36 results on '"Sosa-Calvo, J."'
Search Results
2. Nest architecture, fungus gardens, queen, males and larvae of the fungus-growing ant Mycetagroicus inflatus Brandão & Mayhé-Nunes
- Author
-
Jesovnik, A., Sosa-Calvo, J., Lopes, C. T., Vasconcelos, H. L., and Schultz, T. R.
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Evolution, systematics, and natural history of a new genus of cryptobiotic fungus‐growing ants.
- Author
-
SOSA‐CALVO, J. E. F. F. R. E. Y., SCHULTZ, T. E. D. R., JEŠOVNIK, A. N. A., DAHAN, R. O. M. A. I. N. A., and RABELING, C. H. R. I. S. T. I. A. N.
- Subjects
- *
FUNGUS ants , *INSECT phylogeny , *INSECT evolution , *FORAGING behavior , *INSECT-fungus relationships , *TRACHYMYRMEX , *CRYPTOZOA , *ANIMAL behavior - Abstract
Abstract: Xerolitor, a new, monotypic genus of fungus‐growing ants, is described to accommodate the phylogenetically isolated, relict species Mycetosoritis explicatus Kempf. We also diagnose the male and the larva of Xerolitor explicatus (Kempf) comb.n. and report ecological observations for the species, including nest architecture and foraging behaviour. Xerolitor explicatus comb.n. inhabits the dry habitats of the Brazilian Cerrado and the Bolivian and Paraguayan Gran Chaco. Bayesian multilocus phylogenetic analyses indicate that X. explicatus comb.n. is, contrary to some prior hypotheses, a member of the ‘higher’ fungus‐growing ants and the sister taxon of the genus Sericomyrmex Mayr. Results from phylogenetic analyses of the fungal cultivar grown by X. explicatus comb.n. in Paraguay, as well as the presence of gongylidia, indicate that the fungal mutualist is a member of the clade of higher fungal cultivar species and that it is probably the same species cultivated by some Trachymyrmex Forel and Sericomyrmex species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Pyramica rishwani Makhan
- Author
-
Bolton, B., Sosa-Calvo, J., Fern�� �� ndez, F., and Lattke, J. E.
- Subjects
Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Pyramica rishwani ,Animalia ,Pyramica ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
5. Pyramica rishwani Makhan, 2007: 5, figs 9, 10. Holotype and paratype workers, SURINAME: Kasikasima, 27.iii. 1996 (D. Makhan) [not in USPS]. New junior synonym of Strumigenys elongata Roger, 1863. Comment. Makhan records the holotype as a worker and his figs 9 and 10 are both labelled as being of the worker holotype. But his fig. 9 is a queen (gyne) and his fig. 10 is the head of a different specimen, apparently a genuine worker. It is obvious that two different specimens are involved as the orientations of their mandibles and antennae are different in the two photographs. Therefore the synopsis should read "syntype workers and queen." Regardless of that, both specimens are not Pyramica but are Strumigenys elongata, one of the commonest and most widely distributed of Neotropical Strumigenys. It is already known from Suriname (near Maripaheuvel and Lely and Nassau Plateaus). References: Brown (1954, 1962); Kempf (1961); Lattke & Goitia (1997); Bolton (2000); LaPolla et al. (2007); Sosa-Calvo (2007)., Published as part of Bolton, B., Sosa-Calvo, J., Fern�� �� ndez, F. & Lattke, J. E., 2008, New synonyms in neotropical Myrmicine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)., pp. 61-64 in Zootaxa 1732 on pages 61-64
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. Daceton
- Author
-
Azorsa, F. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Animalia ,Daceton ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
Daceton Perty Daceton Perty, 1833: 136. Type-species: Formica armigera Latreille, 1802: 244, by monotypy. Dacetum Agassiz, 1848: 332, unjustified emendation of Daceton. [Synonymy by Brown, 1973: 179.] A complete diagnosis of the genus is provided by Bolton (1999, 2000)., Published as part of Azorsa, F. & Sosa-Calvo, J., 2008, Description of a remarkable new species of ant in the genus Daceton Perty (Formicidae: Dacetini) from South America., pp. 27-38 in Zootaxa 1749 on page 29
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
6. Pyramica kiranae Makhan
- Author
-
Bolton, B., Sosa-Calvo, J., Fernà ¡ ndez, F., and Lattke, J. E.
- Subjects
Pyramica kiranae ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Animalia ,Pyramica ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
4. Pyramica kiranae Makhan, 2007: 4, figs 7, 8. Holotype and paratype workers, SURINAME: Kasikasima, 27.iii.1996 (D. Makhan) [not in USPS]. New junior synonym of Pyramica subedentata (Mayr, 1887). Comment. There is a slight possibility that kiranae may be a junior synonym of trieces (Brown, 1960), rather than subedentata. The last two are very closely related and the characters that differentiate them (alitrunk pilosity and sculpture of the first gastral sternite) are not discernible in the photographs and are not mentioned in the descriptions. However, trieces is known only from Central America, whereas subedentata, apart from being a more common species, is also widespread in northern South America, with records from Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Suriname, French Guiana, Guyana, Brazil and Peru. References: Brown (1960, 1962); Lattke & Goitia (1997); Bolton (2000); Fernandez & Sendoya (2004); LaPolla et al. (2007); Sosa-Calvo (2007)., Published as part of Bolton, B., Sosa-Calvo, J., Fern�� �� ndez, F. & Lattke, J. E., 2008, New synonyms in neotropical Myrmicine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)., pp. 61-64 in Zootaxa 1732 on pages 61-64
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
7. Daceton boltoni Azorsa & Sosa-Calvo, 2008, new species
- Author
-
Azorsa, F. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Animalia ,Daceton ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Daceton boltoni ,Taxonomy - Abstract
Daceton boltoni Azorsa and Sosa-Calvo, new species (figs. 2, 4, 6, 8-16, 20-22) Holotype worker. Measurements (mm): EL 0.66, GL 3.29, HL 3.21, HW 3.47, ML 2.34, PL 1.40, PPL 0.55, PSL 1.05, PW 3.13, SL 2.01, TL 13.9, WL 3.07. Indexes: CI 108, MI 73, PI 46, PSI 34, SI 58. Polymorphic. Head heart-shaped; wider than long. Mandibles elongate and linear with apical fork consisting of two teeth of which the ventral one is the largest. Mandibles finely reticulate-punctate. Inner (masticatory) margin of mandibles with long hairs, lacking any short, thick hairs. Outer margin of mandibles with some decumbent hairs. Mandibles, in full-face view, somewhat short and stout [(MW/ML')* 100= 34-44] (fig. 23). Dorsum of clypeus with suberect to subdecumbent hairs. In some intermediate and major castes, dorsum of head with a small but conspicuous ocellus. Ocular carina absent. Ocular crest, in lateral view, with 1-3 erect, simple hairs. Antennal scapes not surpassing the posterior margin of head. Antennal scapes slightly thickening towards the apex, finely reticulate and shiny, and with most of their lengths covered with sparse decumbent to subdecumbent hairs. Base of mandibles, in lateral view, finely reticulate-punctate and ventrally rugose, rest of lateral margin of mandibles smooth and shiny. Sides of head lacking a broad gap between bases of mandibles and margins of head capsule when mandibles fully closed (except in two minors studied, in which case there is a narrow gap). Depressions, adjacent to and ventral to mandibular insertion, shallow (much deeper in D. armigerum). Pronotum with a pair of humeral tubercles that are more carina-like and a pair of lateral, single-tipped (rather than bifurcate) spines. Propleuron, in lateral view, strongly angulate. Posterior portion of promesonotum with a pair of low tubercles. Promesonotum with at least two pairs of standing simple hairs. Metanotal groove weakly impressed. Propodeal spines long and somewhat curved inwards (U-shaped) when seen in fronto-dorsal view. Propodeal spiracles appearing, in dorsal view, as lateral prominences of propodeum; opening of propodeal spiracle longer than wide (oval). Peduncle of petiole long. Anterior-lateral margins smooth and shiny. Dorsum of petiole anteriorly with a pair of small spines that project latero-posteriorly. Disc of petiole finely reticulate-punctate, lacking a second pair of tubercles or spines. Postpetiole, in dorsal view, hexagonal. Disc of postpetiole finely reticulate-punctate and with appressed hairs. Posterior margin of postpetiole, in lateral view, angulate. Dorsum of first gastral segment mainly with subdecumbent to decumbent hairs in addition to some appressed hairs. Paratype workers. Measurements (mm): EL 0.31-0.79, GL 1.69-3.82, HL 1.08-3.57, HW 1.17-4.13, ML 0.66-2.83, PL 0.67-1.58, PPL 0.24-0.60, PSL 0.28-1.20, PW 0.95-3.60, SL 0.74-2.11, TL 5.68-15.9, WL 1.34-3.55. Indexes: CI 106-116, MI 61-79, PI 41-52, PSI 21-40, SI 51-74, (29 measured). Holotype worker, Peru: Loreto, Iquitos, ACTS Field Station, Canopy Walkway, 03��15'00''S72��55'12''W, 20-24.iii.2006 (F Azorsa). [Deposited in MUSM.] Paratypes, 14 workers with same data as holotype; 15 workers, Brazil: Amazonas, Hwy ZF 2, Km 19, ca 60 Km N. Manaus, 02��30'S60��15'W, 16.viii.1979, Terra Firma (T.L. Erwin et al.). [Deposited in BMNH (1), IAvH (1), ICN (1), MCZC (2), MZSP (2), MUSM (6), USNM (16).] Non-paratypic material examined. 