Acromyrmex octospinosus

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Acromyrmex octospinosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Acromyrmex
Species: A. octospinosus
Binomial name
Acromyrmex octospinosus
(Reich, 1793)

Acromyrmex octospinosus psw7796-21 profile 1.jpg

Acromyrmex octospinosus psw7796-21 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Subspecies
Synonyms

Acromyrmex octospinosus is a host species of the social parasite Acromyrmex insinuator.

At a Glance • Highly invasive  

Identification

Median pronotal spines usually present and distinct, occasionally reduced or absent; head tapering behind eyes; head width less than or equal to 1.7 mm.

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 23.133° to -14.81°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, French Guiana (type locality), Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.

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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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. ‎

Boulogne et al. (2018) - Acromyrmex octospinosus causes serious damage to fields crops, pastures and plantations due to their foraging activities for its symbiotic fungus cultivation (Pérez et al 2011). Estimated damage was, for example, several million dollars per year in USA and Brazil (Cameron & Riggs 1985). A. octospinosus is native to South and Central America and exotic to Guadeloupe. This species was introduced in Guadeloupe in 1954 and progressively colonized the entire territory (Boulogne et al 2014), causing ongoing damage in both agricultural and protected areas. The 1995 cyclone favored ant invasion in natural areas where some plant species, such as the endemic arborescent ferns of the genus Cyathea, are now threatened and might completely disappear (Boulogne et al 2014). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) classifies this ant among the most serious pests of tropical and subtropical America (Pollard 1982).

Fernandez- Marin et al. (2003) - Incipient nests of Acromyrmex octospinosus have only 3-7 workers.

Nehring et al. (2015) - While this species is parastized by queens of Acromyrmex insinuator, this social parasite is not able to reproduce in Acromyrmex octospinosus colonies. The sympatric Acromyrmex echinatior is also parasitized by A. insinuator and is able to reproduce within colonies of this other host.

Weber (1958) - The springtail species Cyphoderus inaequalis Folsom (Lepidocyrtidae: Cyphoderinae) is known from nests of this ant.

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 fungus Ophiocordyceps kniphofioides (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).
  • This species is a host for the nematode Steinerema carpocapsae (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (multiple encounter modes; indirect transmission; transmission outside nest).

Life History Traits

  • Mean colony size: 50,000 (Beckers et al., 1989)
  • Foraging behaviour: mass recruiter (Beckers et al., 1989)

