Veromessor
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| Veromessor | |
|---|---|
| |
| Veromessor andrei | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Stenammini |
| Genus: | Veromessor Forel, 1917 |
| Type species | |
| Aphaenogaster andrei, now Veromessor andrei | |
| Diversity | |
| 10 species (Species Checklist, Species by Country)
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| Evolutionary Relationships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Based on Ward et al., 2014 |
Veromessor consists of 10 species that are restricted to arid and semiarid habitats in the western United States and northwestern Mexico, with the exception of one species (V. lobognathus) that extends into the northcentral United States (Bennett, 2000; Bolton, 2020; Johnson, 2000b). All species are granivorous such that they collect a large variety and number of seeds and impact plant communities (Brown & Human, 1997; Davidson, 1977, 1978; Gordon, 1978; Rissing, 1988). Species of Veromessor have received considerable attention from ecologists and behaviorists because of their seed gathering activities combined with the fact that workers are docile and unable to sting. These studies mostly have focused on V. andrei and especially V. pergandei (Brown, 1999a, 1999b; Johnson, 1992, 2021; Muscedere, Helms Cahan, Helms, & Traniello, 2016; Rissing, 1987; Rissing & Pollock, 1987; Ryti & Case, 1988a), while biology is poorly known for other congeners, especially those with small colonies. (Johnson et al., 2022)
Contents
Identification
Keys including this Genus
Keys to Species in this Genus
Distribution
Distribution and Richness based on AntMaps
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 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Species | 2837 | 1734 | 3036 | 929 | 832 | 4375 | 1686 | 2823 |
Biology
Association with Other Organisms
All Associate Records for Genus
Click here to show/hide associate data.
| Taxon | Relationship | Associate Type | Associate Taxon | Associate Relationship | Locality | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veromessor andrei | host | cricket | Myrmecophilus orgeonensis | myrmecophile | Canada, United States |
Flight Period
All Flight Records for Genus
Click here to show/hide associate data.
| Taxon | Month | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veromessor andrei | Jun • Jul | antkeeping.info; Johnson et al., 2022 | |
| Veromessor julianus | Feb • Mar | Johnson et al., 2022 | |
| Veromessor pergandei | Feb • Mar • Apr | antkeeping.info |
Life History Traits
- Mean colony size: 275 to >1000 (Greer et al., 2021)
- Compound colony type: not parasitic (Greer et al., 2021)
- Nest site: hypogaeic (Greer et al., 2021)
- Diet class: herbivore (Greer et al., 2021)
- Foraging stratum: subterranean/leaf litter (Greer et al., 2021)
- Foraging behaviour: cooperative (Greer et al., 2021)
Castes
Morphology
Worker Morphology
• Eyes: >100 ommatidia • Pronotal Spines: absent • Mesonotal Spines: absent • Propodeal Spines: dentiform; present • Petiolar Spines: absent • Caste: polymorphic • Sting: absent • Metaplural Gland: present • Cocoon: absent
Karyotype
All Karyotype Records for Genus
Click here to show/hide karyotype data.
| Taxon | Haploid | Diploid | Karyotype | Locality | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veromessor andrei | 40 | USA | Taber & Cokendolpher, 1988 |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- VEROMESSOR [junior synonym of Messor]
- Veromessor Forel, 1917: 235 [as subgenus of Novomessor]. Type-species: Aphaenogaster andrei, by subsequent designation of Emery, 1921f: 67.
- Veromessor raised to genus: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 661.
- Veromessor senior synonym of Lobognathus: Brown, 1949a: 49.
- Veromessor junior synonym of Messor: Bolton, 1982: 338.
- Veromessor revived status as genus: Ward et al., 2014: 13.