6 workers, Brazil: Amazonas, Manaus, Reserva 41 WWF, iii. 1992 (F.P. Benton) [CPDC]. Gyne and male. Unknown. Range. This species is known to occur in Iquitos, Peru, and Manaus, Brazil. Etymology. It gives us great pleasure to name this ant in honor of Mr. Barry Bolton for his extensive contributions to the study of ant taxonomy and, especially, to the taxonomy of the tribe Dacetini. His worldwide revision of the tribe Dacetini is a monumental, well-documented work containing well-executed SEM micrographs and a very user-friendly taxonomical key that facilitates identification of the many miniscule, curious species of the tribe. Habitat. This species seems to be an exclusively canopy-dwelling ant. The Peruvian specimens were collected on a Sloanea sp. (Elaeocarpaceae) tree. Worker variation. Among the specimens studied, some morphological variation has been documented, including: (i) All castes with sides of head lacking a broad gap between bases of mandibles and margins of head capsule when mandibles are fully closed, with the exception of the two minor workers studied, in which case there is a narrow gap. (ii) Erect hairs on the ocular crest are present in all workers examined. However, the number of hairs varies among specimens. We suspect that these hairs are fragile and can be easily lost, which may account for the variation observed between specimens. This seems also to apply to the standing hairs on the median promesonotum and behind the posterior tubercles of the promesonotum. (iii) Humeral tubercles are strongly reduced, sometimes forming a carina or absent, especially in smaller workers. (iv) The propodeal spines of all of the Peruvian specimens examined converging at the tips (U-shaped, when seen in fronto-dorsal view), whereas in most of the specimens from Brazil the propodeal spines are diverging, more like the state in D. armigerum. (v) Petiolar spines short, almost absent in the smaller castes. The petiolar spines are more developed in the specimens from Brazil. Key to the species of Daceton. Pronotal humeral spines bifurcate, the anterior tip larger than the posterior one (fig. 3). First gastral tergite without standing hairs (sometimes with very short, appressed hairs) (figs. 3, 7, 17-19). Mesonotum and metanotum divided by a strongly impressed metanotal groove (fig. 3). Inner (masticatory) margin of mandibles with a row of short thick setae (fig. 5)............................................................. Daceton armigerum. -. Pronotal humeral spines long and simple (figs. 4, 10, 14). First gastral tergite with suberect to subdecumbent hairs (figs. 4, 8, 11-12, 14-15, 20-22). Mesonotum and metanotum divided by a weakly impressed metanotal groove (figs. 4, 10, 14). Inner (masticatory) margin of mandibles lacking a row of short thick setae (fig. 6)....................................................................................................................... Daceton boltoni. Discussion The worker caste of Daceton boltoni shares many important character states with that of its sister species D. armigerum, including the heart-shaped head, the large eyes located on a low cuticular prominence (Bolton 2000), the number of apical mandibular teeth, and general habitus (figs. 1-8). Daceton boltoni differs from D. armigerum by the absence of a specialized row of thick setae on the inner (masticatory) margin of the mandibles; by mandibles that are slightly shorter and more stout, which could indicate differences in prey preferences between the two species (B. Bolton, pers. comm.); by a broad gap, when seen in profile, between the bases of the fully-closed mandibles and the margins of the head capsule; by shallow depressions adjacent to and ventral to the mandibular insertions; by long and simple lateral pronotal spines; by a weakly impressed metanotal groove; and by subdecumbent to decumbent hairs on the tergite of abdominal segment IV. Behaviorally, D. boltoni appears to be very similar to D. armigerum. However, drop tests conducted at the type locality indicate that D. boltoni individuals exhibit weak and inconsistent aerial gliding behavior relative to those of D. armigerum (S.P. Yanoviak, pers. comm.). These characters strongly suggest that D. boltoni is a distinct species rather than a variety of D. armigerum. These character states are consistent across all 30 specimens examined from two distant localities in South America (Iquitos, Peru, and Manaus, Brazil) where both species co-occur. No intermediate forms were observed to suggest that the two forms are conspecific. Rather, D. boltoni is sympatric with D. armigerum. Although its known distribution is currently only two locations in the Amazonian forest, it is possible and indeed likely that D. boltoni shares a broadly overlapping distribution with D. armigerum. The discovery of a new species in the heretofore monotypic genus Daceton, a widely distributed genus of large and conspicuous ants occurring in most South American rainforests, suggests the possibility of a similar pattern in two other ant genera currently regarded as monotypic and likewise widely distributed, Paraponera Smith and Gigantiops Roger. Individuals of these monotypic genera are, like those of Daceton, large and conspicuous. It is well worth considering that, as with Daceton, these features may have blinded myrmecologists to the possibility that these "monotypic" genera consist in reality of multiple cryptic species., Published as part of Azorsa, F. & Sosa-Calvo, J., 2008, Description of a remarkable new species of ant in the genus Daceton Perty (Formicidae: Dacetini) from South America., pp. 27-38 in Zootaxa 1749 on pages 32-37
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
8. Pyramica wani Makhan
- Author
-
Bolton, B., Sosa-Calvo, J., Fernà ¡ ndez, F., and Lattke, J. E.
- Subjects
Pyramica wani ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Animalia ,Pyramica ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
6. Pyramica wani Makhan, 2007: 6, figs 11, 12. Holotype worker, SURINAME: Nieuw Amsterdam, 30.iii.1996 (D. Makhan) [not in USPS]. New junior synonym of Strumigenys louisianae Roger, 1863. 62 ������ Zootaxa 1732 ���� 2008 Magnolia Press BOLTON ET AL. -------------------------------- page break -------------------------------- Comment. From the photographs that are figs. 11 and 12 it is apparent that Pyramica wani is yet another name to add to the already long synonymy of Strumigenys louisianae. The range of this species is vast, extending from the southern states of the U.S.A. to northern Argentina; it is already well known in the fauna of Suriname (Dirkshoop). References: Smith (1931); Brown (1953, 1961, 1962); Kempf (1961); Deyrup (1997); Lattke & Goitia (1997); Bolton(2000)., Published as part of Bolton, B., Sosa-Calvo, J., Fern�� �� ndez, F. & Lattke, J. E., 2008, New synonyms in neotropical Myrmicine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)., pp. 61-64 in Zootaxa 1732 on pages 61-64
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
9. Pyramica amrishi Makhan
- Author
-
Bolton, B., Sosa-Calvo, J., Fern�� �� ndez, F., and Lattke, J. E.
