Pitfall Trapping for Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Mesic Australia: What is the Best Trapping Period?

Increasing trapping periods from 48 h through 5 days and 7 days to 14 days increased species richness of ants captured. However, a high proportion of genera (15/20) and morphospecies (22/33) were taken in the initial 48 h period, and 7 day periods yielded all species later accumulated by 14 days trap use. The shorter periods provide samples that may be adequate for appraising representativeness or typicalness of local ant assemblages, as the data most commonly needed for site evaluation or comparisons, but more extensive sampling is necessary to accumulate all rarer species, including those that may have individual conservation significance.     

Further records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Iran

Wide ranging surveys of the ant fauna of Iran have enabled us to add a further 30 named species to the country list. A review of almost all the published literature and of photographs of unidentified specimens within the public domain gives a grand total of 248 species, from seven subfamilies and 37 genera. In the majority of instances, our own specimens were compared with type images available from antweb.com. This has led us to propose new or revised status for Cataglyphis turcomanica Crawley 1920, Lepisiota integrisquama (Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929), Lepisiota surchanica (Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929) and Messor obscurior Crawley 1920. We note that the total includes a number of what may be misidentifications and a small number of named species that seem unlikely to occur in Iran.     

Catalogue of the ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Bulgaria

The present catalogue of the ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Bulgaria is made on a base of critical reconsideration of literature (covering the period from 1892 till 2009 and part of 2010) as well as on examination of the authors' and several museum's collections. A lot of data were omitted in the previous Bulgarian monograph on ants, lots of new data were recently added and many important additions and alterations were made due to taxonomic revisions of Eurasian Formicidae during the last three decades. Two new species are reported for the country [Temnothorax graecus (Forel, 1911) and Temnothorax cf. korbi (Emery, 1924)].This catalogue contains a list of 163 ant species belonging to 40 genera of 6 subfamilies now known from Bulgaria. Synonyms and information on the previously reported names in relevant publications are given. Known localities of the species are grouped by geographic regions. Maps with concrete localities or regions for each species were prepared. The conservation status of 13 ant species is given as they are included in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and Bulgarian Biodiversity Act. In comparison with adjacent Balkan regions the ant fauna of Bulgaria is quite rich and its core is composed of South European elements.     

Structure and chemistry of the Dufour gland in Pristomyrmex ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Billen, J., Ito, F., Tsuji, K., Schoeters, E., Maile, R. and Morgan, E. D. 2000. Structure and chemistry of the Dufour gland in Pristomyrmex ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 81 : 159–166 All individuals of the three species of Pristomyrmex studied have a Dufour gland with a conspicuous hammer‐shaped distal part, that is connected to a thin‐walled proximal reservoir through a very narrow stalk. The secretory distal part is formed by high columnar cells that are characterized by a highly folded apical wall. The lateral cell junctions apically correspond with the crenel tops, which gives individual cells a peculiar shape with a deep apical depression. The cytoplasm of the secretory cells contains a very well developed smooth endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, numerous mitochondria and lysosomes. Histochemical analysis indicates a positive reaction for the presence of a lipid secretion in the hammer‐like part. Gas chromatographic analysis of glands of P. pungens workers reveals the secretion to be formed of a mixture of simple volatile monoterpene hydrocarbons; α–pinene, β–pinene, limonene and camphene. Similar, but species characteristic mixtures of four monoterpenes were found in Pristomyrmex brevispinosus and Pristomyrmex sp.1. Behavioural experiments did not allow a conclusive determination of the function of the gland.     

Functional analysis of the myrmecophilous relationships between ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and lycaenids (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Summary Mature larvae of the myrmecophilous lycaenid Polyommatus coridon produce an average of 30.9 droplets of a honeydew-like secretion per hour. They occur in population densities of about 20/m². The volume of secretion over the whole larval period is estimated to be 22–44 l with an energy content of 55–110 J. Thus, P. coridon larvae produce carbohydrate secretions with an energy equivalent of 1.1–2.2 kJ/m². Using data from the literature on ant metabolism, it is shown that these carbohydrate secretions may contribute significantly to the nutrition of attending ants. The myrmecophilous relationship between the larvae of P. coridon and ants should therefore be regarded as a mutualistic symbiosis.     

