Cyphomyrmex salvini

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Cyphomyrmex salvini
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Cyphomyrmex
Species: C. salvini
Binomial name
Cyphomyrmex salvini
Forel, 1899

Cyphomyrmex salvini casent0901669 p 1 high.jpg

Cyphomyrmex salvini casent0901669 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

A common species that occurs in the leaf litter in a wide range of mesic forest habitats.

At a Glance • Limited invasive  

Identification

Longino (2004): Mandibles with 5 teeth; preocular carina curving mesad toward frontal carina; antennal scrobe poorly defined; lateral vertex margins produced as acute teeth that project posterolaterally; pronotum with lateral and median tubercles.

This species may be part of a species complex (see the Costa Rica biology section).

Distribution

Guatemala south to Ecuador.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 18.5333° to -23.45°.

 
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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

In Costa Rica this species is widespread in wet to moist habitats, from the lowlands to cloud forest.

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. ‎

Regional Notes

Costa Rica

Longino (2004) reports the following: This species occurs in wet to moist forest habitats throughout the country, from lowlands to cloud forest. It is by far the most common Cyphomyrmex species in wet forest leaf litter. It does not usually occur in more open habitats, where it is replaced in abundance by Cyphomyrmex rimosus. The nests are in between leaves in the leaf litter, in small pieces of rotten wood on the ground, and in rotten logs. Nests are also quite common in the subarboreal zone, in dead wood suspended in vegetation or under epiphytes, but usually within 2m of the ground. Nests may be partially or wholly constructed of accreted organic soil. Colonies are small, from tens to hundreds of workers. The few nests I have examined in their entirety have been monogynous; I have never seen a polygynous colony.

The center of the nest is the fungus garden, which usually contains two or three large caterpillar droppings and a few dozen fragments of dead insects. The dead insect parts are often brightly colored beetle elytra, and the workers appear to selectively harvest fragments that are very shiny or with metallic coloration. When exposed the nests look like small glittering piles of jewels, dotted with the green yeast-form fungus. Workers usually forage nocturnally and may be seen carrying over their head a caterpillar dropping or beetle elytron that is often several times their own size.

I observed a nest in Corcovado National Park that was a mass of accreted organic soil on the side of a tree about 1m high. The nest was 20x10cm, elliptical in outline, and 3-4cm thick, with numerous seedlings sprouting from the surface. The nest contained a single dealate queen. Inquilines and other nest occupants included one Rogeria tonduzi worker, isopods, millipedes, annelid worms, nematodes, unidentified insect larvae, mites, snails, and one each of 3 species of Staphylinidae. Another similar nest of accreted soil also contained a small nest of Neoponera unidentata.

Subarboreal nests of C. salvini can have spectacular panic evacuations in response to army ant raids. Individual workers, each carrying a larva, explode from the nest and may actually rain onto surrounding vegetation. The workers disperse and rest on leaf tips for a period of time before making their way back to the nest.

I have sometimes found larvae of C. salvini to be parasitized by Diapriidae. In Corcovado National Park I found a nest in flat chambers under the loose dorsal bark of a dead log. The area of the nest was roughly an ellipse 20x8cm. There were many alate queens, males, and over 100 workers. When I collected from the disturbed colony I noticed workers carrying large, blackened larvae. I later discovered that all these blackened larvae were larval skins covering developing diapriid parasitoids. All the healthy brood of the colony was white. I kept part of the colony alive and isolated some parasitized larvae. Seven to eight days later wasps emerged from both ant tended and isolated larvae. Each larva contained a single wasp. Wasps emerged by cutting a slit above the larval head capsule. I sent material to Lubomir Masner, who identified the wasps as genus Acanthopria.

Addressing the variability of this species within Costa Rica, Longino also adds: Cyphomyrmex salvini is almost certainly a complex of sibling species, or at least shows some degree of morphological sorting by microhabitat. At various times I have tried to split Costa Rican salvini into as many as six or seven morphospecies. In a lowland rainforest site like La Selva Biological Station, a relatively small form with short scapes is collected abundantly in Winkler samples of sifted leaf litter from the forest floor, but is almost never collected by searching for nests (middle worker images above, specimen code INBIOCRI002278772). In contrast, a larger form with longer scapes is rarely collected in Winkler samples, but is commonly found when searching for nests (top worker images, specimen code INBIOCRI001254199). These nests are usually in dead wood lying on top of the litter or in the subarboreal zone. This size difference is also reflected in the queens. It appears that these two forms partition the forest floor, one occurring below the leaf litter, the other just above it.