- Subjects
Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Pyramica amrishi ,Animalia ,Pyramica ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
1. Pyramica amrishi Makhan, 2007: 1, figs 1, 2. Holotype and paratype workers, SURINAME: Kasikasima, 27.iii. 1996 (D. Makhan) [not in USPS]. New junior synonym of Octostruma balzani (Emery, 1894). Comment. The author has managed to place this species in the wrong genus and tribe. The photographs are infuriatingly fuzzy but the head shape and distribution of the setae that are visible makes it almost certain that the " new species " amrishi is really one of the commonest and most widely distributed of Neotropical basicerotine ants, Octostruma balzani. Octostruma balzani has been previously collected from Dirkshoop, Sidoredjo, and Tambahredjo; eastern Suriname (Lely and Nassau Plateaus); and Nickerie District. References: Brown & Kempf (1960); Kempf (1961, 1972); LaPolla et al. (2007); Palacio (1997); Sosa-Calvo (2007); Sosa-Calvo (unpublished)., Published as part of Bolton, B., Sosa-Calvo, J., Fern�� �� ndez, F. & Lattke, J. E., 2008, New synonyms in neotropical Myrmicine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)., pp. 61-64 in Zootaxa 1732 on pages 61-64
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
10. Description of a remarkable new species of ant in the genus Daceton Perty (Formicidae: Dacetini) from South America
- Author
-
Frank Azorsa and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
Azorsa, Frank, Sosa-Calvo, Jeffrey (2008): Description of a remarkable new species of ant in the genus Daceton Perty (Formicidae: Dacetini) from South America. Zootaxa 1749: 27-38, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.181707
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
11. Daceton armigerum
- Author
-
Azorsa, F. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Daceton armigerum ,Animalia ,Daceton ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
Daceton armigerum (Latreille) (figs. 1, 3, 5, 7, 17-19) Formica armigera Latreille, 1802: 244, pl. 9, fig. 58. Syntype(?) worker, Brazil (not seen). Myrmecia cordata Fabricius, 1804: 425. Syntypes, 2 workers, America Meridionali [South America]. (Synonymy by Roger, 1862: 290.) (seen) Daceton armigerum (Latreille); Perty, 1833: 136 (combination). Atta (?) armigera (Latreille); Guerin-Meneville, 1844: 421 (combination). Daceton armigerum (Latreille); F. Smith, 1853: 226 (revived combination). Worker. Measurements (mm): EL 0.44-0.87, GL 1.89-4.50, HL 1.44-4.06, HW 1.58-4.17, ML 0.79-3.32, PL 0.78-1.93, PPL 0.26-0.51, PSL 0.32-1.59, PW 1.38-4.60, SL 0.94-2.77, TL 6.91-17.8, WL 1.70-4.24. Indexes: CI 102-113, MI 55-88, PI 41-52, PSI 18-39, SI 59-73 (17 measured). Polymorphic. Head wider than long, heart-shaped. Mandibles linear and elongate, each with an apical fork of two teeth that overlap at full closure, of which the ventral tooth is the largest. Inner (masticatory) margin of mandibles lacking any dentition but with a series of short, thick setae that differ from any other pilosity present on mandibles. Outer margin of mandibles lacking hairs completely or with very short, appressed hairs. Mandibles, in full-face view, somewhat long and narrow [(MW/ML')*100= 25-40] (fig. 23). Palp formula 5,3. Depressions, adjacent to and ventral to the mandibular insertion, deep. Clypeus without standing hairs. Pronotal humeri with acute tubercles. Lateral pronotal spines bifurcate, the anterior tips larger than the posterior ones. Metanotal groove deeply impressed. Mesosoma glabrous. Petiolar node with an anterior-lateral pair of long spines and a pair of small but sharp tubercles, located underneath the anterior-lateral spines. First gastral tergite finely reticulate and devoid of any erect or semi-erect pilosity, sometimes with very short, appressed hairs. Color of head, mesosoma, and metasoma, usually red-brown to red-yellowish, sometimes dark red-brown or rarely bicolored; petiole, postpetiole, and gaster darker than rest of body. Range. This species is known to occur in the Terra Firma and flooded forests of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad, and Venezuela. The material examined conforms perfectly to the description given by Latreille (1802: 244). Daceton armigerum has been studied extensively by Wheeler & Wheeler (1954, description of larvae), Wilson (1962, ecology and behavior), Blum & Portocarrero (1966, trail pheromone and venom), Holldobler et al. (1990, chemical communication), Moffet & Tobin (1991, physical castes), Groenenberg (1996, mandibular mode of action), and Bolton (1999, 2000, classification). Material examined. Myrmecia cordata Fabricius, Syntypes, 2 workers, labeled: "Essequibo [possibly Guyana], Smidt. Mus. de Sehestedt. Armigerum, Latr. [Latreille] Myrmecia cordata, worker, Fabr. [Fabricius]." Deposited in ZMUC. Bolivia: 8 workers, Beni, Cavinas, i.1954 (WM. Mann) [USNM]; 4 workers, Beni, Cavinas, ii.1954 (W.M. Mann) [USNM]; 3 workers, Beni, Huachi, ix.1954 (WM Mann) [USNM]; 5 workers, Beni, Rurrenabaque, x.1954 (W.M. Mann) [USNM]; 18 workers, Rosario, Mulford Biological Station, (L Rocagua) xi.1921-1922, (WM. Mann) [USNM]. Brazil: 55 workers, Amazonas, Hwy ZF 2, Km 19, ca 60 Km N. Manaus, 02��30'S60��15'W, 17.viii.1979, Terra Firma (T.L. Erwin etal.) [USNM]; 2 workers, Amazonas, Rio Taruma Mirim, 20 Km NW Manaus, 02��53'S60��07'W, 2.iii.1979 (T.L. Erwin et al.) [USNM]; 1 worker, Amazonas, Rio Taruma Mirim, 2 Km from Rio Negro, 03��02'S06��17'W, 29.vii.1979, Igapo black water inundation, forest canopy (T.L. Erwin et al.) [USNM]; 9 workers, Amazonas, Itacoatiara (Mann and Baker); 1 workers, Manaus, Reserva Ducke, 9.vi.1971, rainforest, (W.L. andD.E. Brown) [MCZC]; 4 workers, Para, vii.1962, B-253 (WL Brown) [USNM]; 8 workers, Para, (W.M. Mann) [USNM]; 2 workers, Mato Grosso, Tangara da Serra, 30.v.2003 (P.R. Maria) [CPDC]. Colombia: 1 worker, Guaviare, R. Nukak, Cr. Moyano, Cano Cucuy. Ban 02��10'35"N 71��10'58'W, ii.1996, elev. 250 m, exc. humano (F Escobar) [IAvH]; 4 workers, Meta, PNN Sierra de la Macarena, Cabana Cerrillo, 3��21'N73��56'W, 21.xii.2002 to 4.i.2003, elev.460 m, Malaise trap, (A. Herrera and W Villalba) [IAvH]; 3 workers, Meta, PNN Sierra de la Macarena, Cano Curia, parcela, 3��21'N73��56'W, 9-24.ix.2003, elev. 460 m, Malaise trap, (W. Villalba) [IAvH]; 9 workers, Meta, La Macarena, 10.i. 1977, in a tree (C. Kugler) [IAvH]; 3 workers, Meta, Fundacion Yamato, Rio Meta, Cano MitiMiti, 1.iv.1997 (J Madrid) [IAvH]; 3 workers, Meta, PNN Tinigua, Cano Nevera, 02��11'N73��48'W, 23.xi.2002 to 7.i.2003, elev. 390 m, Malaise trap (C. Sanchez) [IAvH]; 1 worker, Meta, PNN Tinigua, Vda. Bajo, 02��16'N73��48'W, 12.xi.2002 to 5.i.2003, elev. 460 m, Malaise trap (C. Sanchez) [IAvH]; 2 workers, Meta, Villavicencio, iii.1984 (N. Ruiz) [USNM]; 1 worker, Vichada, Cumaribo, Cgto. Santa Rita, PNN El Tuparro, 05��19' 54"N67��53'27"W, 10.ii.2004, elev. 135 m, mata de monte, hand collecting (I. Quintero) [IAvH]. Ecuador: 6 workers, Napo, Prov. Limoncocha, 10.vi.1977 (D.L.Vincent) [USNM]; 1 worker, Prov. Sucumbios, Garza Cocha-Anyagu, 175 Km ESE Coca, 25.ii-2.iii.1994, (P.J. Devries) [MCZC]. French Guiana: 2 workers, Les Nouragues, iii.2006 (A. Delean) [CPDC]; 2 workers, Paracou, Lisiere de Foret, xi.1996 (B. Corbara et al.) [CPDC]; 3 workers, Petit Sant Basse Vie, vi-vii.2000 (S. Durou et al.) [CPDC]. Guyana: 1 worker, Iwokrama, Island in Essequibo River, 4�� 43.890'N58�� 50.992'W, 10.iv.1996, elev. ~60 m, hand collecting, 1�� forest, tree, (T.R. Schultz and U.G. Mueller) [USNM]; 1 worker, Rupununi, Upper-Essequibo River, Kwatata, 3�� 38.192'N59�� 27.217'W, 25.x.2002, elev. 115 m, hand collecting, bush island, (T.R. Schultz) [USNM]. Peru: 1 worker, Loreto, Iquitos, 12 Km W, 16.ii.1984 (W. Mathis) [USNM]; 1 worker, Loreto, Explornapo Camp on Rio Sucusari, 2 Km upstream from Rio Napo, 160 Km NE Iquitos, 20.vii.1990 (Menke andAwertschenko) [USNM]; 5 workers, Loreto Region, 37 Km SSW of Iquitos, 04.049��S, 73.445��W, 28.viii.2004 (S. Yanoviak) [USNM]; 7 workers, Madre de Dios, 30 Km SW Puerto Maldonado, 7.ix.1982 (J.J. Anderson) [USNM]. Suriname: 1 worker, Temomairem Cosh Toemoeh Hoemak, 25.viii.1939 (Geijskes) [USNM]; 1 worker, Lely Mountains, 4��16'13"N 54��44'18'W, 28.x.2005 (J Sosa-Calvo) [USNM]. Trinidad: 6 workers, Cumuto Village, 10-16.iv.1961, semi-deciduous forest in the Aripo savanna, (E.O. Wilson) [MCZC]; 1 worker, 20.ii.1929, (J.G Myers) [USNM]. Venezuela: 3 workers, Orinoco Delta, i-ii.1935, (N.A. Weber) [MCZC]; 1 worker, Suapure, Caura River, 2.iv.1900, (E.A. Klages) [MCZC]; 3 workers, T.F. Amazonas, Cerro de la Neblina, Basecamp, 0��50'N 66��9'44'W, 140 m., 