References
- Bolton, B. 1982. Afrotropical species of the myrmecine ant genera Cardiocondyla, Leptothorax, Melissotarsus, Messor and Cataulacus (Formicidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology, 46: 307-370 (page 338, Veromessor as junior synonym of Messor)
- Bolton, B. 2003. Synopsis and Classification of Formicidae. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 71: 370pp (page 232, Veromessor as junior synonym of Messor)
- Branstetter, M.G., Longino, J.T., Reyes- López, J.L., Brady, S.G., Schultz, T.R. 2022. Out of the temperate zone: A phylogenomic test of the biogeographical conservatism hypothesis in a contrarian clade of ants. Journal of Biogeography 00, 1-14 (doi:10.1111/jbi.14462).
- Brown, W. L., Jr. 1949a. Synonymic and other notes on Formicidae (Hymenoptera). Psyche (Camb.) 56: 41-49 (page 49, Veromessor senior synonym of Lobognathus)
- 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).
- Creighton, W. S. 1950a. The ants of North America. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 104: 1-585 (page 157, Veromessor as genus )
- Donisthorpe, H. 1943h. A list of the type-species of the genera and subgenera of the Formicidae. [concl.]. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 11(10): 721-737 (page 735, Veromessor as subgenus of Novomessor)
- Emery, C. 1921c. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Myrmicinae. [part]. Genera Insectorum 174A:1-94 94: 1-94 + 7 (page 67, Type-species: Aphaenogaster andrei, by subsequent designation; Veromessor as subgenus of Novomessor)
- Forel, A. 1917. Cadre synoptique actuel de la faune universelle des fourmis. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 51: 229-253 (page 235, Veromessor as subgenus of Novomessor)
- Hanisch, P.E., Sosa-Calvo, J., Schultz, T.R. 2022. The last piece of the puzzle? Phylogenetic position and natural history of the monotypic fungus-farming ant genus Paramycetophylax (Formicidae: Attini). Insect Systematics and Diversity 6 (1): 11:1-17 (doi:10.1093/isd/ixab029).
- Johnson, R.A., Borowiec, M.L., Snelling, R.R., Cole, A.C. 2022. A taxonomic revision and a review of the biology of the North American seed-harvester ant genus Veromessor (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Zootaxa 52061, 1-115 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5206.1.1).
- Kempf, W. W. 1972b. Catálogo abreviado das formigas da regia~o Neotropical. Stud. Entomol. 15: 3-344 (page 257, Veromessor as genus )
- Kusnezov, N. 1952d [1951]. El género Pheidole en la Argentina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Acta Zool. Lilloana 12: 5-88 (page 10, Veromessor as genus (in key))
- Plowes, N. J. R.; Johnson, R. A.; Hölldobler, B. 2013. Foraging behavior in the ant genus Messor (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Myrmecological News 18:33-49. [2013-03-22] PDF 142390
- Smith, D. R. 1979. Superfamily Formicoidea. Pp. 1323-1467 in: Krombein, K. V., Hurd, P. D., Smith, D. R., Burks, B. D. (eds.) Catalog of Hymenoptera in America north of Mexico. Volume 2. Apocrita (Aculeata). Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Pr (page 1364, Veromessor as genus )
- Smith, M. R. 1951c. Family Formicidae. Pp. 778-875 in: Muesebeck, C. F., Krombein, K. V., Townes, H. K. (eds.) Hymenoptera of America north of Mexico. Synoptic catalogue. U. S. Dep. Agric. Agric. Monogr. 2:1-1420. (page 799, Veromessor as genus )
- Ward, P.S., Brady, S.G., Fisher, B.L. & Schultz, T.R. 2014. The evolution of myrmicine ants: phylogeny and biogeography of a hyperdiverse ant clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Systematic Entomology, DOI: 10.1111/syen.12090
- 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 661, Veromessor in Myrmicinae, Pheidolini;Veromessor as genus )
- Wheeler, W. M.; Creighton, W. S. 1934. A study of the ant genera Novomessor and Veromessor. Proc. Am. Acad. Arts Sci. 69: 341-387 (page 354, Veromessor as genus )