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • octospinosus. Formica octospinosa Reich, 1793: 132 (w.) FRENCH GUIANA.
    • Type-material: holotype (?) worker.
    • [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
    • Type-locality: French Guiana: Cayenne (Le Blond).
    • Type-depository: unknown (no material known to exist).
    • [Notes (i): specimen(s) possibly in MNHN as Reich is attributed to the Natural History Society of Paris; (ii) G.C. Reich is not mentioned in Horn & Kahle, 1936, 1937.]
    • Forel, 1893e: 590 (s.q.m.); Wheeler, G.C. 1949: 674 (l.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1986d: 496 (l.).
    • Combination in Atta: Emery, 1892b: 163;
    • combination in Atta (Acromyrmex): Forel, 1893e: 590;
    • combination in Acromyrmex: Mann, 1916: 454.
    • Status as species: Forel, 1893e: 590 (redescription); André, 1893b: 152; Dalla Torre, 1893: 153; Emery, 1894c: 220; Forel, 1895b: 139; Forel, 1899c: 34; Forel, 1905b: 157; Emery, 1905c: 44; Wheeler, W.M. 1905b: 130; Forel, 1907e: 2; Forel, 1908b: 42; Forel, 1908e: 69; Forel, 1912e: 181; Wheeler, W.M. 1913b: 495; Santschi, 1913h: 41; Mann, 1916: 454; Wheeler, W.M. 1916d: 326; Crawley, 1916b: 373; Wheeler, W.M. 1922c: 13; Emery, 1924d: 350; Santschi, 1925a: 391 (in key); Borgmeier, 1927c: 134; Wheeler, W.M. 1933a: 63; Wheeler, W.M. 1937c: 15, 69; Santschi, 1939e: 319 (in key); Santschi, 1939f: 166; Weber, 1941b: 125; Weber, 1945: 62; Weber, 1946b: 154; Brown, 1957e: 236; Gonçalves, 1961: 157; Kempf, 1972a: 14; Alayo, 1974: 42; Cherrett & Cherrett, 1989: 51; Bolton, 1995b: 56; Branstetter & Sáenz, 2012: 257; Fernández, et al. 2015: 70 (redescription); Fernández & Serna, 2019: 834.
    • Senior synonym of guentheri: Emery, 1894c: 220; Forel, 1899c: 34, Santschi, 1913h: 41; Emery, 1924d: 350; Borgmeier, 1927c: 134; Gonçalves, 1961: 157; Kempf, 1972a: 14; Bolton, 1995b: 56; Fernández, et al. 2015: 71.
    • Senior synonym of pallida Crawley: Wheeler, W.M. 1937c: 70; Gonçalves, 1961: 157; Kempf, 1972a: 14; Bolton, 1995b: 56; Fernández, et al. 2015: 71.
    • Distribution: Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, Trinidad, Venezuela.
    • Current subspecies: nominal plus cubanus, ekchuah, inti.
  • guentheri. Atta (Acromyrmex) guentheri Forel, 1893e: 594 (s.w.q.m.) TRINIDAD, VENEZUELA.
    • Type-material: syntype workers, syntype queens, syntype males (numbers not stated).
    • Type-localities: Trinidad: (no further data) (Günther), Trinidad: (no further data) (F.W. Urich), Venezuela: (no further data) (F. Meinert).
    • Type-depository: MHNG (perhaps also ZMUC).
    • Junior synonym of octospinosus: Emery, 1894c: 220; Forel, 1899c: 34; Santschi, 1913h: 41; Emery, 1924d: 350; Borgmeier, 1927c: 134; Gonçalves, 1961: 157; Kempf, 1972a: 14; Bolton, 1995b: 55; Fernández, et al. 2015: 71.
  • pallida. Acromyrmex octospinosa var. pallida Crawley, 1921: 92 (s.w.) GUYANA.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Guyana (“British Guiana”): Issororo, 1918, no. 422 (Bodkin).
    • Type-depository: BMNH.
    • [Unresolved junior secondary homonym of Oecodoma pallida Smith, F. 1858b: 187 (Bolton, 1995b: 56).]
    • Subspecies of octospinosus: Santschi, 1925a: 359; Santschi, 1939e: 319 (in key); Santschi, 1939f: 166 (in key).
    • Junior synonym of octospinosus: Wheeler, W.M. 1937c: 70; Gonçalves, 1961: 157; Kempf, 1972a: 14; Bolton, 1995b: 56; Fernández, et al. 2015: 71.
  • pampanus. Acromyrmex (Moellerius) balzani subsp. pampanus Weber, 1938b: 200 (w.q.m.) BOLIVIA.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated), 1 syntype queen (headless), 1 syntype male.
    • Type-localities: Bolivia: Rosario (Lake Rocagua), xi.1921 (W.M. Mann) (invalid restriction of type-locality by Kempf, 1972a: 16; no lectotype designated), Bolivia: Reyes, x.1921 (W.M. Mann).
    • Type-depository: USNM (perhaps also MCZC).
    • Subspecies of balzani: Weber, 1958d: 264; Brandão, 1991: 323.
    • Subspecies of landolti: Kempf, 1972a: 16.
    • Synonym of multituber: Fowler, 1988: 284; Brandão, 1991: 323.
    • [Note: Fowler and Brandão give pampanus as senior synonym, but multituber has priority (Bolton, 1995b: 56).]

Description

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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