Some collections have a relatively enlarged promesonotum compared to others, and this form seems more abundant in mid-elevation sites.

The Monteverde cloud forest contains one common species of Cyphomyrmex, and it is an almost black, somewhat more wrinkled version of lowland salvini (bottom worker images, specimen code INBIOCRI001281765). There seems to be a fairly abrupt transition from the dark cloud forest form to lighter-colored and somewhat smoother forms just downslope in either direction. The form of salvini in the southern Pacific lowlands (Corcovado National Park and vicinity) is a bit different from either of the La Selva forms, appearing intermediate.

In spite of this degree of spatial patterning, all of the characters show overlapping distributions and I have given up trying to separate them for now.

Association with Other Organisms

Explore-icon.png Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
  • This species is a host for the diapriid wasp Acanthopria sp. (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode independent; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Cyphomyrmex salvini casent0901669 d 2 high.jpg
Holotype of Cyphomyrmex rimosus salvini. Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0901669. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

Nomenclature

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

  • salvini. Cyphomyrmex rimosus r. salvini Forel, 1899c: 40, pl. 3, fig. 2 (q.) PANAMA.
    • Type-material: holotype queen.
    • Type-locality: Panama: Bugaba (Champion).
    • Type-depository: BMNH.
    • Wheeler, W.M. 1907c: 724 (w.m.).
    • Subspecies of rimosus: Wheeler, W.M. 1907c: 724; Forel, 1908b: 43; Emery, 1924d: 342; Weber, 1940a: 412 (in key).
    • Status as species: Weber, 1958d: 261; Kempf, 1966: 190 (redescription); Kempf, 1968a: 38; Kempf, 1972a: 94; Snelling, R.R. & Longino, 1992: 490; Bolton, 1995b: 168; Branstetter & Sáenz, 2012: 258; Fernández & Serna, 2019: 850.
    • Senior synonym of acutus: Kempf, 1966: 190; Kempf, 1972a: 94; Snelling, R.R. & Longino, 1992: 492; Bolton, 1995b: 168.
    • Senior synonym of championi: Snelling, R.R. & Longino, 1992: 492.
    • Distribution: Colombia, Costa Rica (+ Cocos I.), Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama.
  • acutus. Cyphomyrmex acutus Weber, 1940a: 409 (diagnosis in key) (w.) PANAMA (Barro Colorado I.).
    • Type-material: 2 syntype workers.
    • Type-locality: Panama: Barro Colorado I., 28.vi.1938, and 13.viii.1938 (N.A. Weber).
    • [Note: collection dates are from Weber, 1941b: 107.]
    • Type-depository: MCZC.
    • Status as species: Weber, 1941b: 107.
    • Subspecies of salvini: Weber, 1958d: 261.
    • Junior synonym of salvini: Kempf, 1966: 190; Kempf, 1972a: 94; Snelling, R.R. & Longino, 1992: 492; Bolton, 1995b: 167.
  • championi. Cyphomyrmex championi Forel, 1899c: 41, pl. 3, fig. 3 (m.) PANAMA.
    • Type-material: holotype male.
    • Type-locality: Panama: Volcan de Chiriqui (Champion).
    • Type-depository: BMNH.
    • Status as species: Emery, 1924d: 341; Weber, 1940a: 413 (footnote); Kempf, 1966: 192; Kempf, 1972a: 92.
    • Junior synonym of salvini: Snelling, R.R. & Longino, 1992: 492; Bolton, 1995b: 167.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Kempf (1964) - Although resembling rather closely Cyphomyrmex vorticis salvini presents an even more intimate relationship with Cyphomyrmex rimosus, already shown by the fact that up to recently it had been considered just as a race of the latter. The larger size, the prominent tooth-like occipital corners, the salient supraocular teeth, the conical or spine-like mesonotal projections, the strongly developed ridges and impressions on head, the longer legs are the chief features that separate Cyphomyrmex salvini from rimosus.

