Acropyga myops

Acropyga myops
Acropyga myops
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Plagiolepidini
Genus:	Acropyga
Species group:	myops
Species:	A. myops
Binomial name
Acropyga myops Forel, 1910
Synonyms
Acropyga indistincta Crawley, 1923

This is the only species of Acropyga that is endemic to Australia. It is widespread, occurring mainly at drier forested sites and less commonly in wet sclerophyll and rainforest. Nests are in soil under rocks. It is the only known species of Acropyga that tend non-mealybugs (in the family Ortheziidae rather than Pseudococcidae).

Identification

LaPolla (2004) - A member of the Acropyga myops species group. Worker: 11 segmented antennae; mesosomal dorsum with short appressed hairs, giving it a bare appearance; mesonotum broadly rounded, higher than propodeum; head width > 0.6 mm. Queen: As in worker, with modifications expected for caste. Male: 12 segmented antennae; parameres taper toward apices where many shorter hairs bend toward penis valves; in dorsal view parameres form "v" shape from apex to the base. Compare with Acropyga acutiventris and Acropyga dubia.

Australia

A. myops can be separated from other Australian species by the presence of short erect hairs on the scapes and mesosomal dorsum, the smooth mandibles which lack striations and the large size (head width greater than 0.6mm).

Keys including this Species

• Key to Australian Acropyga Species
• Key to Old World Acropyga Males
• Key to Old World Acropyga Queens
• Key to Old World Acropyga Workers
• Formicinae of the southwestern Australian Botanical Province

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -12.91666667° to -36.96666718°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

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.

Phylogeny

Acropyga

Acropyga ayanganna Acropyga donisthorpei Acropyga panamensis Acropyga guianensis Acropyga stenotes Acropyga fuhrmanni Acropyga smithii Acropyga romeo Acropyga hirsutula Acropyga dubitata Acropyga decedens, Acropyga goeldii Acropyga epedana Acropyga arnoldi Acropyga silvestrii Acropyga kinomurai Acropyga lauta Acropyga sauteri Acropyga acutiventris Acropyga myops Acropyga butteli Acropyga ambigua Acropyga pallida

Based on Blaimer et al., 2016. Note only selected Acropyga species are included, and undescribed species are excluded.

Nomenclature

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

• myops. Acropyga myops Forel, 1910b: 59 (w.m.) AUSTRALIA (New South Wales).
  • Type-material: syntype workers, syntype males (numbers not stated).
  • Type-locality: Australia: New South Wales, Bombala (W.W. Froggatt).
  • Type-depositories: AMNH, ANIC, MHNG.
  • LaPolla, 2004a: (q.).
  • Combination in Acropyga (Rhizomyrma): Emery, 1925b: 30.
  • Status as species: Emery, 1925b: 30; Santschi, 1928e: 476; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 108; Taylor, 1987a: 5; Taylor, 1992a: 58; Bolton, 1995b: 57; LaPolla, 2004a: 66 (redescription); Heterick, 2009: 60.
  • Senior synonym of indistincta: LaPolla, 2004a: 66.
  • Distribution: Australia.
• indistincta. Acropyga indistincta Crawley, 1923b: 178 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Western Australia).
  • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
  • Type-locality: Australia: Western Australia, Mundaring, nos 241, 307 (J. Clark).
  • Type-depositories: ANIC, MCZC, OXUM.
  • Status as species: Taylor & Brown, 1985: 107; Taylor, 1987a: 5; Taylor, 1992a: 59; Bolton, 1995b: 57.
  • Junior synonym of myops: LaPolla, 2004a: 66.

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

Type Material

Based on LaPolla (2004).

• Acropyga myops: Lectotype (designated by LaPolla, 2004), worker, Bombala, New South Wales, Australia, American Museum of Natural History.
• Acropyga myops: Paralectotype (designated by LaPolla, 2004), 3 workers, Bombala, New South Wales, Australia, ANIC32-018712, Australian National Insect Collection.
• Acropyga myops: Paralectotype (designated by LaPolla, 2004), male(s), Bombala, New South Wales, Australia.
• Acropyga indistincta: Holotype, worker, Mundaring, Western Australia, Australia, J. Clark, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
• Acropyga indistincta: Paratype, 11 workers, Mundaring, Western Australia, Australia, J. Clark, ANIC32-018705, Australian National Insect Collection.
• Acropyga indistincta: Paratype, 1 worker, Mundaring, Western Australia, Australia, J. Clark, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
• Acropyga indistincta: Paratype, 3 workers, Mundaring, Western Australia, Australia, J. Clark, Museum Victoria, Melbourne.
• Acropyga indistincta: Paratype, worker(s), Mundaring, Western Australia, Australia, J. Clark, Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

Description

Worker

LaPolla (2004) - (n=7): TL: 2.8-3.43; HW: 0.624-0.731; HL: 0.667-0.773; SL: 0.527-0.631; ML: 0.669-0.875; GL: 1.33-1.86; CI: 93.55-100.42; SI: 80.83-87.96.

