Anochetus levaillanti

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online

This species forages singly in open areas during the day and nest entrances are small openings in the soil. Workers can be seen bringing back small prey items to the nest.

Anochetus levaillanti
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Ponerinae
Tribe: Ponerini
Genus: Anochetus
Species: A. levaillanti
Binomial name
Anochetus levaillanti
Emery, 1895

Anochetus levaillanti sam-hym-c007432a profile 1.jpg

Anochetus levaillanti sam-hym-c007432a dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Identification

First gastric tergum with rugulose sculpture in addition to the punctures over much of its anterior and discal surfaces, rendering it opaque, or at most only weakly shining; vertex continuously striate and opaque to nuchal carina over a wide median area of vertex; pronotal disc entirely striate and opaque.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -16.30083333° to -34.06667°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Eritrea, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa (type locality), Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe.

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

This species forages singly during the day in open areas. Individual foragers can be seen bringing a series of small prey items back to their nest. Colony size is estimated to be less tthan 100 workers based upon the number of workers returning to the nest. Workers are timid and "freeze" if disturbed.

Castes

Worker

MCZ ENT Anochetus levaillanti 001hef.jpgMCZ ENT Anochetus levaillanti 001hal.jpgMCZ ENT Anochetus levaillanti 001had.jpgMCZ ENT Anochetus levaillanti 001lbs.jpgAnochetus levaillanti sam-hym-c010862b head 1.jpgAnochetus levaillanti sam-hym-c010862b profile 1.jpgAnochetus levaillanti sam-hym-c010862b dorsal 1.jpgAnochetus levaillanti sam-hym-c010862b label 1.jpg
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Nomenclature

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

  • levaillanti. Anochetus levaillanti Emery, 1895h: 21 (w.) SOUTH AFRICA.
    • Type-material: holotype (?) worker.
    • [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
    • Type-locality: South Africa: Transvaal, Hamman’s Kraal, i.-iv.1893 (E. Simon).
    • Type-depository: MSNG.
    • Arnold, 1915: 108 (q.).
    • Status as species: Forel, 1910c: 248; Emery, 1911d: 109; Forel, 1913a: 108; Arnold, 1915: 107 (redescription); Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 791; Finzi, 1939a: 154; Brown, 1978c: 557, 594; Bolton, 1995b: 64; Madl, 2019: 16.
    • Distribution: Eritrea, South Africa, Zimbabwe.

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

Description

Emery 1895, page 21.
Emery 1895, page 22.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Botes, A., M.A. McGeoch, H.G. Robertson, A. van Niekerk, H.P. Davids and S.L. Chown. 2006. Ants, altitude and change in the northern Cape Floristic Region. Journal of Biogeography 33:71-90
  • Brown Jr., W.L. 1978. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. Part VI. Ponerinae, Tribe Ponerini, Subtribe Odontomachiti, Section B. Genus Anochetus and Bibliography. Studia Entomologia 20(1-4): 549-XXX
  • Brown W.L. Jr. 1978. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. Part VI. Ponerinae, tribe Ponerini, subtribe Odontomachiti. Section B. Genus Anochetus and bibliography. Studia Ent. 20(1-4): 549-638.
  • CSIRO Collection
  • Dean, W. R. J. and Bond, W. J. 1990. Evidence for Rapid Faunal Changes on Islands in a Man-Made Lake. Oecologia. 83:388-391.
  • Emery C. 1911. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum 118: 1-125.
  • Finzi B. 1939. Materiali zoologici dell'Eritrea raccolti da G. Müller durante la spedizione dell'Istituto Sieroterapico Milanese e conservati al Museo di Trieste. Parte III. Hymenoptera: Formicidae. Atti del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Trieste 14: 153-168.
  • Forel A. 1910. Ameisen aus der Kolonie Erythräa. Gesammelt von Prof. Dr. K. Escherich (nebst einigen in West-Abessinien von Herrn A. Ilg gesammelten Ameisen). Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 29: 243-274.
  • IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
  • Lindsey P. A., and J. D. Skinner. 2001. Ant composition and activity patterns as determined by pitfall trapping and other methods in three habitats in the semi-arid Karoo. Journal of Arid Environments 48: 551-568.
  • Robertson H. G. 2000. Formicidae (Hymenoptera: Vespoidea). Cimbebasia Memoir 9: 371-382.
  • Tshinguvho T. E., W. R. J. Dean, and H. G. Robertson. 1999. Conservation value of road verges in the semi-arid Karoo, South Africa: ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as bio-indicators. Biodiversity and Conservation 8: 1683–1695
  • Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VIII. A synonymic list of the ants of the Ethiopian region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 711-1004