Worker

Kempf 1966 Cyphomyrmex 1-13.jpg

Kempf (1964) - Total length 3.3-3.8 mm; head length 0.80-0.93 mm; head width 0.69-0.83 mm; thorax length 1.07-1.28 mm; hind femur length 1.01-1.17 mm. Close to the preceding vorticis, with the following differences:

Head (fig 3). Frontal lobes somewhat pointed cephalad, nearly straight and strongly diverging laterad, conspicuously rounded caudad. Frontal carinae either reach (as in rimosus) or do not reach (as in vorticis) the occipital lobe. Occiput rather perpendicular than oblique. Funicular segment I shorter than II and III combined.

Thorax (fig 16). Antero-inferior corner of pronotum forming an obtuse angle. Posterior mesonotal tubercles conical, although rather low, but not welt-like. Pair of longitudinal carinae on basal face of epinotum blunt, usually confined to the anterior half; when extending over posterior half then only vestigial. Oblique welt on sides of epinotum usually not well developed.

Petiolar node (fig 36) more strongly constricted behind, just in front of postpetiolar insertion. Median and lateral impressions in front of posterior border of postpetiole deeper, the paired tubercles, which separate these impressions, stronger.

Body hairs conspicuous, squamous, either appressed or recurved as on scapes and ventral borders of head and on legs.

  • Kempf (1964) Figs. 14-26

    Kempf (1964) Figs. 14-26

  • Kempf (1964) Figs. 27-50

    Kempf (1964) Figs. 27-50

Queen

Long 3.7 millim. Lobe antérieur des arêtes frontales fort grand, plus grand que chez le C. rimosus. Angles postérieurs de la tête prolongés en oreilles recourbées plus longues que chez le C. strigatus, mais bien plus courtes que chez le C. auritus. Le bord médian des arêtes frontales forme deux arêtes qui bordent l'épistome et l'aire frontale en forme de triangle. Chague ocelle est placé sur une élévation; celle des deux latéraux se prolonge en arête arquée vers l'angle postérieur de la tête. Le pronotum a devant, en haut, de chague côté une forte dent triangulaire. Le mésonotum a devant, en haut, au milieu, un disque arrondi et bordé; au milieu, en arrière de ce disque, deux arêtes longitudinales très obtuses, de côté un large feston. Le proscutellum a un feston de côté. Le scutellum est profondément échancré et bidenté. Le métanotum a deux très petites dents. Les deux noeuds du pédicule rectangulaires, plus larges que longs, le 2me beaucoup plus large. Abdomen très convexe, à peine subbordé, sans trace d'élévations ni de dépressions à sa surface. Mat. Microscopiquement raboteux; finement tuberculeux et rugueux. Tout le corps couvert, comme chez le C. rimosus, i. sp., d'une pubescence espacée, courte, épaisse, brillante et squameuse. D'un brun roussâtre ferugineux. Tête et abdomen bruns foncés. - Diffère du C. rimosus para ses oreilles et ses arêtes beaucoup plus fortes.