Head: yellow; head covered in a layer of dense appressed hairs; head about as long as broad to slightly longer than broad; posterior margin entire to slightly concave; 11 segmented, incrassate antennae; scape reaches or slightly surpasses (less than half length of pedicel) posterior margin; clypeus broad, medially convex, with longer, erect hairs; mandible broad with 5-6 teeth; small, indistinct tooth often at basal angle; 3rd tooth from apical smaller than others; a short diastema between 4th and 5th tooth (numbered from apical); dorsal surface of mandible covered in many erect hairs (≥ 20 hairs); hairs close to masticatory margin often extend passed length of teeth; inner mandibular margin parallel with anterior clypeal margin. Mesosoma: yellow; in lateral view, pronotum rises steeply toward mesonotum; pronotum covered in dense layer of short appressed to suberect hairs; mesonotum dorsum broadly rounded toward metanotal area; mesonotum covered in dense layer of short appressed to suberect hairs; mesonotum higher than propodeum; metanotal area distinct; propodeum covered in dense layer of short appressed hairs, gently rounded toward steep declivity. Gaster: petiole short, but thick and erect, rounded apically; reaches at most lower portion of propodeal spiracle; gaster yellow; covered in layer of very short appressed hairs, with sparsely scattered erect hairs throughout.

Queen

LaPolla (2004) - (n=2): TL: 1.98-2; HW: 0.872-0.928; HL: 0.812-0.874; SL: 0.716-0.792; ML: 1.27-1.53; GL: 1.14-.713; CI: 106.18-107.39; SI: 82.11-85.34. As in worker, with modifications expected for caste and the following differences: can vary in color from a brownish-yellow to a dark brown (almost black); head broader than long.

Male

LaPolla (2004) - (n=2): TL: 2.48-2.64; HW: 0.525-0.563; SL: 0.48-0.453; ML: 0.971-1.2; GL: 0.713-1.14; CI: 100-109.77; SI: 73.3-91.43.

Head: brownish-yellow to dark brown; head covered in a dense layer of appressed hairs, with scattered short erect hairs near vertex; head broader than long, though becoming narrower around 3 prominent ocelli; 12 segmented, incrassate antennae; scape surpasses posterior margin by about half length of pedicel; clypeus broad, slightly medially convex, with scattered erect hairs throughout; mandibles broad with 5 distinct teeth; 2nd and 3rd teeth from apical smaller than others; a short diastema often found between 4th and 5th teeth; dorsal surface of mandible hairy (approximately 15 hairs); hairs toward masticatory margin often surpass length of teeth. Mesosoma: brownish-yellow to dark brown; pronotum narrow and collar-like, overarched by broadly rounded mesonotum; mesonotum with dense layer of appressed hairs to short erect hairs; longest and most erect hairs found on scutellum; propodeum rounded, with layer of appressed hairs to erect hairs; declivity not distinct from propodeum. Gaster: petiole thick and erect, rounded apically; petiole can reach height of propodeum; gaster brownish-yellow to dark brown; covered in a dense layer of appressed hairs, with scattered suberect to erect hairs throughout. Genitalia: in lateral view, parameres long, taper to rounded apices; parameres with erect hairs throughout, shorter and more abundant erect hairs at apices; cuspi short and rounded, reaching only approximately 1/4 length of digiti; cuspi with peg-like teeth at apices; digiti long and broad, plate-like with broadly rounded apices, with peg-like teeth where cuspi meet.

References

• Cantone S. 2018. Winged Ants, The queen. Dichotomous key to genera of winged female ants in the World. The Wings of Ants: morphological and systematic relationships (self-published).
• Crawley, W. C. (1923). Myrmecological notes. - New Australian Formicidae. Entomologist's Record and Journal of Variation, 35: 177–179.
• Emery, C. 1925d. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Formicinae. Genera Insectorum 183: 1-302 (page 30, Combination in Acropyga (Rhizomyrma))
• Forel, A. 1910b. Formicides australiens reçus de MM. Froggatt et Rowland Turner. Rev. Suisse Zool. 18: 1-94 (page 59, worker, male described)
• Heterick, B. E. 2009a. A guide to the ants of South-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 76: 1-206. Part 1.
• Heterick, B.E. 2021. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part I: Systematics. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 86, 1-245 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2021.001-245).
• Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
• LaPolla, J.S. 2004a. Acropyga of the world. Contributions of the American Entomological Institute. 33(3):1-130. (page 66, fig. 28A, worker, queen, male described, senior synonym of indistincta)
• Park, J., Park, J. 2021. Complete mitochondrial genome of the gate-keeper ant Colobopsis nipponica (Wheeler, W.M., 1928) (Formicidae: Hymenoptera). Mitochondrial DNA Part B 6, 86–88 (doi:10.1080/23802359.2020.1845581).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• LaPolla J.S. 2004. Acropyga (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the world. Contributions of the American Entomological Institute 33(3): 1-130.
• Taylor R. W. 1992. Nomenclature and distribution of some Australian and New Guinean ants of the subfamily Formicinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 31: 57-69.