1-10.iii.1984 (Davis and McCabe) [USNM]. Worker variation. Most of the within-species morphological variation in D. armigerum workers is manifested in the form of the promesonotum and, to a lesser degree, in the forms of the petiole, postpetiole, and gaster. This variation includes: (i) Lateral spines bifurcate, the posterior spine projecting upwards and curving at the tip in major workers, whereas in small or median workers this spine not curving at the tip. In small workers the posterior spine is very short, almost vestigial when viewed in profile, but conspicuous in dorsal view. (ii) Short, simple, and appressed hairs present on the first gastral tergite in some individuals from Brazil and Peru. On other workers, hairs on the first gastral segment are absent. (iii) Humeral spines, in smaller workers, vestigial or present as very low carinae. Median and larger-sized workers with humeral tubercles that are spinose or acute. (iv) The posterior pair of petiolar tubercles reduced, rounded and low in smaller workers, whereas tubercles acute in larger workers. (v) Large workers with posterior promesonotal tubercles truncate and flattened in profile. (vi) Anterior spines of petiole long and diverging with intervening space concave or with intervening space discontinuous. Anterior spines of petiole in smaller workers shorter than in other castes., Published as part of Azorsa, F. & Sosa-Calvo, J., 2008, Description of a remarkable new species of ant in the genus Daceton Perty (Formicidae: Dacetini) from South America., pp. 27-38 in Zootaxa 1749 on pages 30-32
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
12. Rogeria foreli
- Author
-
LaPolla, J. S. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Rogeria ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Rogeria foreli ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
R. foreli (figs. 4 & 15): this species has a disjunct distribution: the southwestern United States, Costa Rica, Panama, northern South America, and the Caribbean. There are no known localities in Guyana, but it is widespread in the northern Neotropics. Specimens have been collected from Berlese samples of leaf litter and rotten wood. In southeastern Arizona, specimens have been found under stones in oak-juniper woodland., Published as part of LaPolla, J. S. & Sosa-Calvo, J., 2006, Review of the ant genus Rogeria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Guyana., pp. 59-68 in Zootaxa 1330 on page 66
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
13. Rogeria tsumani
- Author
-
LaPolla, J. S. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Rogeria ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Rogeria tsumani ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
R. tsumani * (figs. 11 & 22): known only from the type locality in Guyana. See text for details of natural history., Published as part of LaPolla, J. S. & Sosa-Calvo, J., 2006, Review of the ant genus Rogeria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Guyana., pp. 59-68 in Zootaxa 1330 on page 67
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
14. Rogeria scobinata
- Author
-
LaPolla, J. S. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Rogeria ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Rogeria scobinata ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
R. scobinata* (figs. 10 & 21): this species ranges throughout much of tropical South America. In Guyana it was collected in Mabura Hill, 5�� 09.313'N, 58�� 41.982'W, elev. 64 m. Specimens have been collected from Berlese and Winkler samples of leaf litter and rotten wood in tropical forest below 1000 m elevation., Published as part of LaPolla, J. S. & Sosa-Calvo, J., 2006, Review of the ant genus Rogeria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Guyana., pp. 59-68 in Zootaxa 1330 on page 67
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
15. Rogeria micromma
- Author
-
LaPolla, J. S. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Rogeria ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Rogeria micromma ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
R. micromma * (figs. 7 & 18): this species was previously known only from several localities in Suriname. In Guyana it was collected in a lowland rainforest dominated by Chlorocardium (Lauraceae) trees (Mabura Hill, 5�� 09.313'N, 58�� 41.982'W, elev. 64 m.). The natural history of this species remains still unknown., Published as part of LaPolla, J. S. & Sosa-Calvo, J., 2006, Review of the ant genus Rogeria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Guyana., pp. 59-68 in Zootaxa 1330 on pages 66-67
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
16. Rogeria prominula
- Author
-
LaPolla, J. S. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Rogeria ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Rogeria prominula ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
R. prominula * (figs. 9 & 20): known from its type locality: Manaus, Brazil. In Guyana this species is now known from Oronoque River (from N.A. Weber collection made in 1936). The natural history of this species remains unknown., Published as part of LaPolla, J. S. & Sosa-Calvo, J., 2006, Review of the ant genus Rogeria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Guyana., pp. 59-68 in Zootaxa 1330 on page 67
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
17. Rogeria blanda
- Author
-
LaPolla, J. S. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Rogeria ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Rogeria blanda ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
R. blanda (figs. 2 & 13): known from Costa Rica to Southern Brazil. This species ranges from 50 m to 1000 m elevation. In Guyana known from Oko River (from Kugler 1994). In Costa Rica nests were found in the trunks of cacao tree, while in Peru a nest was found in a small rotten log that was suspended about 50 cm above the ground., Published as part of LaPolla, J. S. & Sosa-Calvo, J., 2006, Review of the ant genus Rogeria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Guyana., pp. 59-68 in Zootaxa 1330 on page 66
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
18. Rogeria lirata
- Author
-
LaPolla, J. S. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Rogeria ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Rogeria lirata ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
R. lirata (figs. 6 & 17): this species is widespread throughout tropical South America. In Guyana this species was collected in winkler samples of leaf litter in Iwokrama Forest Reserve, Whitewater Camp, 4�� 43.890'N, 58�� 50.992'W, elev. 60 m; Mabura Hill, 5�� 09.313'N, 58�� 41.982'W, elev. 64 m; Mazaruni River Forest Settlement (from Kugler 1994)., Published as part of LaPolla, J. S. & Sosa-Calvo, J., 2006, Review of the ant genus Rogeria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Guyana., pp. 59-68 in Zootaxa 1330 on page 66
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
19. Rogeria alzatei
- Author
-
LaPolla, J. S. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Rogeria ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Rogeria alzatei ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
Rogeria alzatei (figs. 1 & 12): known from Panama (type locality, Barro Colorado Island) to Paraguay, from Western Andes in Colombia to Eastern coast of Brazil. Also has been collected in Dominican Republic. In Guyana known from Oronoque River (Kugler 1994). Specimens have been collected outside of Guyana from Berlese and Winkler samples in moist forests to 1000 m., Published as part of LaPolla, J. S. & Sosa-Calvo, J., 2006, Review of the ant genus Rogeria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Guyana., pp. 59-68 in Zootaxa 1330 on page 66
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
20. Rogeria
- Author
-
LaPolla, J. S. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Rogeria ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
