Nylanderia concinna

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Nylanderia concinna
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Lasiini
Genus: Nylanderia
Species: N. concinna
Binomial name
Nylanderia concinna
(Trager, 1984)

Paratrechina concinna casent0104209 profile 1.jpg

Paratrechina concinna casent0104209 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Trager (1984) notes alates may be produced any time of year, but that likely only applies to Gulf and Carolina populations known at the time.

Identification

Kallal & LaPolla (2012) - Uniformly dark brown with medium brown mandibles, scapes, mesocoxae, and metacoxae; conspicuous band of pubescence across anterior edge of propodeum.

Compare with: Nylanderia faisonensis, Nylanderia wojciki, Nylanderia vividula, and Nylanderia terricola.

Nylanderia concinna workers are morphologically similar to several sympatric species throughout its range in the eastern United States, particularly in Florida. Most similar among these is N. faisonensis, which is also uniform brown with lighter coxae. However, there are several morphological differences that separate the two species: the mesocoxae and metacoxae on N. concinna are medium brown compared to the dark brown body, but those of N. faisonensis are whitish; the scapes of N. concinna are medium brown compared to the yellowish scapes of N. faisonensis; finally, a band of pubescence is found across the anterior edge of the propodeum. Nylanderia wojciki also has whitish mesocoxae and metacoxae, but it is typically bicolored and small (TL: 1.59–2.18). Confusion with N. vividula and N. terricola may also occur, although both those taxa have sparsely pubescence heads, usually are bicolored, and the ocelli are not apparent. In some cases, young workers may have a lighter, yellowish mesosoma, although other features will allow for separation of this species from the bicolored N. wojciki, N. terricola, and N. vividula. Males are similar to N. faisonensis, although those of N. concinna are larger and do not have strongly contrasting mesocoxae and metacoxae.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Eastern US.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 37.15482° to 24.66666667°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: United States (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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Habitat

marshy areas, in rotten wood, grass tussocks, swamps, and the moist soil of potted plants

Biology

Castes

Queen

Images from AntWeb

Paratrechina concinna casent0104210 head 1.jpgParatrechina concinna casent0104210 profile 1.jpgParatrechina concinna casent0104210 profile 2.jpgParatrechina concinna casent0104210 dorsal 1.jpgParatrechina concinna casent0104210 label 1.jpg
Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0104210. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ABS, Lake Placid, FL, USA.

Male

Images from AntWeb

Paratrechina concinna casent0104211 head 1.jpgParatrechina concinna casent0104211 profile 1.jpgParatrechina concinna casent0104211 profile 2.jpgParatrechina concinna casent0104211 dorsal 1.jpgParatrechina concinna casent0104211 label 1.jpg
Male (alate). Specimen code casent0104211. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ABS, Lake Placid, FL, USA.

Nomenclature

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

  • concinna. Paratrechina concinna Trager, 1984b: 88, figs. 11, 14, 41 (w.q.m.) U.S.A. Combination in Nylanderia: LaPolla, Brady & Shattuck, 2010a: 127. See also: Kallal & LaPolla, 2012: 17.

Type Material

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

Description

Worker

Kallal & LaPolla (2012) - Measurements (n=15) TL: 1.87–2.77; HW: 0.47–0.64; HL: 0.56–0.72; EL: 0.14–0.21; SL: 0.67–0.86; PW: 0.38–0.48; WL: 0.68–0.93; GL: 0.62–1.23; PH: 0.20–0.31; PFL: 0.50–0.72; PFW: 0.14–0.18. SMC: 7–13; PMC: 2–5; MMC: 2–4. Indices: CI: 85–99; REL: 24–30; SI: 112–129; FI: 87–102.

Overall dark brown in color; mandibles, scapes, mesocoxae, and metacoxae lighter brown; legs often lighter with yellowish joints; cuticle smooth and shiny; cephalic pubescence dense, arising from small depressions; mesosoma pubescence sparse on pronotum, anteriodorsal area of propodeum with band of moderate pubescence; gastral pubescence virtually absent. Head ovate; posterior margin slightly emarginated medially; scapes surpass posterior margin by first 3–4 funicular segments; ocelli apparent. Pronotal anterior face at approximately 45°, with pronotal anterior face shorter than pronotal dorsal face; anterior margin of mesonotum continuous with pronotal margin; propodeum with short dorsal face and long declivitous face.

Queen

Kallal & LaPolla (2012) - Measurements (n=3) TL: 4.14–4.48; HW: 0.81–0.86; HL: 0.82–0.90; EL: 0.28–0.30; SL: 0.88–0.89; PW: 0.88; MW: 0.78–0.84; WL: 1.18–1.61; GL: 1.98–2.09; PH: 0.35–0.49; PFL: 0.81–0.84; PFW: 0.24–0.25. SMC: 3–7; PMC: 3–6; MMC: 8–12; MtMC: 4–6. Indices: CI: 92–104; REL: 33–34; SI: 99–107; FI: 90–102.