Type Material

Kempf (1964) - A lone dealate female, collected by Champion at Bugaba, Panama, presumably deposited in the British Museum (Natural History); not seen. Types of acutus in the Weber collection (NAW); not seen.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Adams B. J., S. A. Schnitzer, and S. P. Yanoviak. 2016. Trees as islands: canopy ant species richness increases with the size of liana-free trees in a Neotropical forest. Ecography doi: 10.1111/ecog.02608
  • Adams B. J., S. A. Schnitzer, and S. P. Yanoviak. 2019. Connectivity explains local ant community structure in a Neotropical forest canopy: a large-scale experimental approach. Ecology 100(6): e02673.
  • Astruc C., J. F. Julien, C. Errard, and A. Lenoir. 2004. Phylogeny of ants based on morphology and DNA sequence data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 31: 880-893.
  • Branstetter M. G. and L. Sáenz. 2012. Las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Guatemala. Pp. 221-268 in: Cano E. B. and J. C. Schuster. (eds.) 2012. Biodiversidad de Guatemala. Volumen 2. Guatemala: Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, iv + 328 pp
  • Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
  • Fernández F., E. E. Palacio, W. P. Mackay, and E. S. MacKay. 1996. Introducción al estudio de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Colombia. Pp. 349-412 in: Andrade M. G., G. Amat García, and F. Fernández. (eds.) 1996. Insectos de Colombia. Estudios escogidos. Bogotá: Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 541 pp
  • Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
  • Franco W., N. Ladino, J. H. C. Delabie, A. Dejean, J. Orivel, M. Fichaux, S. Groc, M. Leponce, and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674(5): 509-543.
  • Groc S., J. Orivel, A. Dejean, J. Martin, M. Etienne, B. Corbara, and J. H. C. Delabie. 2009. Baseline study of the leaf-litter ant fauna in a French Guianese forest. Insect Conservation and Diversity 2: 183-193.
  • INBio Collection (via Gbif)
  • Kempf W. W. 1966. A revision of the Neotropical fungus-growing ants of the genus Cyphomyrmex Mayr. Part II: Group of rimosus (Spinola) (Hym., Formicidae). Studia Entomologica 8: 161-200.
  • Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
  • Longino J. T. 2013. Ants of Nicargua. Consulted on 18 Jan 2013. https://sites.google.com/site/longinollama/reports/ants-of-nicaragua
  • Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.
  • Longino J. T., and R. K. Colwell. 2011. Density compensation, species composition, and richness of ants on a neotropical elevational gradient. Ecosphere 2(3): 16pp.
  • Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/
  • Longino, J.T. 2010. Personal Communication. Longino Collection Database
  • Lopes D. T., J. Lopes, I. Cardoso do Nascimento, and J. H. Delabie. 2010. Epigeic ants diversity (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in three environments in Mata dos Godoy State Park, Londrina, State of Paraná, Brazil. Iheringia, Sér. Zool., Porto Alegre, 100(1): 84-90.
  • Medeiros Macedo L. P., E. B. Filho, amd J. H. C. Delabie. 2011. Epigean ant communities in Atlantic Forest remnants of São Paulo: a comparative study using the guild concept. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 55(1): 75–78.
  • Philpott, S.M., P. Bichier, R. Rice, and R. Greenberg. 2007. Field testing ecological and economic benefits of coffee certification programs. Conservation Biology 21: 975-985.
  • Santos M. P. C. J., A. F. Carrano-Moreira, and J. B. Torres. 2012. Diversity of soil ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in dense Atlantic Forest and sugarcane plantationsin the County of Igarassu-PE. Revista Brasileira de Ciências Agrárias 7(4): 648-656.
  • Santos M. S., J. N. C. Louzada, N. Dias, R. Zanetti, J. H. C. Delabie, and I. C. Nascimento. 2006. Litter ants richness (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in remnants of a semi-deciduous forest in the Atlantic rain forest, Alto do Rio Grande region, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Iheringia, Sér. Zool., Porto Alegre, 96(1): 95-101.
  • Smith M. A., W. Hallwachs, D. H. Janzen. 2014. Diversity and phylogenetic community structure of ants along a Costa Rican elevational gradient. Ecography 37(8): 720-731.
  • Snelling R. R., and J. T. Longino. 1992. Revisionary notes on the fungus-growing ants of the genus Cyphomyrmex, rimosus group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Attini). Pp. 479-494 in: Quintero, D.; Aiello, A. (eds.) 1992. Insects of Panama and Mesoamerica: selected studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, xxii + 692 pp.
  • Soares, S.M. and J.H. Schoereder. 2001. Ant-nest distribution in a remnant of tropical rainforest in southeastern Brazil. Insectes Sociaux 48:280-286
  • Vasconcelos, H.L., J.M.S. Vilhena, W.E. Magnusson and A.L.K.M. Albernaz. 2006. Long-term effects of forest fragmentation on Amazonian ant communities. Journal of Biogeography 33:1348-1356
  • Weber N. A. 1958. Some attine synonyms and types (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 60: 259-264.
  • Wheeler W. M. 1907. The fungus-growing ants of North America. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 23: 669-807.
  • da Silva de Oliveira A. B., and F. A. Schmidt. 2019. Ant assemblages of Brazil nut trees Bertholletia excelsa in forest and pasture habitats in the Southwestern Brazilian Amazon. Biodiversity and Conservation 28(2): 329-344.
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