Key to Rogeria known from Guyana 1 Hairs on mesosomal dorsum entirely appressed, or consisting of a mixture of mostly appressed and a few decumbent hairs.......................................................................... 2 - Mesosomal dorsum bearing some erect hairs; appressed to suberect hairs may also be present........................................................................................................................... 4 2 Body of clypeus not greatly projecting over clypeal apron (figs. 4 & 11); color brown to shiny dark brown....................................................................................................... 3 - In lateral view, body of clypeus greatly projecting over clypeal apron (fig. 20); color dull brown............................................................................... prominula (figs. 9 & 20) 3 Smaller species (TL: 1.9 mm-2.9 mm); light brown to brown and dull................................................................................................................................... foreli (figs. 4 & 15) - Larger species (TL: 3.75 mm-3.88 mm); dark brown and shiny....... tsumani (figs. 11 & 22) 4 In lateral view, petiolar node low and curving gradually into anterior peduncle (figs. 13 & 19)........................................................................................................................5 - In lateral view, petiolar node tall and more sharply differentiated from anterior peduncle, node rounded, subquadrate, or squamiform (figs. 12, 14, 16, 17, 18 & 21)........... 6 5 Dorsum of head rugoreticulate; area behind eyes rugoreticulate; reddish-brown................................................................................................................. blanda (figs. 2 & 13) - Dorsum of head with distinct longitudinal carinulae; area behind eyes smooth and shiny; dark brown......................................................................... procera (figs. 8 & 19) 6 Head surface uniformly rugoreticulate and/or areolate, no intervening shiny areas; hairs appressed to erect on head.................................................................................... 7 - Head surface relatively smooth, only vaguely rugoreticulate or areolate, with intervening shiny areas; hairs appressed on head............................... curvipubens (figs. 3 & 14) Posterior portion of head rugoreticulate........................................................................8 Posterior portion of head distinctly areolate........................... innotabilis (figs. 5 & 16) Dorsal surfaces of head, mesosoma, and metasoma with sparse appressed and/or erect hairs...............................................................................................................................9 - Dorsal surfaces of head, mesosoma, and metasoma with a dense covering of erect hairs................................................................................................. lirata (figs. 6 & 17) 9 Lateral surface of mesosoma with distinct rugae; reddish-yellow..............................10 - Lateral surface of mesosoma without rugae, surface areolate; dull yellow..................................................................................................................... micromma (figs. 7 & 18) 10 Head largely with decumbent to appressed hairs; propodeal spines at roughly right angles relative to longitudinal axis of the mesosoma....................... alzatei (fig. 1 & 12) - Head largely with short erect hairs; propodeal spines nearly parallel to longitudinal axis of the mesosoma.............................................................. scobinata (figs. 10 & 21)
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
21. Rogeria tsumani LaPolla & Sosa-Calvo, 2006, NEW SPECIES
- Author
-
LaPolla, J. S. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Rogeria ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Rogeria tsumani ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
Rogeria tsumani, NEW SPECIES Holotype worker, GUYANA: Oronoque River just above juncture with New River, 29 July 1936 [coordinates determined by JSL: 2�� 45'00" N57�� 26'00" W], coll. N.A. Weber.Paratype worker same locality as holotype.Holotype in USNM, paratype in MCZC. Diagnosis (worker): mesosoma smooth and shiny, with scattered short appressed hairs; propodeal spines long, slightly inclined posterad; petiole pedunculate and with a distinct node, convex in lateral view. Description (worker). Head: subquadrate in dorsal view; dorsolateral surface of head with widely spaced punctures, smooth and shiny in between; dorsomedian surface of head weakly longitudinally carinulate; nuchal grooves very shallow, not visible in lateral view; mandibles triangular; inner margin with 5 teeth, apical tooth largest; clypeal apron with shallow median depression. Mesosoma: promesonotum faintly longitudinally carinulate; promesonotal suture weakly marked; mesopleural suture incomplete; anepisternum and metapleuron weakly rugose; katepisternum smooth and shiny; dorsum of propodeum transversely rugose; propodeal spines long (SpL= 0.20-0.22) and slightly inclined posterad. Metasoma: petiole pedunculate, weakly rugulose, becoming smooth ventrally; petiolar ventral process smooth and shiny with a short anterior keel; postpetiole node tall, smooth and shiny; postpetiolar ventral margin rugose, with a short anterior keel. Body with scattered short, appressed hairs. Overall body color reddish-dark brown, with propodeum darker brown, and light brown legs. Queen and male unknown. Measurement: holotype and paratype (N= 2): TL= 3.75-3.88, HL= 0.86-0.88, HW= 0.69-0.72, ML= 0.39-0.41, SL= 0.52-0.55, EL= 0.12-0.15, PW= 0.55-0.55, WL= 0.95-0.97, SpL= 0.20-0.22, PL= 0.44-0.48, FLW= 0.23-0.25, PPL= 0.22-0.23, GL= 0.89-0.89, CI= 80-82, OI= 17-22, SI= 60-76, PSI= 21-23. Etymology: Named in honor of Dr. Ted Suman, Research Associate at the National Museum of Natural History. Without Ted's hard work and dedication to the Guyana Ant Project much of the research being conducted on the Guyana ant fauna would not be possible. Natural history: The two known specimens of R. tsumani were collected from a rotten branch that fell off a tree from about 30 meters height as Weber was walking through the forest (N.A. Weber, field notes, in MCZC archives). Weber reported looking through the rotting branch for the Rogeria nest, but he could not locate it. Rogeria tsumani is probably a canopy-dwelling species. While many Rogeria species are thought to nest in leaf litter and rotting wood on the ground, there is evidence that several species are arboreal or at least partly arboreal. Two species, R. blanda and R. tonduzi, have been taken from the trunks of cacao trees (Kugler 1994), and Longino reported R. blanda nesting in a standing dead tree trunk from La Selva, Costa Rica (Longino, 19 August 2005, http:// www.evergreen.edu/ants/genera/Rogeria/SPECIES/blanda/blanda.html). The trunk was small and broken off at the top, with very soft rotten wood. In addition, R. belti, R. foreli, R. scandens, and R. terescandens may possess arboreal habits. Comments: Only four species of Rogeria are known in which the mesosomal dorsum bears only appressed hairs: R. bruchi, R. foreli, R. prominula, and R. tsumani. Both R. bruchi and R. foreli possess a much more erect and distinct petiolar node compared to R. tsumani, and the propodeal spines of R. bruchi and R. foreli are at roughly right angles to the longitudinal axis of the mesosoma. In R. tsumani, in contrast, the propodeal spines are roughly parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mesosoma. Rogeria prominula has a unique propodeal shape (fig. 20) and a rugoreticulate head and mesosoma. In Kugler's (1994) key, R. tsumani would key to R. bruchi. Rogeria tsumani is a larger species (TL 3.7-3.9 in R. tsumani vs. 2.2-2.6 in R. bruchi) with smaller eyes and darker brown coloration. Kugler (1994) constructed six informal species-groups. While he placed the majority of species into these species-groups, there was still a substantial number that he could not reliably place. Rogeria tsumani similarly fails to fall neatly into a species group., Published as part of LaPolla, J. S. & Sosa-Calvo, J., 2006, Review of the ant genus Rogeria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Guyana., pp. 59-68 in Zootaxa 1330 on pages 61-65
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
22. Rogeria innotabilis
- Author
-
LaPolla, J. S. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Rogeria ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Rogeria innotabilis ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
R. innotabilis * (figs. 5 & 16): known from Mexico to northern Colombia. In Guyana known from Iwokrama Forest Reserve, Whitewater Camp, 4�� 43.890'N, 58�� 50.992'W, elev. 60 m; Base Camp, Mount Ayanganna, 5�� 20.063'N, 59�� 55.486'W, elev. 732 m. This species has been collected in leaf litter., Published as part of LaPolla, J. S. & Sosa-Calvo, J., 2006, Review of the ant genus Rogeria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Guyana., pp. 59-68 in Zootaxa 1330 on page 66
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
23. Rogeria curvipubens
- Author
-
LaPolla, J. S. and Sosa-Calvo, J.