The population biology ofTapinoma minutum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Australia

Summary Nests ofTapinoma minutum were collected and mapped from a wet sclerophyll forest in New South Wales during the spring, summer, and fall seasons. Queen number was variable, indicating the population is both facultatively polygynous and polydomous. Electrophoretic data from three polymorphic enzymes revealed that relatedness among workers conformed to the Hamiltonian expectation of 0.75. Colony boundaries were inferred from electrophoretic data synthesized with nest spatial locations. For this species colonies were composed of at most three nests; this simple pattern of polydomy suggests it has a recent origin in this population. The pattern of facultative polygyny may be linked to an apparent high rate of colony orphaning.     

Biogeography and endemism of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Baja California, Mexico: afirst overview

Abstract Aims Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Baja California peninsula are poorly known, with information based largely on scattered museum and literature records. We provide the first comprehensive account of ant species occurring on the peninsula, we examine distribution patterns, and we assess the ‘peninsular effect’ which predicts that species richness declines from the base to the tip of a peninsula. Location Peninsula of Baja California, Mexico. Methods Data collection involved examining, identifying and recording label data from c. 2350 series of ants. These records provide a provisional, if incomplete, species list. We applied the incidence‐based estimator, Chao‐2, to our data base of specimen records to estimate the total number of ant species on the peninsula. We assessed endemism by comparing our peninsular species list to those from adjacent states. The peninsular effect was tested by comparing genus and species level richness between the two states of Baja California, and across five latitudinal blocks. Results We document 170 native ant species in thirty‐three genera, plus six non‐native species, in Baja California. It seems likely that additional species remain to be discovered: the Chao‐2 estimator of species richness, at 206.0 species, is about 20% higher than our observed species richness. About 30% of the species and 20% of the genera are restricted within Baja California to the relatively mesic California Floristic Province of north‐western Baja California. Nearly all of these species also occur in California. Forty‐seven species (27.6%) are peninsula endemics. Using our entire data set, the peninsular effect appears to be strong, with about twice as many species in the northern state of Baja California than are recorded from the southern state of Baja California Sur; the ratio of genera is 33 to 24. However, this effect becomes weak at the species level and absent at the genus level when minimizing habitat effects by omitting species restricted to the California Floristic Province. At a finer scale, across latitudinal blocks of about 1.9°, the number of species declines towards central portions of the peninsula and then increases in the Cape Region. Nine ant species display strongly disjunct distributions, and these occur in two general patterns: peninsula disjuncts and peninsula–mainland disjuncts. Main conclusions The Baja California peninsula supports a diverse and distinctive ant fauna, with the proportion of endemic species similar to that displayed by plants. Patterns of species and genus richness across the five latitudinal blocks provide poor support for the peninsular effect. Moreover, habitat diversity, especially that related to topographic relief, appears to be the most important factor affecting the gradient of ant species richness in Baja California. Additional collections are needed to develop a more complete species list and to determine the boundaries and status of many species. Nevertheless, the present data base provides a useful starting point for understanding the evolution of ant assemblages in Baja California and for comparison with peninsular patterns in other taxa.     

Conservation value of road verges in the semi-arid Karoo, South Africa: ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as bio-indicators

Ground-foraging ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were used to assess the conservation value of road verges in a semi-arid region around Prince Albert, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Ant communities were sampled using pitfall traps on 50 sites along two roads. Four transects were sampled at each site, two in the road verge and two in adjacent rangeland. A total of 43,298 individual ants of 34 species were caught, with 31 and 32 species in the road verge and adjacent rangeland respectively, but on average road verges were the more species-rich. Road verges also contained relatively more rare species (i.e. those species that occurred in <10% of the traps. Ant species richness appeared to be influenced by food availability. Although ants appeared to be negatively impacted by higher grazing intensities in the rangeland, there was no difference in species richness between fenced and unfenced road verges. Species in the road verge may benefit directly from road kills, and indirectly from lower grazing pressure on plants, increased surface run-off and differences in soil surface temperatures. No alien ant species were observed or captured at any of the sites.     

