Temnothorax versicolor

Temnothorax versicolor
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Temnothorax
Species group:	sallei
Species:	T. versicolor
Binomial name
Temnothorax versicolor (Roger, 1863) Specimen Labels
Subspecies
Temnothorax versicolor guanahacabibes Fontenla Rizo, 1995
Synonyms
Macromischa lugens Roger, 1863 Macromischa lugens nigra Santschi, 1931

Wheeler (1931), reporting on the synonomous lugens - Dr. C. G. Aguayo "collected specimens of this species in the crevice of a limestone cliff at Camoa, in the province of Havana, Cuba, the very locality in which Gundlach found the type. "

Identification

Prebus (2017) - A member of the sallei clade.

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 23.133° to 18.50983°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Cuba (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.

Nomenclature

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

• lugens. Macromischa lugens Roger, 1863a: 188 (w.) CUBA. Aguayo, 1932: 221 (q.). Combination in Croesomyrmex: Wheeler, W.M. 1931b: 21. Senior synonym of nigra: Borgmeier, 1955a: 109. Junior synonym of versicolor: Baroni Urbani, 1978b: 523. See also: Mann, 1920: 419.
• versicolor. Macromischa versicolor Roger, 1863a: 187 (w.) CUBA. Mann, 1929: 166 (q.); Baroni Urbani, 1978b: 524 (m.). Combination in M. (Croesomyrmex): Mann, 1920: 421; in Croesomyrmex: Wheeler, W.M. 1931b: 32; in Leptothorax: Baroni Urbani, 1978b: 523; in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 272. Senior synonym of lugens (and its junior synonym nigra): Baroni Urbani, 1978b: 523. Current subspecies: nominal plus guanahacabibes.
• nigra. Macromischa (Croesomyrmex) lugens var. nigra Santschi, 1931c: 273, fig. 8 (w.) CUBA. [Unresolved junior secondary homonym of niger Forel, above.] Junior synonym of lugens: Borgmeier, 1955a: 109.

Description

Worker

Wheeler (1931) for the synonomyized lugens - Length 5-5.5 mm.

Head suboval, fully 1/4 longer than broad, produced and semicircular behind where it is narrower than at the anterior border. Eyes rather large, moderately convex, distinctly in front of the middle of the sides. Mandibules stout, with straight external borders, 5-toothed, the two apical teeth stout, the others small and rather indistinct. Clypeus convex in the middle, subcarinate, with broadly rounded, entire anterior border. Frontal area very distinct, elongate triangular, with a median carinula. Frontal carinae well developed and rather long. Antennae long and slender, the scapes reaching fully 2/5 their length beyond the posterior border of the head, first funicular joint as long as the nearly equal second and third joints together, joints 2-8 subequal, about It times as long as broad, club 3-jointed, terminal shorter than the two basal joints together. Thorax long, narrower than the head, broad through the pronotum and laterally constricted behind it, mesoepinotum not longer than the pronotum. In profile the thorax is low, its dorsal outline straight in the middle, the anterior end of the pronotum feebly, the epinotum behind more strongly though evenly rounded. Metasterna broad and rounded, somewhat projecting. Petiole fully five times as long as broad, only slightly widened behind at the node, which is decidedly shorter than the peduncle, laterally compressed and constricted behind, in profile rather low, about as long as high, broadly and evenly rounded above. The peduncle has no anteroventral tooth and is not enlarged at the spiracles. Postpetiole campanulate, convex above, as long as broad, strongly narrowed anteriorly. Gaster small, elongate-elliptical, pointed posteriorly, nearly as high as broad. Sting small. Legs long, the femora but not the tibiae distinctly incrassated.

Mandibles coarsely striated, rather shining. Head, thorax, abdomen and appendages subopaque, densely and evenly punctate, the nodes of the petiole and postpetiole and the abdomen somewhat more shining. Cheeks and clypeus loosely, longitudinally rugulose; thorax longitudinally rugose, most distinctly on the pronotum which has about sixteen regular rugae, which are coarsest on the sides.

Hairs snow white, obtuse, flattened and somewhat scalelike, abundant and covering the whole insect, erect, of even length and distribution on the body, more oblique on the legs and scapes, appressed on the funiculi and tarsi.

Black; mandibles, frontal carinae, insertions of antennae, extreme tips of antennae and terminal tarsal joints reddish brown. Gaster sometimes with bluish or aeneous reflections.