- Subjects
Rogeria ,Insecta ,Arthropoda ,Rogeria curvipubens ,Animalia ,Biodiversity ,Hymenoptera ,Formicidae ,Taxonomy - Abstract
R. curvipubens (figs. 3 & 14): known from some caribbean islands and inland from Mexico to Suriname. No known localities in Guyana, but it is known from Suriname (Tambahredjo; Sidoredjo; Dirkshoop; and La Poulle from Kugler 1994). This species has been collected from Berlese samples in tropical rain forest, successional forest, and dry tropical forest, below 500 m elevation., Published as part of LaPolla, J. S. & Sosa-Calvo, J., 2006, Review of the ant genus Rogeria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Guyana., pp. 59-68 in Zootaxa 1330 on page 66
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
24. Three Remarkable New Fungus-Growing Ant Species of the GenusMyrmicocrypta(Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a Reassessment of the Characters That Define the Genus and Its Position within the Attini
- Author
-
Sosa-Calvo, J, primary and Schultz, T R, additional
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
25. Three Remarkable New Fungus-Growing Ant Species of the Genus Myrmicocrypta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), With a Reassessment of the Characters That Define the Genus and Its Position Within the Attini.
- Author
-
SOSA-CALVO, J. and SCHULTZ, T. R.
- Subjects
- *
FUNGUS ants , *PHYLOGENY , *INSECT behavior , *INSECT societies - Abstract
Three new species of the fungus-growing ant genus Myrmicocrypta Fr. Smith are described from Brazil and Peru, all unique within the genus due to their shared character state of erect pilosity. Myrmicocrypta erectapilosa sp. nov. and Myrmicocrypta bucki sp. nov. are otherwise typical for the genus in their small size and effaced, tuberculate sculpture, whereas Myrmicocrypta camargoi sp. nov. is also unique in its large size and pronounced sculpture. M. erectapilosa and M. bucki are closely related but can be distinguished by differences in the frontoclypeal and hypostomal teeth, frontal lobes, mesonotal sculpture, and propodeal spines. All castes (workers, gynes, and males) are described for M. camargoi, workers and gynes are described for M. erectapilosa, and only workers are described for M. bucki. Because the erect pilosity encountered in these species contradicts the state previously considered diagnostic for the genus, that of appressed, spatulate or squamiform pilosity found in all other Myrmicocrypta species, we necessarily discuss the characters that define the genus Myrmicoc- rypta and review its phylogenetic position within the tribe Attini. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
26. The coevolution of fungus-ant agriculture.
- Author
-
Schultz TR, Sosa-Calvo J, Kweskin MP, Lloyd MW, Dentinger B, Kooij PW, Vellinga EC, Rehner SA, Rodrigues A, Montoya QV, Fernández-Marín H, Ješovnik A, Niskanen T, Liimatainen K, Leal-Dutra CA, Solomon SE, Gerardo NM, Currie CR, Bacci M Jr, Vasconcelos HL, Rabeling C, Faircloth BC, and Doyle VP
- Subjects
- Animals, Agriculture, Domestication, Photosynthesis, Phylogeny, South America, Ants microbiology, Ants genetics, Biological Coevolution, Fungi genetics, Fungi classification, Symbiosis
- Abstract
Fungus-farming ants cultivate multiple lineages of fungi for food, but, because fungal cultivar relationships are largely unresolved, the history of fungus-ant coevolution remains poorly known. We designed probes targeting >2000 gene regions to generate a dated evolutionary tree for 475 fungi and combined it with a similarly generated tree for 276 ants. We found that fungus-ant agriculture originated ~66 million years ago when the end-of-Cretaceous asteroid impact temporarily interrupted photosynthesis, causing global mass extinctions but favoring the proliferation of fungi. Subsequently, ~27 million years ago, one ancestral fungal cultivar population became domesticated, i.e., obligately mutualistic, when seasonally dry habitats expanded in South America, likely isolating the cultivar population from its free-living, wet forest-dwelling conspecifics. By revealing these and other major transitions in fungus-ant coevolution, our results clarify the historical processes that shaped a model system for nonhuman agriculture.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
27. Genomic diversification of the specialized parasite of the fungus-growing ant symbiosis.
- Author
-
Gotting K, May DS, Sosa-Calvo J, Khadempour L, Francoeur CB, Berasategui A, Thairu MW, Sandstrom S, Carlson CM, Chevrette MG, Pupo MT, Bugni TS, Schultz TR, Johnston JS, Gerardo NM, and Currie CR
- Subjects
- Animals, Phylogeny, Symbiosis genetics, Ants genetics, Ants microbiology, Parasites, Hypocreales genetics
- Abstract
Fungi shape the diversity of life. Characterizing the evolution of fungi is critical to understanding symbiotic associations across kingdoms. In this study, we investigate the genomic and metabolomic diversity of the genus Escovopsis , a specialized parasite of fungus-growing ant gardens. Based on 25 high-quality draft genomes, we show that Escovopsis forms a monophyletic group arising from a mycoparasitic fungal ancestor 61.82 million years ago (Mya). Across the evolutionary history of fungus-growing ants, the dates of origin of most clades of Escovopsis correspond to the dates of origin of the fungus-growing ants whose gardens they parasitize. We reveal that genome reduction, determined by both genomic sequencing and flow cytometry, is a consistent feature across the genus Escovopsis, largely occurring in coding regions, specifically in the form of gene loss and reductions in copy numbers of genes. All functional gene categories have reduced copy numbers, but resistance and virulence genes maintain functional diversity. Biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) contribute to phylogenetic differences among Escovopsis spp., and sister taxa in the Hypocreaceae. The phylogenetic patterns of co-diversification among BGCs are similarly exhibited across mass spectrometry analyses of the metabolomes of Escovopsis and their sister taxa. Taken together, our results indicate that Escovopsis spp. evolved unique genomic repertoires to specialize on the fungus-growing ant-microbe symbiosis.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