Dark brown in color; mandibles and scapes medium brown; leg joints yellowish-brown; cuticle smooth and shiny; densely pubescent, macrosetae brown. Head as broad as it is long; scapes surpass posterior margin by first 3 funicular segments. Propodeum with short, sloped dorsal face and steeply sloped declivitous face.

Male

Kallal & LaPolla (2012) - Measurements (n=6) TL: 2.03–2.35; HW: 0.48–0.62; HL: 0.53–0.66; EL: 0.19–0.26; SL: 0.65–0.72; PW: 0.51–0.53; MW: 0.45–0.51; WL: 0.76–0.96; GL: 0.66–0.85; PH: 0.28–0.34; PFL: 0.53–0.65; PFW: 0.13–0.18; PL: 0.19–0.27. SMC: 2–7; MMC: 5–12; MtMC: 2–4. Indices: CI: 91–98; REL: 36–40; SI: 103–121; FI: 94–101.

Overall dark brown in color; joints of legs and tarsi yellowish; cuticle smooth and shiny; cephalic pubescence dense; mesosoma with pubescence densest on mesonotum, with some patches on katepisternum; gastral pubescence virtually absent anteriorly becoming sparse posteriorly; macrosetae brown. Head as broad as it is long; eyes weakly convex, scarcely extending beyond lateral margins of the head in full face view; scapes surpass posterior margin by first 4 funicular segments; inner mandibular margin long and straight; basal angle approximately 90°; masticatory margin with large apical tooth plus a smaller subapical tooth. Mesosoma enlarged to accommodate flight muscles; in lateral view, pronotal margin short and relatively straight, with raised patches towards mesonotal margin; propodeum with sloped dorsal face, distinctly longer than declivitous face. Genitalia: parameres laterally oriented, triangular; digitus angled ventrally, about as long as aedeagal valves, with cuspides about half as long, both with rounded teeth where they meet; aedeagal valves triangular, teeth absent; ninth sternite triangular with short, rounded, broad lateral apodemes and broad ventral apodeme.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Addison D. S., I. Bartoszek, V. Booher, M. A. Deyrup, M. Schuman, J. Schmid, and K. Worley. 2016. Baseline surveys for ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the western Everglades, Collier County, Florida. Florida Entomologist 99(3): 389-394.
  • Annotated Ant Species List Ordway-Swisher Biological Station. Downloaded at http://ordway-swisher.ufl.edu/species/os-hymenoptera.htm on 5th Oct 2010.
  • Braman C. A., and B. T. Forschler. 2018. Survey of Formicidae attracted to protein baits on Georgia’s Barrier Island dunes. Southeastern Naturalist 17(4): 645-653.
  • Del Toro, I. 2010. PERSONAL COMMUNICATION. MUSEUM RECORDS COLLATED BY ISRAEL DEL TORO
  • Deyrup M., C. Johnson, G. C. Wheeler, J. Wheeler. 1989. A preliminary list of the ants of Florida. Florida Entomologist 72: 91-101
  • Deyrup M., L. Deyrup, and J. Carrel. 2013. Ant Species in the Diet of a Florida Population of Eastern Narrow-Mouthed Toads, Gastrophryne carolinensis. Southeastern Naturalist 12(2): 367-378.
  • Deyrup, M. and J. Trager. 1986. Ants of the Archbold Biological Station, Highlands County, Florida (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist 69(1):206-228
  • Epperson, D.M. and C.R. Allen. 2010. Red Imported Fire Ant Impacts on Upland Arthropods in Southern Mississippi. American Midland Naturalist, 163(1):54-63.
  • Ivanov K., L. Hightower, S. T. Dash, and J. B. Keiper. 2019. 150 years in the making: first comprehensive list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Virginia, USA. Zootaxa 4554 (2): 532–560.
  • Johnson C. 1986. A north Florida ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insecta Mundi 1: 243-246
  • Kallal R. J, and J. S. Lapolla. 2012. Monograph of Nylanderia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the world, part II: Nylanderia in the Nearctic. Zootaxa 3508: 1-64.
  • Moreau C. S., M. A. Deyrup, and L. R. David Jr. 2014. Ants of the Florida Keys: Species Accounts, Biogeography, and Conservation (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. Insect Sci. 14(295): DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieu157
  • Trager J. C. 1984. A revision of the genus Paratrechina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the continental United States. Sociobiology 9: 49-162