use fungi in nest construction are known from Europe and Africa (a few species in the genera Crematogaster, Lasius).

The details of fungal cultivation are rich and complex. First, a wide variety of materials are used as substrate for fungus cultivating. The so-called lower genera include species that prefer dead vegetation, seeds, flowers, fruits, insect corpses, and feces, which are collected in the vicinity of their nests. The higher genera include non leaf-cutting species that collect mostly fallen leaflets, fruit, and flowers, as well as the leafcutters that collect fresh leaves from shrubs and trees. Second, while the majority of fungi that are farmed by fungus-feeding ants belong to the family Lepiotaceae, mostly the genera Leucoagaricus and Leucocoprinus, other fungi are also involved. Some species utilise fungi in the family Tricholomataceae while a few others cultivate yeast. The fungi used by the higher genera no longer produce spores. Their fungi produce nutritious and swollen hyphal tips (gongylidia) that grow in bundles called staphylae, to specifically feed the ants. Finally, colony size varies tremendously among these ants. Lower taxa mostly live in inconspicuous nests with 100–1000 individuals and relatively small fungus gardens. Higher taxa, in contrast, live in colonies made of 5–10 million ants that live and work within hundreds of interconnected fungus-bearing chambers in huge subterranean nests. Some colonies are so large, they can be seen from satellite photos, measuring up to 600 m3.

Based on these habits, and taking phylogenetic information into consideration, these ants can be divided into six biologically distinct agricultural systems (with a list of genera involved in each category):

Nest Construction

A limited number of species that use fungi in the construction of their nests.

some Crematogaster
some Lasius

Lower Agriculture

Practiced by species in the majority of fungus-feeding genera, including those thought to retain more primitive features, which cultivate a wide range of fungal species in the tribe Leucocoprineae.

Coral Fungus Agriculture

Practiced by species in the Apterostigma pilosum species-group, which cultivate fungi within the Pterulaceae.

some Apterostigma

Yeast Agriculture

Practiced by species within the Cyphomyrmex rimosus species-group, which cultivate a distinct clade of leucocoprineaceous fungi derived from the lower attine fungi.

some Cyphomyrmex

Generalized Higher Agriculture

Practiced by species in several genera of non-leaf-cutting "higher attine" ants, which cultivate a distinct clade of leucocoprineaceous fungi separately derived from the lower attine fungi.

Leaf-Cutter Agriculture

A subdivision of higher attine agriculture practiced by species within several ecologically dominant genera, which cultivate a single highly derived species of higher attine fungus.

Note that the farming habits of Mycetagroicus (4 species) are unknown. Also, while species of Pseudoatta (2 species) are closely related to the fungus-feeding genus Acromyrmex, they are social parasites, living in the nests of their hosts and are not actively involved in fungus growing. ‎

Castes

Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

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

bucki. Myrmicocrypta bucki Sosa-Calvo & Schultz, 2010: 192, figs. 23-26 (w.) PERU.

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

Description

Worker

TL = 3.56 (3.28-3.65); WL = 0.97 (0.91-1.01); HL = 0.75 (0.72-0.77); HW = 0.64 (0.62-0.67); SL = 0.69 (0.66-0.72); ML = 0.51 (0.45-0.54); EL = 0.07 (0.05-0.07); PL = 0.35 (0.31-0.35); PPL = 0.17 (0.16-0.19); GL = 0.81 (0.72-0.83); CI = 85 (86-88); SI = 108 (101-109); MI = 68 (63-71); FLD = 0.13 (0.11-0.14) (n = 9).

