Acromyrmex rugosus

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Acromyrmex rugosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Acromyrmex
Species: A. rugosus
Binomial name
Acromyrmex rugosus
(Smith, F., 1858)

Acromyrmex rugosus casent0173802 profile 1.jpg

Acromyrmex rugosus casent0173802 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Subspecies
Synonyms

A host species for the workerless inquiline Acromyrmex fowleri.

Identification

Distribution

Acromyrmex rugosus is a geographically widespread leaf-cutting ant species in South America and can be found between the 2nd and 31st parallel south (Gonçalves 1961; Fowler 1985; Delabie et al. 2011, Rabeling et al. 2019).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 9.75° to -30.772°.

   
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil (type locality), Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay.

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Habitat

Inhabits a wide variety of ecologically distinct habitats, such as cerrado, campo, caatinga, restinga, and Amazon rainforest. (Rabeling et al. 2019)

Biology

Explore-icon.png Explore Fungus Growing 
For additional details see Fungus growing ants.

A handful of ant species (approx. 275 out of the known 15,000 species) have developed the ability to cultivate fungus within their nests. In most species the fungus is used as the sole food source for the larvae and is an important resource for the adults as well. Additionally, in a limited number of cases, the fungus is used to construct part of the nest structure but is not as a food source.

These fungus-feeding species are limited to North and South America, extending from the pine barrens of New Jersey, United States, in the north (Trachymyrmex septentrionalis) to the cold deserts in Argentina in the south (several species of Acromyrmex). Species that use fungi in nest construction are known from Europe and Africa (a few species in the genera Crematogaster, Lasius).


The details of fungal cultivation are rich and complex. First, a wide variety of materials are used as substrate for fungus cultivating. The so-called lower genera include species that prefer dead vegetation, seeds, flowers, fruits, insect corpses, and feces, which are collected in the vicinity of their nests. The higher genera include non leaf-cutting species that collect mostly fallen leaflets, fruit, and flowers, as well as the leafcutters that collect fresh leaves from shrubs and trees. Second, while the majority of fungi that are farmed by fungus-feeding ants belong to the family Lepiotaceae, mostly the genera Leucoagaricus and Leucocoprinus, other fungi are also involved. Some species utilise fungi in the family Tricholomataceae while a few others cultivate yeast. The fungi used by the higher genera no longer produce spores. Their fungi produce nutritious and swollen hyphal tips (gongylidia) that grow in bundles called staphylae, to specifically feed the ants. Finally, colony size varies tremendously among these ants. Lower taxa mostly live in inconspicuous nests with 100–1000 individuals and relatively small fungus gardens. Higher taxa, in contrast, live in colonies made of 5–10 million ants that live and work within hundreds of interconnected fungus-bearing chambers in huge subterranean nests. Some colonies are so large, they can be seen from satellite photos, measuring up to 600 m3.

Based on these habits, and taking phylogenetic information into consideration, these ants can be divided into six biologically distinct agricultural systems (with a list of genera involved in each category):

Nest Construction

A limited number of species that use fungi in the construction of their nests.

Lower Agriculture

Practiced by species in the majority of fungus-feeding genera, including those thought to retain more primitive features, which cultivate a wide range of fungal species in the tribe Leucocoprineae.

Coral Fungus Agriculture

Practiced by species in the Apterostigma pilosum species-group, which cultivate fungi within the Pterulaceae.

Yeast Agriculture

Practiced by species within the Cyphomyrmex rimosus species-group, which cultivate a distinct clade of leucocoprineaceous fungi derived from the lower attine fungi.

Generalized Higher Agriculture

Practiced by species in several genera of non-leaf-cutting "higher attine" ants, which cultivate a distinct clade of leucocoprineaceous fungi separately derived from the lower attine fungi.

Leaf-Cutter Agriculture

A subdivision of higher attine agriculture practiced by species within several ecologically dominant genera, which cultivate a single highly derived species of higher attine fungus.

Note that the farming habits of Mycetagroicus (4 species) are unknown. Also, while species of Pseudoatta (2 species) are closely related to the fungus-feeding genus Acromyrmex, they are social parasites, living in the nests of their hosts and are not actively involved in fungus growing. ‎

Rabeling et al. 2019. In Bahia, A. rugosus is frequently found associated with human settlements, but this leaf-cutter ant species was recorded to have a low impact on agriculture. Nests of A. rugosus can be large, and single nests were found to contain a maximum number of 26 chambers (Forti et al. 2006, 2011; Verza et al. 2007). Acromyrmex rugosus is one of the few leaf-cutting ant species that deposits exhausted fungal substrate and other waste in underground chambers (Verza et al. 2007). In comparison to the enormous colonies of some leaf-cutting ant species, the colonies of A. rugosus are of moderate size with an average number of 519 workers per colony (Soares et al. 2006). Colonies of A. rugosus were reported to usually be monogynous (Soares et al. 2006; Verza et al. 2007, 2017).

