Simopone brunnea

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Simopone brunnea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dorylinae
Genus: Simopone
Species group: schoutedeni
Species: S. brunnea
Binomial name
Simopone brunnea
Bolton & Fisher, 2012

Simopone brunnea casent0004504 p 1 high.jpg

Simopone brunnea casent0004504 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

One set of the few collections of this species was found in coastal lowland rainforest, in the forest margin adjacent to a river.

Identification

A member of the schoutedeni species group

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon (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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Biology

Explore-icon.png Explore Overview of Simopone biology 
Little is known about the biology of most species of Simopone. Specimens are rarely collected, and the number of species known only from workers is telling in regards to a lack of nest samples. Species are almost entirely arboreal but on occasion foraging workers are found on the ground or in rotten logs. Prey records are extremely sparse. They consist only of Crematogaster brood by Simopone vepres, and the brood of Terataner by Simopone sicaria. Nevertheless, these two records support the general supposition by Brown (1975) that most or all members of tribe Cerapachyini prey on other ants, or more probably the brood of other ants, but actual records are extremely rare. (Bolton and Fisher 2012)

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Simopone brunnea casent0173050 h 1 high.jpgSimopone brunnea casent0173050 p 1 high.jpgSimopone brunnea casent0173050 d 1 high.jpgSimopone brunnea casent0173050 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0173050. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MCZ, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Simopone brunnea casent0004504 h 2 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0004504. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

  • brunnea. Simopone brunnea Bolton & Fisher, 2012: 20, figs. 4-6 (w.) GABON, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO.
    • Type-material: holotype worker.
    • Type-locality: Gabon: Prov. Ogoové-Maritime, Rés. Monts Doudou, 24.3 km. 307° NW Doussala, 350 m., 6-7. iii.2000, Malaise trap, GA00M38, coastal lowland rainforest, forest margin along river, CASENT0004504 (S. van Noort).
    • Type-depository: CASC.
    • Distribution: Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype. HL 0.74, HW 0.46, SL 0.22, EL 0.24, PW 0.34, AIIW 0.34, AIIL 0.36, AIIIW 0.41, AIIIL 0.44, WL 0.86, MFL 0.35, CI 62, SI 48, EL/HW 0.52, EP 0.79, AIIW/AIIL 0.94, AIIIW/AIIIL 0.93.

With head in full-face view the midpoints of the outer margins of the eyes do not interrupt the outlines of the sides of the head. ES 0.20 and minimum distance between eyes 0.18. Frontal lobes raised away from level of clypeus. Frontal carinae extend back to level of anterior margins of eyes and are weakly divergent posteriorly. Cephalic dorsum mostly glossy, with scattered broad, shallow punctures and vestiges of weak longitudinal ground sculpture between the eyes. Leading edge of scape with a few setae, inclined toward the scape apex. Sides of head below and behind eyes with very few, short, inconspicuous projecting setae, inclined anteriorly. Cephalic dorsum with a pair of longer setae close to level of posterior margins of eyes and with a few shorter, curved setae near the posterior margin (some abrasion may have occurred). Mesosoma in dorsal view narrowest across the mesonotum (maximum width 0.34), broadest across the propodeum (maximum width 0.36). Anterior margin of pronotum with a weak transverse carina; promesonotal suture only feebly marked. Propodeum with a fine weak carina between dorsum and declivity. Entire dorsum of mesosoma with widely scattered broad, shallow punctures. Mesopleuron almost smooth, with just 1–2 punctures and a distinct transverse sulcus. In profile, dorsal surfaces of mesosoma and all abdominal tergites with short, posteriorly curved setae that are subdecumbent to decumbent. Middle and hind tibiae with 1–2 standing setae. AII (petiole) in dorsal view with a weak transverse carina both anteriorly and posteriorly; sides of AII extremely feebly convex, almost straight, and very weakly divergent posteriorly so that the width across the anterior margin is slightly less than across the posterior margin. Dorsum of AII with very sparse, minute punctures only. On tergite of AIII the punctures are also minute and very widely spaced, so that the distances between them are much greater then their diameters. AII fractionally longer than broad, AIII longer than broad, AIV slightly broader than long. Head capsule and entire body glossy dark brown; antennae and legs somewhat lighter.

Type Material

Holotype worker, Gabon: Prov. Ogoové-Maritime, Rés. Monts Doudou, 24.3 km 307° NW Doussala, 350 m., 6–7.iii.2000, Malaise trap, GA00M38, coastal lowland rainforest, forest margin along river, CASENT0004504 (S. van Noort) (California Academy of Sciences).

References