Head. Head almost 1.2X longer than broad; posterior margin convex, convexity interrupted by two carinate tubercles in vertexal area; integument matte and strongly rugole-reticulate; frontal carinae obsolete or vestigial; eye very small with seven to nine ommatidia in total; eyes above middle of head; antennal scape reticulate and long, surpassing cephalic corners by twice its apical width; clypeal apron convex and medially slightly angulate, hyaline, and transversely weakly striate; clypeal pilosity originating near posterior margin of apron and extending over mandibles, consisting of five to six pairs of lateral hairs and of one median unpaired seta, much thicker and 3x as long (length holotype = 0.15, paratypes = 0.13-0.15 mm) as lateral hairs; clypeus with a pair of blunt frontoclypeal teeth covered with simple, curved hairs; mandibles with six to seven teeth decreasing in size from apex to base; dorsal surface of mandibles striolate; frontal lobes strongly reduced, exposing antennal condyles in full-face view; hypostomal teeth long; occipital “collar” (neck) reduced to two low, blunt tubercles; antennal scape wider near its apex than at rest of its length; anterior edge of antennal scape minutely denticulate; in full-face view anterior and posterior edges of antennal scape bearing suberect to erect hairs; hairs on ventral portion of head narrowly spatulate. Mesosoma: Integument of mesosoma minutely puncate. Dorsum of pronotum smooth and glabrous with low humeral tubercles; lateral spines acute and dentiform, longer and more discrete than other mesosomal tubercles; lacking anterior pronotal tubercles or spines; inferior corner of pronotum evenly rounded; propleuron adjacent to inferior pronotal edge with a broadly obtuse angle and with some subdecumbent or suberect, simple or extremely narrowly spatulate hairs; mesonotum with lateral tubercles reduced to carinae, anterior tubercles low; mesonotal groove smooth and glabrous; median mesonotal tubercles low; posterior mesonotal tubercles blunt apically and slightly longer than or similar in size to median tubercles; metanotal groove with a single median longitudinal carina that extends from posterior portion of mesonotum through anterior portion of propodeum; propodeum anteriorly carinate, lacking anterior spines or tubercles; posterior propodeal spines long and acute; dorsum and declivous of propodeum with lateral carinae extending to propodeal lobes; base of propodeum flat, in profile subequal to declivity of propodeum. Metasoma: Petiole pedunculate; node of petiole, in proÞle, with two small anterior tubercles and two larger posterior tubercles connected by sometimes incomplete carinae; node in lateral view subquadrate, in dorsal view slightly longer than broad; in dorsal view, postpetiole > 1.5X broader than long; posteriorly emarginate; latero-posterior corners with inferior wing-like projections giving it a trapezoidal shape; shape of postpetiole, in profile, longer than higher (1.2-1.3X); tergite of abdominal segment IV punctulate-reticulate; in dorsal view, base of tergite at junction with postpetiole slightly carinate (as in all Myrmicocrypta spp.), but lacking lateral carinae beyond this junction, i.e., antero-lateral gastral carinae absent; pilosity on dorsum of abdominal tergite IV consisting of widely separated, extremely narrowly spatulate hairs, all curved at tips and directed backward.

Individuals brown ferruginous; pilosity restricted to wrinkles, tubercles, spines, carinae, appendages, antennal scapes, and gaster, absent elsewhere. Legs and antennal scapes strongly reticulate.

Type Material

Holotype. One worker, labeled: “Peru: Madre de Dios, Centro de Investigacion y Capacitacion Rio Los Amigos (CICRA), Otorongo Trail, 12°33’42.28’’ S 70°05’32.64’’ W, elevation 276 m, 19-XI-2005, (J. Sosa-Calvo), nest series, hand collected, forest (JSC051119-09)” National Museum of Natural History ENT No. 00537326. (Museo de Historia Natural).

Paratypes. Fourteen workers, part of the same nest series as holotype. (USNM). USNM ENT Nos. 00537307, 00537308, 00537317, 00537325, and 00301761 (alcohol); four workers, labeled: “Brazil: Amapa, Serra do Navio (Silverstone).” (Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History 42302). USNM ENT Nos. 00537306 and 00537316; 1 worker labeled: “Brazil, Amazonas, Manaus, 9-v-2003, (C. Rabeling and M. Verhaagh).” (USNM). USNM ENT No. 00537315.

Etymology

Named in honor of Dr. Peter Buck in recognition of his support for science at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Bezdeckova K., P. Bedecka, and I. Machar. 2015. A checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Peru. Zootaxa 4020 (1): 101–133.
Sosa-Calvo J., and T. R. Schultz. 2010. Three remarkable new fungus-growing ant species of the genus Myrmicocrypta, with a reassessment of the characters that define the genus and its position within the Attini. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 103: 181-195.