Adelomyrmex microps

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Adelomyrmex microps
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Solenopsidini
Genus: Adelomyrmex
Species: A. microps
Binomial name
Adelomyrmex microps
Fernández, 2003

Adelomyrmex microps inbiocri001266263 profile 1.jpg

Adelomyrmex microps inbiocri001266263 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Adelomyrmex microps occurs in lowland rainforest and is extremely rare. It is currently known from 13 specimens. Ten of those are from La Selva Biological Station, from eight different Berlese and MiniWinkler samples (far less than 1% of samples). The LLAMA project collected a specimen in a MiniWinkler sample from a 280 m elevation site near La Ceiba, Honduras, and two in MiniWinkler samples from 310 m elevation on Cerro Saslaya, Nicaragua. (Longino 2012)

Identification

Adelomyrmex microps is a lowland version of Adelomyrmex laevigatus, differing in lighter color, less robust sculpture, and denser, longer pilosity. Additional material shows that the key characters used in Fernández and Mackay (2003) will not separate the species: both usually have smooth shiny areas on the side of the pronotum and stout hypostomal teeth. Ommatidial count is variable. One specimen from Costa Rica (La Selva Biological Station), currently considered a nanitic or aberration, has short, sparse, completely appressed pilosity on the face and gaster, and the overall sculpture is feeble. The specimen from Honduras has several longitudinal rugae on the side of the pronotum instead of a smooth patch. (Longino 2012)

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 15.692937° to 9.266667°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Costa Rica (type locality), Honduras, Nicaragua.

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

Castes

Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

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

  • microps. Adelomyrmex microps Fernández, in Fernández & Mackay, 2003: 602, fig. 8C (w.) COSTA RICA.
    • Status as species: Fernández, 2003b: 23 (redescription); Longino, 2012: 24.

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

Description

Worker

Mandibles with 6 teeth, the three apical-most larger. Anterior margin of clypeal plate strongly concave. Eyes reduced to about 2 ommatidia. Hypostomal tooth small. Promesonotum evenly convex and higher than propodeum. Metanotal groove wide, shallow. Propodeal spines long, much longer than wide. Petiole rounded above. Postpetiole with narrow concavity posteriorly. First tergum anteriorly concave in dorsal view. Head with dense rugo-foveolate sculpture. Most of promesonotum smooth and shining, with longitudinal striae on periphery. Sides of mesosoma with irregular striae. Pilosity dorsal on body long, dense. Body reddish-brown.

References

  • Fernández, F. 2003b. Revision of the myrmicine ants of the Adelomyrmex genus-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 361: 1-52 (page 23, see also)
  • Fernández, F.; Mackay, W. P. 2003. Myrmicine ants of the Adelomyrmex laevigatus species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology 41: 593-604 (page 602, fig. 8C, Map 4 worker described)
  • Longino, J.T. 2012. A review of the ant genus Adelomyrmex Emery 1897 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Central America. Zootaxa 3456, 1–35.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Fernández F., and W. P. MacKay. 2003. The myrmicine ants of the Adelomyrmex laevigatus species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology. 41: 593-604.
  • Fernández, F. 2003. Revision of the myrmicinae ants of the Adelomyrmex genus-group. Zootaxa 361: 1-52.
  • Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
  • Longino J. T. 2012. A review of the ant genus Adelomyrmex Emery 1897 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Central America. Zootaxa 3456: 1-35
  • Longino J. T. 2013. Ants of Nicargua. Consulted on 18 Jan 2013. https://sites.google.com/site/longinollama/reports/ants-of-nicaragua
  • Longino J. T., and R. K. Colwell. 2011. Density compensation, species composition, and richness of ants on a neotropical elevational gradient. Ecosphere 2(3): 16pp.
  • Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/