References

• Baroni Urbani, C. 1978b. Materiali per una revisione dei Leptothorax neotropicali appartenenti al sottogenere Macromischa Roger, n. comb. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Entomol. Basil. 3: 395-618 (page 524, male described; page 523, Combination in Leptothorax, Senior synonym of lugens (and its junior synonym nigra))
• Bolton, B. 2003. Synopsis and Classification of Formicidae. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 71: 370pp (page 272, Combination in Temnothorax)
• Mann, W. M. 1920b. Additions to the ant fauna of the West Indies and Central America. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 42: 403-439 (page 421, Combination in M. (Croesomyrmex))
• Mann, W. M. 1929. Notes on Cuban ants of the genus Macromischa (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Proc. Entomol. Soc. Wash. 31: 161-166 (page 166, queen described)
• Prebus, M. 2017. Insights into the evolution, biogeography and natural history of the acorn ants, genus Temnothorax Mayr (hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bmc Evolutionary Biology. 17:250. doi:10.1186/s12862-017-1095-8 (The doi link to the publication's journal webpage provides access to the 24 files that accompany this article).
• Prebus, M.M. 2021. Taxonomic revision of the Temnothorax salvini clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a key to the clades of New World Temnothorax. PeerJ 9, e11514 (doi:10.7717/peerj.11514).
• Roger, J. 1863a. Die neu aufgeführten Gattungen und Arten meines Formiciden-Verzeichnisses nebst Ergänzung einiger früher gegebenen Beschreibungen. Berl. Entomol. Z. 7: 131-214 (page 187, worker described)
• Wheeler, W. M. 1931b. New and little-known ants of the genera Macromischa, Creosomyrmex and Antillaemyrmex. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 72: 1-34 (page 32, Combination in Croesomyrmex)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Aguayo C. G. 1932. Notes on West Indian ants. Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society 27: 215-227.
• Alayo D. P. 1974. Introduccion al estudio de los Himenopteros de Cuba. Superfamilia Formicoidea. Academia de Ciencias de Cuba. Instituto de Zoologia. Serie Biologica no.53: 58 pp. La Habana.
• Baroni Urbani C. 1978. Materiali per una revisione dei Leptothorax neotropicali appartenenti al sottogenere Macromischa Roger, n. comb. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Entomol. Basil. 3: 395-618.
• Borgmeier T. 1952. Algumas formigas do gênero Macromischa Roger (Hym. Formicidae). Arquivos do Museu Nacional (Rio de Janeiro) 42: 107-111.
• Brandao, C.R.F. 1991. Adendos ao catalogo abreviado das formigas da regiao neotropical (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Rev. Bras. Entomol. 35: 319-412.
• Emery C. 1896. Sur les fourmis du genre Macromischa Rog. (Hym.). Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de France 1896: 102-103.
• Fontanla Rizo J.L. 1997. Lista preliminar de las hormigas de Cuba. Cocuyo 6: 18-21.
• Fontenla J. L. 2001. Claves para las especies cubanas del taxon Macromischa (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptothorax). Cocuyo (Havana) 11: 15-17.
• Fontenla J. L., and J. Alfonso-Simonetti. 2018. Classification of Cuban ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) into functional groups. Poeyana Revista Cubana de Zoologia 506: 21-30.
• Fontenla Rizo J. L. 1993. Composición y estructura de comunidades de hormigas en un sistema de formaciones vegetales costeras. Poeyana. Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática, Academia de Ciencias de Cuba 441: 1-19.
• Fontenla Rizo J. L. 1993. Mirmecofauna de Isla de la Juventud y de algunos cayos del archipielago cubano. Poeyana. Instituto de Ecologia y Sistematica, Academia de Ciencias de Cuba 444:1-7.
• Fontenla Rizo J. L. 1997. Lista preliminar de las hormigas de Cuba (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Cocuyo 6: 18-21.
• Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
• Kusnezov N. 1963. Zoogeografia de las hormigas en sudamerica. Acta Zoologica Lilloana 19: 25-186
• Mann W. M. 1920. Additions to the ant fauna of the West Indies and Central America. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 42: 403-439.
• Mann W. M. 1929. Notes on Cuban ants of the genus Macromischa (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 31: 161-166.
• Santschi F. 1931. Fourmis de Cuba et de Panama. Revista de Entomologia (Rio de Janeiro). 1: 265-282.
• Wheeler W. M. 1905. The ants of the Bahamas, with a list of the known West Indian species. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 21: 79-135.
• Wheeler W. M. 1913. The ants of Cuba. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 54: 477-505.
• Wheeler W. M. 1931. New and little-known ants of the genera Macromischa, Creosomyrmex and Antillaemyrmex. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 72: 1-34.
• Wheeler W. M. 1937. Ants mostly from the mountains of Cuba. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 81: 439-465.