Evolution of nest-weaving behaviour in arboreal nesting ants of the genus Polyrhachis Fr. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract  Polyrhachis ants represent one of the most taxonomically and ecologically diverse ant genera, with over 500 described species organised into 12 subgenera. Nesting habits range from subterranean localities to arboreal nests incorporating silk produced by the ants' own larvae (nest weaving). In this article, we combine scanning electron microscopy and gross observations of the nests of 35 species representing nine subgenera thought to contain individuals that nest above the ground (Cyrtomyrma, Hagiomyrma, Hedomyrma, Hemioptica, Myrma, Myrmatopa, Myrmhopla, Myrmothrinax, Polyrhachis) to revaluate the relationship between nest locale, the type of nest material used and the use of larval silk for nest construction. Nesting habits are highly diverse, ranging from truly arboreal nests on or between leaves and branches, to lignicolous nests inside hollow stems or bamboo internodes and lithocolous nests on the sides of rock walls. Flat sheets of larval silk are used only by arboreal nesting species within the subgenera Cyrtomyrma , Hemioptica , Myrma , Myrmatopa , Myrmothrinax and Polyrhachis . Lignicolous nesting habits were demonstrated predominantly by Hedomyrma spp., but these habits also occur in Myrma and Myrmhopla . Lithicolous nesting habits occur within Hagiomyrma and Hedomyrma , though the actual nesting material used can be either carton or dense masses of spider silk. Based on existing phylogenetic hypotheses, the use of larval silk for nest construction has evolved independently within the genus, and has evolved independently of the construction of silk nests per se . Further examination of the exact type of silk found in the colonies of 'nest-weaving' Polyrhachis is warranted.     

The ant-tribe Leptothoracini in Turkey (Hymenoptera,Formicidae)

Abstract

A review is given of the state of knowledge of the 16 or more species of the ant tribe Leptothoracini that are known to occur in Turkey, together with a map of the published records and a list of new finds.     

Common names for Australian ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract Most insects do not have common names, and this is a significant barrier to public interest in them, and to their study by non-specialists. This holds for even highly familiar insect groups such as ants. Here, I propose common names for all major native Australian ant genera and species-groups, as well as for many of the most abundant and distinctive species. Sixty-two genera, 142 species-groups and 50 species are given names. The naming system closely follows taxonomic structure; typically a genus is given a general common name, under which species-group and species names are nested.     

Miocene ants (Hymenoptera,Formicidae) from Crimea

Ant imprints, new and previously known, from Middle Miocene deposits near Kerch (Crimean Peninsula, Russia) are described or redescribed. A new Myrmicinae species, Solenopsis atavinus sp. nov., is described based on a wingless female. A winged female similar to the earlier described Dolichoderus tauricus Dlussky, 1981 is found: due to the excellent preservation of this specimen, the new specimen and the holotype of D. tauricus are redescribed and can be reclassified as Ponerites tauricus (Dlussky, 1981), comb. nov. Oecophylla taurica sp. nov. is described based on a partly preserved imprint of a female thorax with a forewing, the venation of which allows it to be positively identified as a weaver ant. Two other species are transferred from the formal genus Camponotites to Oecophylla based on forewing venation: O. kraussei (Dlussky et Rasnitsyn, 1999), comb. nov. (Early Eocene, United States) and O. macroptera (Dlussky, 1981), comb. nov. (Middle Miocene, Stavropol, Russia). One of the studied forewing imprints is similar in venation to Paraphaenogaster microphthalmus Dlussky, 1981, described from the Middle Miocene of Vishnevaya Balka (Stavropol province, Russia) and so is attributed to this species. Dolichoderus tavridus sp. nov. is described based on a forewing.     

A checklist of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in northern Shaanxi Province,China, with one new species of genus Proformica Ruzsky, 1902

A preliminary checklist of the ants of northern Shaanxi is presented based on an evaluation from June 2018 to September 2020. Seven species are reported from Shaanxi for the first time: Formica approximans Wheeler, 1933; Formica clara Forel, 1886; Messor aralocaspius (Ruzsky, 1902); Plagiolepis pygmaea (Latreille, 1798); Tapinoma rectinotum Wheeler, 1927; Tetramorium chefketi Forel, 1911; Tetramorium tsushimae Emery, 1925 and Temnothorax ruginosus Zhou, Huang, Yu & Liu, 2010. A new species of genus Proformica Ruzsky, 1902, Proformica muusensis sp. nov., is described based on the morphology and molecular method. In total, three subfamilies with 34 valid ant species in 15 genera are reported in our checklist.     