28. Biomineral armor in leaf-cutter ants.
- Author
-
Li H, Sun CY, Fang Y, Carlson CM, Xu H, Ješovnik A, Sosa-Calvo J, Zarnowski R, Bechtel HA, Fournelle JH, Andes DR, Schultz TR, Gilbert PUPA, and Currie CR
- Subjects
- Animals, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium, Animal Shells chemistry, Ants anatomy & histology
- Abstract
Although calcareous anatomical structures have evolved in diverse animal groups, such structures have been unknown in insects. Here, we report the discovery of high-magnesium calcite [CaMg(CO
3 )2 ] armor overlaying the exoskeletons of major workers of the leaf-cutter ant Acromyrmex echinatior. Live-rearing and in vitro synthesis experiments indicate that the biomineral layer accumulates rapidly as ant workers mature, that the layer is continuously distributed, covering nearly the entire integument, and that the ant epicuticle catalyzes biomineral nucleation and growth. In situ nanoindentation demonstrates that the biomineral layer significantly hardens the exoskeleton. Increased survival of ant workers with biomineralized exoskeletons during aggressive encounters with other ants and reduced infection by entomopathogenic fungi demonstrate the protective role of the biomineral layer. The discovery of biogenic high-magnesium calcite in the relatively well-studied leaf-cutting ants suggests that calcareous biominerals enriched in magnesium may be more common in metazoans than previously recognized.- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
29. Convergent evolution of complex structures for ant-bacterial defensive symbiosis in fungus-farming ants.
- Author
-
Li H, Sosa-Calvo J, Horn HA, Pupo MT, Clardy J, Rabeling C, Schultz TR, and Currie CR
- Subjects
- Animals, Phylogeny, Actinobacteria physiology, Ants microbiology, Biological Evolution, Fungi physiology, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Symbiosis
- Abstract
Evolutionary adaptations for maintaining beneficial microbes are hallmarks of mutualistic evolution. Fungus-farming "attine" ant species have complex cuticular modifications and specialized glands that house and nourish antibiotic-producing Actinobacteria symbionts, which in turn protect their hosts' fungus gardens from pathogens. Here we reconstruct ant-Actinobacteria evolutionary history across the full range of variation within subtribe Attina by combining dated phylogenomic and ultramorphological analyses. Ancestral-state analyses indicate the ant-Actinobacteria symbiosis arose early in attine-ant evolution, a conclusion consistent with direct observations of Actinobacteria on fossil ants in Oligo-Miocene amber. qPCR indicates that the dominant ant-associated Actinobacteria belong to the genus Pseudonocardia Tracing the evolutionary trajectories of Pseudonocardia -maintaining mechanisms across attine ants reveals a continuum of adaptations. In Myrmicocrypta species, which retain many ancestral morphological and behavioral traits, Pseudonocardia occur in specific locations on the legs and antennae, unassociated with any specialized structures. In contrast, specialized cuticular structures, including crypts and tubercles, evolved at least three times in derived attine-ant lineages. Conspicuous caste differences in Pseudonocardia -maintaining structures, in which specialized structures are present in worker ants and queens but reduced or lost in males, are consistent with vertical Pseudonocardia transmission. Although the majority of attine ants are associated with Pseudonocardia , there have been multiple losses of bacterial symbionts and bacteria-maintaining structures in different lineages over evolutionary time. The early origin of ant- Pseudonocardia mutualism and the multiple evolutionary convergences on strikingly similar anatomical adaptations for maintaining bacterial symbionts indicate that Pseudonocardia have played a critical role in the evolution of ant fungiculture., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
30. Biogeography of mutualistic fungi cultivated by leafcutter ants.
- Author
-
Mueller UG, Ishak HD, Bruschi SM, Smith CC, Herman JJ, Solomon SE, Mikheyev AS, Rabeling C, Scott JJ, Cooper M, Rodrigues A, Ortiz A, Brandão CRF, Lattke JE, Pagnocca FC, Rehner SA, Schultz TR, Vasconcelos HL, Adams RMM, Bollazzi M, Clark RM, Himler AG, LaPolla JS, Leal IR, Johnson RA, Roces F, Sosa-Calvo J, Wirth R, and Bacci M Jr
- Subjects
- Animals, Ants classification, Central America, Genetic Markers, Genetics, Population, Genotype, Microsatellite Repeats, North America, Phylogeny, Phylogeography, South America, Symbiosis, Agaricales genetics, Ants microbiology, Biological Coevolution
- Abstract
Leafcutter ants propagate co-evolving fungi for food. The nearly 50 species of leafcutter ants (Atta, Acromyrmex) range from Argentina to the United States, with the greatest species diversity in southern South America. We elucidate the biogeography of fungi cultivated by leafcutter ants using DNA sequence and microsatellite-marker analyses of 474 cultivars collected across the leafcutter range. Fungal cultivars belong to two clades (Clade-A and Clade-B). The dominant and widespread Clade-A cultivars form three genotype clusters, with their relative prevalence corresponding to southern South America, northern South America, Central and North America. Admixture between Clade-A populations supports genetic exchange within a single species, Leucocoprinus gongylophorus. Some leafcutter species that cut grass as fungicultural substrate are specialized to cultivate Clade-B fungi, whereas leafcutters preferring dicot plants appear specialized on Clade-A fungi. Cultivar sharing between sympatric leafcutter species occurs frequently such that cultivars of Atta are not distinct from those of Acromyrmex. Leafcutters specialized on Clade-B fungi occur only in South America. Diversity of Clade-A fungi is greatest in South America, but minimal in Central and North America. Maximum cultivar diversity in South America is predicted by the Kusnezov-Fowler hypothesis that leafcutter ants originated in subtropical South America and only dicot-specialized leafcutter ants migrated out of South America, but the cultivar diversity becomes also compatible with a recently proposed hypothesis of a Central American origin by postulating that leafcutter ants acquired novel cultivars many times from other nonleafcutter fungus-growing ants during their migrations from Central America across South America. We evaluate these biogeographic hypotheses in the light of estimated dates for the origins of leafcutter ants and their cultivars., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
- Published
- 2017
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
31. Rediscovery of the enigmatic fungus-farming ant "Mycetosoritis" asper Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Implications for taxonomy, phylogeny, and the evolution of agriculture in ants.
- Author
-
Sosa-Calvo J, Ješovnik A, Vasconcelos HL, Bacci M Jr, and Schultz TR
- Subjects
- Animals, Brazil, Ants classification, Behavior, Animal physiology, Fungi, Phylogeny
- Abstract
We report the rediscovery of the exceedingly rarely collected and enigmatic fungus-farming ant species Mycetosoritis asper. Since the description of the type specimen in 1887, only four additional specimens are known to have been added to the world's insect collections. Its biology is entirely unknown and its phylogenetic position within the fungus-farming ants has remained puzzling due to its aberrant morphology. In 2014 we excavated and collected twenty-one colonies of M. asper in the Floresta Nacional de Chapecó in Santa Catarina, Brazil. We describe here for the first time the male and larva of the species and complement the previous descriptions of both the queen and the worker. We describe, also for the first time, M. asper biology, nest architecture, and colony demographics, and identify its fungal cultivar. Molecular phylogenetic analyses indicate that both M. asper and M. clorindae are members of the genus Cyphomyrmex, which we show to be paraphyletic as currently defined. More precisely, M. asper is a member of the Cyphomyrmex strigatus group, which we also show to be paraphyletic with respect to the genus Mycetophylax. Based on these results, and in the interest of taxonomic stability, we transfer the species M. asper, M. clorindae, and all members of the C. strigatus group to the genus Mycetophylax, the oldest available name for this clade. Based on ITS sequence data, Mycetophylax asper practices lower agriculture, cultivating a fungal species that belongs to lower-attine fungal Clade 2, subclade F.
