Rogeria ciliosa

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Rogeria ciliosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Solenopsidini
Genus: Rogeria
Species: R. ciliosa
Binomial name
Rogeria ciliosa
Kugler, C., 1994

Rogeria ciliosa P casent0106268.jpg

Rogeria ciliosa D casent0106268.jpg

Specimen Label

Only known from two collections.

Identification

Kugler (1994) - stigmatica species group. WL 1.06-1.20mm. Mandibles triangular; coarsely punctured, weakly carinulate. Anterior clypeus evenly convex. Propodeal spines long (> 0. 20mm), strongly inclined and diverging. Metapleural lobes well developed; angular. Inferior petiolar process reduced to a small step. Dorsal head, mesosoma and gaster densely covered with long flexuous hairs; terminal segments of gaster with dense, stiff erect hair.

Rogeria gibba from western Ecuador and Colombia resembles Rogeria ciliosa in size, sculpture and pilosity, but has different mandibles, clypeal margin, propodeal spines, and metapleural lobes. Rogeria stigmatica and Rogeria megastigmatica from the Pacific have much shorter propodeal spines, less punctured gaster, and different pilosity.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Known only from lowland rain forests in the Amazonian basin of Ecuador and the Orinocan basin of Venezuela.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 8.616666667° to -3.083333°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Ecuador (type locality), Venezuela.

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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Biology

The following is modified from Kugler (1994): Little is known about these cryptic ants. Collection records typically range from sea level to 1000m, but five species extend higher and two (Rogeria unguispina and Rogeria merenbergiana) can be found at 2000m. Rogeria are generally collected in moist forests (primary or secondary forests, coffee or cacao plantations), but at higher elevations can be found in pastures (Rogeria leptonana, Rogeria merenbergiana). Several species (Rogeria creightoni, Rogeria cuneola, Rogeria foreli) have been found in moist and dry climates. Rogeria foreli is the most unusual, with some members dwelling at over 1800m in the temperate mountains of southern Arizona.

Most species have only been collected as strays or by Berlese or Winkler sampling, from leaf litter and rotten wood, but occasionally among epiphytes and moss (Rogeria belti, creightoni, Rogeria exsulans). Nests of several species (belti, Rogeria blanda, merenbergiana) have been found under the loose bark of rotten logs. Nests of blanda and Rogeria tonduzi have been taken from the trunks of cacao trees. A nest of Rogeria leptonana was found at 1750m under a rock in a pasture.

Nests are rarely found. Males are known for only four species (belti, blanda, leptonana and Rogeria stigmatica) and queens associated through nest series for only nine species.

Castes

Males have not been collected.

Nomenclature

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

  • ciliosa. Rogeria ciliosa Kugler, C. 1994: 31, figs. 2-4 (w.q.) ECUADOR.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype and Paratype. TL 4.1-4.8 (4.1), HL 0.90-1.02 (0.90), HW 0.78-0.89 (0.785), SL 0.69-0.77 (0.69), EL 0.14-0.16 (0. 15) (32-42 facets), PW 0.60-0.66 (0.60), WL 1.06-1.20 (1.06), SpL 0.24-0.28 (0.245), PetL 0.44-0.53 (0.44), PpetL 0.23-0.29 (0.235)mm, CI 0.84-0.87 (0.87), OI 0.17-0.19 (0.19), SI 0.85-0.90 (0.88), PSI 0.21-0.23 (0.23). N=9

Mandibles with 7-9 teeth (3 apical teeth decreasing in size basad, followed by 4-6 small, subequal teeth). Palpal formula 3,2. No clypeal apron. Body of clypeus not projecting over anterior edge. Nuchal grooves weak. Pronotal shoulders rounded. Ventral petiole with a low median carina rather than a distinct keel. Node

Kugler 1994 fig 2-6

distinct, wider than long. Postpetiole dorsal view shape as in Fig. 66. Postpetiolar sternum short, with a distinct anterior lip followed by a narrow sulcus. Gaster large (GW / WL 0.94-0.97). Quadrate plate of sting apparatus with somewhat reduced apodeme that lacks lobes on anterodorsal corner; oblong plate ventral arm very reduced (see also Fig. 3 and stigmatica-group diagnosis).

Body of clypeus with fragmented longitudinal rugulae surrounded by effaced areolate sculpture. Longitudinal rugae on head dorsum mostly confined to the frontal lobes, frontal area, and midline. Frontal lobes rugose-areolate in some paratypes. Rest of dorsum, cheeks, venter, and posterior head densely areolate; intervals bearing shallow piligerous punctures. Promesonotum with the same areolate sculpture. Mesopleura, metapleura, and sides of propodeum with more irregular and confused areolate sculpture. Metanotal groove scrobiculate. Dorsal face of propodeum transversely rugose with undulating, smooth intervals or largely areolate with a few carinulae between the spines. Most of petiole and postpetiole strongly areolate as well. Sculpture on anterior petiolar node effaced; dorsum of peduncle smooth. First tergum and sternum of gaster rather coarsely punctured in front and more finely punctured caudad; smooth and shiny between punctures.

Fine, long, flexuous, erect to suberect hair covers mid dorsum of head, dorsum of mesosoma, dorsum and sides of waist, and first segment of gaster. On terminal segments of gaster these become denser, stiffer and more erect to form brushlike rings. Shorter, subdecumbent hairs occur on lateral and ventral surfaces of head, dorsal surfaces of scapes, sides of mesosoma, and sometimes dorsal face of propodeum. Very short, decumbent to appressed pilosity on extensor surfaces of legs and ventral petiole. Median hair on clypeus fine and often obscured by surrounding paired hairs.

Body uniformly rusty-brown; appendages lighter, more yellowish-brown.

Queen

Paratype. TL 5.3, HL 1.04, HW 0.91, SL 0.80, EL 0.27, PW 0.97, WL 1.50, SpL 0.30, PetL 0.58, PpetL 0.30mm, CI 0.88, 51 0.88, PSI 0.20. N=1

Differing from paratypes only in the normal queen characters (Fig. 4). Mandible 8- toothed. Short parapsidal furrows present on mesoscutum. Both mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with same dense areolate sculpture as in worker. Metanotum vaguely microareolate. Dorsal face of Propodeum with transverse carinulae mesad; areolate laterad.

Type Material

Material Examined. —Holotype locality. ECUADOR: Napo Province, Limoncocha, 250m, 18-VI-1976, #B-348 (5. and J. Peck) Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Paratype locality. 9 workers, 1 queen, VENEZUELA: Bolivar State, Campamento Rio Grande, 8.07N 61.42W, 250m, 14-VIII-1986, sifted leafmold and rotten wood, #8572-12 (P. S. Ward) [2 workers dissected: mouthparts, 2 stings] The Natural History Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, MCZ, Instituto de Zoologia Agricola, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, National Museum of Natural History.

Etymology

The name ciliosa refers to its dense covering of flexuous hairs.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • 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
  • 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.
  • Mertl A. L., J. F. A. Traniello, K. Ryder Wilkie, and R. Constantino. 2012. Associations of two ecologically significant social insect taxa in the litter of an amazonian rainforest: is there a relationship between ant and termite species richness? Psyche doi:10.1155/2012/312054
  • Ryder Wilkie K.T., A. L. Mertl, and J. F. A. Traniello. 2010. Species Diversity and Distribution Patterns of the Ants of Amazonian Ecuador. PLoS ONE 5(10): e13146.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013146