A parasitized A. rugosus population around Ilhéus was characterized by high nest densities, with 7.7% (5 out of 65) colonies were parasitized by Acromyrmex fowleri (Delabie et al. 1993).

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • rugosus. Oecodoma rugosa Smith, F. 1858b: 186 (q.) BRAZIL (no state data).
    • Forel, 1904c: 33 (w.); Emery, 1905c: 109 (m.).
    • Combination in Atta: Roger, 1863b: 35;
    • combination in Atta (Acromyrmex): Forel, 1893e: 590;
    • combination in Acromyrmex: Emery, 1924d: 348.
    • Junior synonym of coronatus: Dalla Torre, 1893: 152; Forel, 1895b: 139; Forel, 1899c: 36.
    • Subspecies of aspersus: Emery, 1905c: 49; Forel, 1908c: 352; Emery, 1924d: 348.
    • Status as species: Roger, 1863b: 35; Mayr, 1863: 438; Forel, 1904c: 33; Forel, 1908e: 69; Santschi, 1925a: 378; Santschi, 1925d: 243; Borgmeier, 1927c: 134; Borgmeier, 1937b: 249; Kusnezov, 1956: 35 (in key); Gonçalves, 1961: 159; Kempf, 1972a: 14; Zolessi, et al. 1988: 5; Cherrett & Cherrett, 1989: 51; Bolton, 1995b: 57; Wild, 2007b: 30; Bezděčková, et al. 2015: 114.
    • Senior synonym of bigener: Gonçalves, 1961: 159; Kempf, 1972a: 14; Bolton, 1995b: 57.
    • Senior synonym of pallida Smith: Forel, 1893e: 590 (in text); Forel, 1908e: 69; Emery, 1924d: 348; Gonçalves, 1961: 159; Kempf, 1972a: 14; Bolton, 1995b: 57.
    • Senior synonym of vestitus: Gonçalves, 1961: 159; Kempf, 1972a: 14; Bolton, 1995b: 57.
    • Current subspecies: nominal plus rochai.
  • bigener. Acromyrmex rugosus st. bigener Santschi, 1925d: 243 (w.q.m.) BRAZIL (Pará, Rio Grande do Sul).
    • Subspecies of rugosus: Borgmeier, 1927c: 134.
    • Junior synonym of rugosus: Gonçalves, 1961: 159; Kempf, 1972a: 14; Bolton, 1995b: 54.
  • pallida. Oecodoma pallida Smith, F. 1858b: 187 (s.) BRAZIL (Pará).
    • Combination in Atta: Roger, 1863b: 35;
    • combination in Atta (Acromyrmex): Forel, 1893e: 590.
    • Status as species: Roger, 1863b: 35; Mayr, 1863: 438.
    • Junior synonym of coronatus: Dalla Torre, 1893: 152; Forel, 1899c: 36.
    • Junior synonym of rugosus: Forel, 1893e: 590 (in text); Forel, 1908e: 69; Emery, 1924d: 348; Gonçalves, 1961: 159; Kempf, 1972a: 14; Bolton, 1995b: 56.
  • vestitus. Acromyrmex rugosus var. vestitus Santschi, 1925a: 380 (w.) BRAZIL (Minas Gerais).
    • Subspecies of rugosus: Borgmeier, 1927c: 134.
    • Junior synonym of rugosus: Gonçalves, 1961: 159; Kempf, 1972a: 14; Bolton, 1995b: 57.

Description

Karyotype

  • 2n = 38, karyotype = 16M+12SM+8ST+2A (Brazil) (Barros et al., 2016).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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  • Brandao C. R. F., R. R. Silva, and R. M. Feitosa. 2011. Cerrado ground-dwelling ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as indicators of edge effects. Zoologia 28(3): 379-387.
  • Cuezzo, F. 1998. Formicidae. Chapter 42 in Morrone J.J., and S. Coscaron (dirs) Biodiversidad de artropodos argentinos: una perspectiva biotaxonomica Ediciones Sur, La Plata. Pages 452-462.
  • Culebra Mason S., C. Sgarbi, J. Chila Covachina, J. M. Pena, N. Dubrovsky Berensztein, C. Margaria, and M. Ricci. 2017. Acromyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae): species distribution patterns in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Rev. Mus. Argentino Cienc. Nat. 19(2) 185-199.
  • Diehl E., D. Faria Florencio, F. A. Schmidt, L. Valente Ayestaran Menzel. 2005. Richnes and composition of the communities of ants and termites in the Floresta Nacional de Sao Francisco de Paula (Flona-SFP). Acta Biologica Leopondensia 27(2): 99-106.
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  • Fowler H. G. 1985. Leaf-cutting ants of the genera Atta and Acromyrmex of Paraguay (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Dtsch. Ent. Z., N. F. 32(1-3): 19-34.
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