Strumigenys villiersi

Strumigenys villiersi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Strumigenys
Species:	S. villiersi
Binomial name
Strumigenys villiersi (Perrault, 1986) Specimen Labels

A widespread but rarely collected species known from various forest habitats. A few of the records note they were obtained from litter-samples.

Identification

Bolton (2000) - A member of the Strumigenys splendens-group. The abundant long pilosity and numerous extremely long fine flagellate hairs, especially those arising from the dorsolateral margins of the head, make this species easily recognisable. Only two other species within the group, Strumigenys rugithorax and Strumigenys kompsomala, approach villiersi in density of pilosity. Differentiation of these two from villiersi is easy. S. rugithorax has a laterally expanded clypeus that conceals most of the outer margin of the mandibles, has an upcurved anterior clypeal margin, and has the preocular carinae completely concealed by the expanded frontal lobes and frontal carinae. S. kompsomala has the ventral spongiform lobe of the postpetiole reduced to a small triangular anteroventral vestige and has a truncated erect tooth on the midline of the mesonotum close to its posterior margin.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Neotropical Strumigenys (as Pyramica)

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 8.349° to -16.393°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana (type locality), Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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.

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.

Nomenclature

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

• villiersi. Gymnomyrmex villiersi Perrault, 1986a: 1, figs. 1-3 (w.) FRENCH GUIANA. Combination in Pyramica: Bolton, 1999: 1672; in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 130. See also: Bolton, 2000: 237.

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

Description

Worker

Bolton (2000) - TL 1.7-2.0, HL 0.48-0.52, HW 0.31-0.34, CI 64-65, ML 0.08-0.10, MI 17-29, SL 0.20-0.24, SI 65-71, PW 0.20-0.24, AL 0.50-0.58 (6 measured).

With head in full-face view the clypeus not expanded laterally, outer margins of mandibles visible almost to level of preocular carinae. Frontal lobes and frontal carinae not strongly expanded laterally, in full-face view the preocular carinae visible. With mandibles at full closure the exposed length of the basal lamella is slightly greater than the length of the tooth row. Vertex smooth in small specimens, irregularly granulate to punctate in larger individuals. Dorsolateral margin of head with two freely projecting long flagellate hairs. The anterior hair arises from the upper scrobe margin above the eye and is extremely long, much longer than the scape; the more posterior flagellate hair is api coscrobal and somewhat shorter. Very long flagellate hairs also occur at the pronotal humeri and a pair is present on the mesonotum. All these very long hairs seem fragile and are prone to breakage and abrasion. Dorsal alitrunk otherwise with fine sinuate to short-flagellate hairs, the first gastral tergite with numerous flagellate hairs. All surfaces of legs with numerous freely projecting fine hairs. Femural gland bullae particularly distinct in this species, appearing blister-like. Pronotum feebly marginate, the dorsum smooth or weakly sculptured.

Type Material

Bolton (2000) - Holotype worker and paratype workers, FRENCH GUIANA: 5°30'N, 53 °W, 40-50 m., 1980 (Betsch) (Musee National d'Histoire Naturelle) [holotype examined].

References

• Albuquerque, E., Prado, L., Andrade-Silva, J., Siqueira, E., Sampaio, K., Alves, D., Brandão, C., Andrade, P., Feitosa, R., Koch, E., Delabie, J., Fernandes, I., Baccaro, F., Souza, J., Almeida, R., Silva, R. 2021. Ants of the State of Pará, Brazil: a historical and comprehensive dataset of a key biodiversity hotspot in the Amazon Basin. Zootaxa 5001, 1–83 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5001.1.1).
• Baroni Urbani, C. & De Andrade, M.L. 2007. The ant tribe Dacetini: limits and constituent genera, with descriptions of new species. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale “G. Doria”. 99:1-191.
• Bolton, B. 1999. Ant genera of the tribe Dacetonini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. Nat. Hist. 3 33:1639-1689 (page 1672, combination in Pyramica)
• Bolton, B. 2000. The ant tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute. 65:1-1028. (page 237, figs. 159, 192 redescription of worker)
• Franco, W., Ladino, N., Delabie, J.H.C., Dejean, A., Orivel, J., Fichaux, M., Groc, S., Leponce, M., Feitosa, R.M. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674, 509–543 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4674.5.2).
• Perrault, G. H. 1986a. Gymnomyrmex villiersi, nouvelle espèce de Guyane (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Rev. Fr. Entomol. (Nouv. Sér.). 8:1-4. (page 1, figs. 1-3 worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Achury R., and A.V. Suarez. 2017. Richness and composition of ground-dwelling ants in tropical rainforest and surrounding landscapes in the Colombian Inter-Andean valley. Neotropical Entomology https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-017-0565-4
• Bolton, B. 2000. The Ant Tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 65
• Brandao, C.R.F. 1991. Adendos ao catalogo abreviado das formigas da regiao neotropical (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Rev. Bras. Entomol. 35: 319-412.
• Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
• Fichaux M., B. Bechade, J. Donald, A. Weyna, J. H. C. Delabie, J. Murienne, C. Baraloto, and J. Orivel. 2019. Habitats shape taxonomic and functional composition of Neotropical ant assemblages. Oecologia 189(2): 501-513.
• 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. H. C. Delabie, F. Fernandez, F. Petitclerc, B. Corbara, M. Leponce, R. Cereghino, and A. Dejean. 2017. Litter-dwelling ants as bioindicators to gauge the sustainability of small arboreal monocultures embedded in the Amazonian rainforest. Ecological Indicators 82: 43-49.
• Lapolla, J.S., T. Suman, J. Soso-Calvo and T.R. Schultz. 2006. Leaf litter ant diversity in Guyana. Biodiversity and Conservation 16:491–510
• 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
• Perrault G. H. 1986. Gymnomyrmex villiersi, nouvelle espèce de Guyane (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Revue Française d'Entomologie (Nouvelle Série) 8: 1-4.
• Pires de Prado L., R. M. Feitosa, S. Pinzon Triana, J. A. Munoz Gutierrez, G. X. Rousseau, R. Alves Silva, G. M. Siqueira, C. L. Caldas dos Santos, F. Veras Silva, T. Sanches Ranzani da Silva, A. Casadei-Ferreira, R. Rosa da Silva, and J. Andrade-Silva. 2019. An overview of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the state of Maranhao, Brazil. Pap. Avulsos Zool. 59: e20195938.
• Silva T. S. R., and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. Using controlled vocabularies in anatomical terminology: A case study with Strumigenys (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Arthropod Structure and Development 52: 1-26.
• Sosa-Calvo J., T. R. Schultz, and J. S. LaPolla. 2010. A review of the dacetine ants of Guyana (Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 19: 12-43.
• 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