Aphaenogaster huachucana

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Aphaenogaster huachucana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Aphaenogaster
Species: A. huachucana
Binomial name
Aphaenogaster huachucana
Creighton, 1934

Aphaenogaster huachucana casent0102825 profile 1.jpg

Aphaenogaster huachucana casent0102825 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen Label

Identification

Aphaenogaster huachucana is similar in appearance to Aphaenogaster texana, but is larger and found nesting in rocky ledges as opposed to A. texana that can be found under logs and rocks. The antennal scapes pass the occipital margin by one-third the length of the scape. (DeMarco, 2015)

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 37.86° to 31.392878°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: United States (type locality).
Neotropical Region: Mexico.

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 ant forages at dusk and into the night. Nests are often found in steep rocky areas. "It may be added that all the nests of huachucana, including the type nest, were situated on steep slopes. They were placed in shady aspen groves, in the lighter shade of pine groves or in full sun. Some were built in the soil under a covering stone, others in the soil which had accumulated between the stones in a rock slide. In view of the fact that texana is quite fussy about its nest sites, the greater tolerance of huachucana in this respect is surprising" (Creighton, 1952).

Castes

Worker

MCZ-ENT00519872 Aphaenogaster huachucana huachucana3-2hef.jpgMCZ-ENT00519872 Aphaenogaster huachucana huachucana hal 1-6.jpgMCZ-ENT00519872 Aphaenogaster huachucana huachucana had 1-6.jpgMCZ-ENT00519872 Aphaenogaster huachucana huachucana lbs.JPG
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Images from AntWeb

Aphaenogaster huachucana casent0000089 head 1.jpgAphaenogaster huachucana casent0000089 profile 1.jpgAphaenogaster huachucana casent0000089 dorsal 1.jpgAphaenogaster huachucana casent0000089 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0000089. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

  • huachucana. Aphaenogaster (Attomyrma) huachucana Creighton, 1934: 189 (w.) U.S.A. (Arizona).
    • Type-material: 90 syntype workers.
    • Type-locality: U.S.A.: Arizona, Huachuca Mts, Ramsay Canyon, 7000 ft (W.S. Creighton).
    • Type-depositories: AMNH, CASC, LACM, MCZC, USNM.
    • Creighton, 1952a: 94 (q.m.).
    • Status as species: Creighton, 1950a: 144; Smith, M.R. 1951a: 796; Creighton, 1952a: 94; Smith, M.R. 1958c: 117; Smith, M.R. 1967: 352; Hunt & Snelling, 1975: 21; Smith, D.R. 1979: 1361; Allred, 1982: 453; Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1986g: 36 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 70; Mackay & Mackay, 2002: 75; Mackay & Mackay, 2017: 268 (redescription).
    • Distribution: Mexico, U.S.A.

Description

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Alatorre-Bracamontes, C.E. and M Vasquez-Bolanos. 2010. Lista comentada de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) del norte de México. Dugesiana 17(1):9-36
  • Allred D. M. 1982. Ants of Utah. The Great Basin Naturalist 42: 415-511.
  • Allred, D.M. 1982. The ants of Utah. Great Basin Naturalist 42:415-511.
  • Bestelmeyer B. T., and J. A. Wiens. 2001. Local and regional-scale responses of ant diversity to a semiarid biome transition. Ecography 24: 381-392.
  • Cover S. P., and R. A. Johnson. 20011. Checklist of Arizona Ants. Downloaded on January 7th at http://www.asu.edu/clas/sirgtools/AZants-2011%20updatev2.pdf
  • Creighton W. S. 1934. Descriptions of three new North American ants with certain ecological observations on previously described forms. Psyche (Cambridge) 41: 185-200.
  • Creighton W. S. 1952. Studies on Arizona ants. 2. New data on the ecology of Aphaenogaster huachucana and a description of the sexual forms. Psyche (Cambridge) 58: 89-99.
  • Gans M. J., J. R. Arnold, A. Cohuo, L. Castro, D. Lam, and C. Wiley. 2016. Survey of ant species in Rockwall County, Texas. Southwestern Entomologist 41(2): 373-378.
  • Gregg, R.T. 1963. The Ants of Colorado.
  • Johnson R. Personnal Database. Accessed on February 5th 2014 at http://www.asu.edu/clas/sirgtools/resources.htm
  • Longino, J.T. 2010. Personal Communication. Longino Collection Database
  • Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133