- Published
- 2017
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
32. Dry habitats were crucibles of domestication in the evolution of agriculture in ants.
- Author
-
Branstetter MG, Ješovnik A, Sosa-Calvo J, Lloyd MW, Faircloth BC, Brady SG, and Schultz TR
- Subjects
- Animals, Ants genetics, Domestication, Insect Proteins genetics, Phylogeny, Rainforest, Sequence Analysis, DNA, South America, Ants physiology, Biological Evolution, Ecosystem, Fungi physiology, Symbiosis
- Abstract
The evolution of ant agriculture, as practised by the fungus-farming 'attine' ants, is thought to have arisen in the wet rainforests of South America about 55-65 Ma. Most subsequent attine agricultural evolution, including the domestication event that produced the ancestor of higher attine cultivars, is likewise hypothesized to have occurred in South American rainforests. The 'out-of-the-rainforest' hypothesis, while generally accepted, has never been tested in a phylogenetic context. It also presents a problem for explaining how fungal domestication might have occurred, given that isolation from free-living populations is required. Here, we use phylogenomic data from ultra-conserved element (UCE) loci to reconstruct the evolutionary history of fungus-farming ants, reduce topological uncertainty, and identify the closest non-fungus-growing ant relative. Using the phylogeny we infer the history of attine agricultural systems, habitat preference and biogeography. Our results show that the out-of-the-rainforest hypothesis is correct with regard to the origin of attine ant agriculture; however, contrary to expectation, we find that the transition from lower to higher agriculture is very likely to have occurred in a seasonally dry habitat, inhospitable to the growth of free-living populations of attine fungal cultivars. We suggest that dry habitats favoured the isolation of attine cultivars over the evolutionary time spans necessary for domestication to occur., (© 2017 The Authors.)
- Published
- 2017
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
33. Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri : a new ant species discovered in the stomach of the dendrobatid poison frog, Oophaga sylvatica (Funkhouser).
- Author
-
Rabeling C, Sosa-Calvo J, O'Connell LA, Coloma LA, and Fernández F
- Abstract
The ant genus Lenomyrmex was recently discovered and described from mid to high elevation rainforests in southern Central and northwestern South America. Lenomyrmex currently consists of six described species, which are only rarely collected. Here, we add a new species, Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri sp. n. , which was discovered in a stomach content sample of the dendrobatid frog, Oophaga sylvatica , from northwestern Ecuador. Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri can be distinguished from other species in the genus by the presence of a well-developed petiolar node, whereas in all other species the node of the petiole is ill-defined. In addition to the shape of the petiolar node, Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri can be distinguished from the morphologically similar Lenomyrmex costatus by (i) the presence of the metanotal suture, (ii) the direction of the striae on dorsum of propodeum (concentrically transverse in Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri , longitudinal in Lenomyrmex costatus ), (iii) the finely striate dorsum of postpetiole, (iv) its larger size, and (v) distinctly darker coloration. We also describe the gyne of Lenomyrmex foveolatus . This collection record from northwestern Ecuador extends the geographic distribution of Lenomyrmex foveolatus 400 km south from its previous record in Colombia. A revised taxonomic key to the workers and gynes of all described Lenomyrmex species is provided. We discuss the taxonomic relationship of Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri to other species in the genus and its biology based on the limited information that is currently available. Finally, we briefly discuss the feeding ecology of dendrobatid poison frogs in the context of providing a valuable source of rarely collected and cryptic new ant species.
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
34. The most relictual fungus-farming ant species cultivates the most recently evolved and highly domesticated fungal symbiont species.
- Author
-
Schultz TR, Sosa-Calvo J, Brady SG, Lopes CT, Mueller UG, Bacci M Jr, and Vasconcelos HL
- Subjects
- Animals, Ants genetics, Base Sequence, Basidiomycota genetics, Biological Evolution, Brazil, Likelihood Functions, Molecular Sequence Data, Phylogeny, Symbiosis, Ants physiology, Basidiomycota physiology
- Abstract
Fungus-farming (attine) ant agriculture is made up of five known agricultural systems characterized by remarkable symbiont fidelity in which five phylogenetic groups of ants faithfully cultivate five phylogenetic groups of fungi. Here we describe the first case of a lower-attine ant cultivating a higher-attine fungus based on our discovery of a Brazilian population of the relictual fungus-farming ant Apterostigma megacephala, known previously from four stray specimens from Peru and Colombia. We find that A. megacephala is the sole surviving representative of an ancient lineage that diverged ∼39 million years ago, very early in the ∼55-million-year evolution of fungus-farming ants. Contrary to all previously known patterns of ant-fungus symbiont fidelity, A. megacephala cultivates Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, a highly domesticated fungal cultivar that originated only 2-8 million years ago in the gardens of the highly derived and recently evolved (∼12 million years ago) leaf-cutting ants. Because no other lower fungus-farming ant is known to cultivate any of the higher-attine fungi, let alone the leaf-cutter fungus, A. megacephala may provide important clues about the biological mechanisms constraining the otherwise seemingly obligate ant-fungus associations that characterize attine ant agriculture.
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
35. Cyatta abscondita: taxonomy, evolution, and natural history of a new fungus-farming ant genus from Brazil.
- Author
-
Sosa-Calvo J, Schultz TR, Brandão CR, Klingenberg C, Feitosa RM, Rabeling C, Bacci M Jr, Lopes CT, and Vasconcelos HL
- Subjects
- Animals, Ants anatomy & histology, Ants genetics, Biological Evolution, Brazil, Female, Genes, Insect, Geography, Male, Molecular Sequence Data, Nesting Behavior, Phylogeny, Ants classification
- Abstract
Cyatta abscondita, a new genus and species of fungus-farming ant from Brazil, is described based on morphological study of more than 20 workers, two dealate gynes, one male, and two larvae. Ecological field data are summarized, including natural history, nest architecture, and foraging behavior. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data from four nuclear genes indicate that Cyatta abscondita is the distant sister taxon of the genus Kalathomyrmex, and that together they comprise the sister group of the remaining neoattine ants, an informal clade that includes the conspicuous and well-known leaf-cutter ants. Morphologically, Cyatta abscondita shares very few obvious character states with Kalathomyrmex. It does, however, possess a number of striking morphological features unique within the fungus-farming tribe Attini. It also shares morphological character states with taxa that span the ancestral node of the Attini. The morphology, behavior, and other biological characters of Cyatta abscondita are potentially informative about plesiomorphic character states within the fungus-farming ants and about the early evolution of ant agriculture.
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
36. Nesting biology and fungiculture of the fungus-growing ant, Mycetagroicus cerradensis: new light on the origin of higher attine agriculture.
- Author
-
Solomon SE, Lopes CT, Mueller UG, Rodrigues A, Sosa-Calvo J, Schultz TR, and Vasconcelos HL
- Subjects
- Animals, Ants anatomy & histology, Base Sequence, Brazil, DNA, Ribosomal Spacer genetics, Molecular Sequence Data, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Ants genetics, Ants physiology, Biological Evolution, Fungi growth & development, Nesting Behavior physiology, Phylogeny, Symbiosis
- Abstract
The genus Mycetagroicus is perhaps the least known of all fungus-growing ant genera, having been first described in 2001 from museum specimens. A recent molecular phylogenetic analysis of the fungus-growing ants demonstrated that Mycetagroicus is the sister to all higher attine ants (Trachymyrmex, Sericomyrmex, Acromyrmex, Pseudoatta, and Atta), making it of extreme importance for understanding the transition between lower and higher attine agriculture. Four nests of Mycetagroicus cerradensis near Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil were excavated, and fungus chambers for one were located at a depth of 3.5 meters. Based on its lack of gongylidia (hyphal-tip swellings typical of higher attine cultivars), and a phylogenetic analysis of the ITS rDNA gene region, M. cerradensis cultivates a lower attine fungus in Clade 2 of lower attine (G3) fungi. This finding refines a previous estimate for the origin of higher attine agriculture, an event that can now be dated at approximately 21-25 mya in the ancestor of extant species of Trachymyrmex and Sericomyrmex.
- Published
- 2011
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
Catalog
Discovery Service for Jio Institute Digital Library
For full access to our library's resources, please sign in.