Atypical vitellins in ponerine ants (Formicidae: Hymenoptera)

Higher hymenopteran vitellogenin/vitellins have been characterized as containing one large apoprotein. We show that in the ant subfamily Ponerinae, species in the tribes Odontomachini, Platythyrini, and Amblyoponini, also have a vitellin with this simple structure, containing a single apoprotein of 180-190kDa. Species in tribes Ponerini and Ectatommini, however, have vitellins containing multiple subunits. The size and number of the subunits varies, with differences even among species within the same genus. This is the first report of diversity in vitellogenin structure in the higher Hymenoptera. Vitellin and vitellogenin in Harpegnathos saltator (Ponerini) contain two large subunits of about 165kDa and two small subunits of about 45 and 43kDa. N-terminal sequence analysis suggests that provitellogenin is cleaved at two different sites, producing two large and two small subunits differing slightly in size. Diversity of vitellin types in Ponerini and Ectatommini is similar to that found in the more primitive tenthredinoid sawflies (Hymenoptera, Symphyta), and may indicate polyphyly in the Ponerinae. Insect vitellogenins and yolk proteins show considerably more diversity than originally believed, and the possibility of the functional significance of these differences should be considered.     

Multiply Mating Males in Gnamptogenys striatula Mayr (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Multiply mating ant males are rare, because in most ant species, multiple mating opportunities for males are scarce. Gnamptogenys striatula is an exception to this rule, as intranidal mating offers protection and a local female-biased sex ratio. In a behavioral experiment, we confirm the males’ ability to inseminate several receptive workers, with four females being the observed maximum. D. Allard is a Research Assistant for the Fund of Scientific Research—Flanders.     

Karyological studies of Japanese ants (Hymenoptera,Formicidae)

The karyotypes of nine Japanese ants in three subfamilies (Ponerinae, Formicinae, and Myrmicinae) were successfully analysed by the improved squash technique. Three ponerine species had 2n=7 and n=4 (Ponera scabra), 2n=22 (Brachyponera sinensis), and 2n=28 and n=14 (Cryptopone sauteri). Four formicine species had 2n=18 and n=9 (Camponotus sp. and C. tokioensis), 2n=26 and n=13 (Camponotus japonicus), and 2n=30 and n=15 (Lasius niger). Two myrmicine species had 2n=18 and n=9 (Leptothorax congruus), and 2n=37, 38, 39, and n=17, 18, 19, 20 (Pheidole nodus). It was found that the variation of chromosome number observed in P. nodus was caused by Robertsonian type polymorphism.     

Comparing different methods for trapping mated queens of weaver ants (Oecophylla longinoda; Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The predatory efficiency of African weaver ants Oecophylla longinoda and their utilisation in protein production is a function of ant abundance. Reliable control of insect pests in tropical crops is achieved when ant populations are constantly high. Transplanted populations of weaver ant colonies containing egg-laying queens are more stable than those without. Achieving such stability through collection of colonies established in the wild is usually difficult because of uncertainty in locating the nest containing the egg-laying queen. In this study, we investigated four methods that may be used to collect mated queens that subsequently can be used to stock ant nurseries. The catch efficiencies of (1) leaf traps, (2) paper traps (both types providing a refuge for founding queens), (3) random search for queens and (4) light trapping were compared. Light trapping was the most efficient way to collect queens followed by leaf traps, random search and, last, paper traps. Light trapping and random search, though, required the presence of a person throughout the ant's mating season (several months), whereas this was not required when using leaf and paper traps.     

Checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera,Formicidae) of the Solomon Islands and a new survey of Makira Island

The intent of this paper is to facilitate future research of the Solomon Islands ant fauna by providing the first comprehensively researched species inventory in over 75 years. The species list presented here includes the names of all ant species recorded from the islands that are available in the literature together with specimen records from several museum collections and new records from our 2008 Makira field expedition. All the names of described species presented are valid in accordance with the most recent Formicidae classification. In total, the checklist is composed of 237 species and subspecies (including 30 morphospecies) in 59 genera representing nine subfamilies. We report that the recent field expedition added 67 new species records to Makira and 28 new species records to the Solomon Islands. Our research recovered species occurrence records for 32 individual islands and five island groups. The five islands with the highest number of recorded species are: Makira (142 spp.), Guadalcanal (107 spp.), Malaita (70 spp.), Santa Isabel (68 spp.), and Rennell (66 spp.). Based on our results, we discuss the taxonomic composition of the archipelago’s ant fauna, which islands are most in need of additional sampling, and the importance of establishing biodiversity baselines before environmental threats such as the invasive ant Wasmannia auropunctata cause irrevocable harm to the native biodiversity.