Apterostigma

Apterostigma Temporal range: 20.43–0 Ma K Pa Eo Ol Mi Pl Early Miocene – Recent
Apterostigma pilosum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Apterostigma Mayr, 1865
Type species
Apterostigma pilosum
Diversity
44 species 2 fossil species (Species Checklist, Species by Country) Apterostigma pilosum Specimen Label

Evolutionary Relationships

Attini Ochetomyrmex (2 species), Tranopelta (2 species) Allomerus (8 species), Blepharidatta (4 species), Diaphoromyrma (1 species), Lachnomyrmex (16 species), Wasmannia (11 species) Acanthognathus (7 species), Colobostruma (16 species), Daceton (2 species), Epopostruma (20 species), Lenomyrmex (7 species), Mesostruma (9 species), Microdaceton (4 species), Orectognathus (29 species) Paleoattina Apterostigma   (44 species) Myrmicocrypta   (31 species) Mycocepurus   (6 species) Neoattina Cyatta   (1 species) Kalathomyrmex   (1 species) Mycetarotes   (4 species) Mycetosoritis   (2 species) Cyphomyrmex   (23 species) Mycetophylax   (21 species) Mycetagroicus   (4 species) Acromyrmex (56 species), Atta (20 species), Sericomyrmex (11 species), Trachymyrmex (9 species), Xerolitor (1 species) Basiceros (9 species), Cephalotes (123 species), Eurhopalothrix (55 species), Octostruma (35 species), Phalacromyrmex (1 species), Pheidole (1,294 species), Pilotrochus (1 species), Procryptocerus (44 species), Protalaridris (7 species), Rhopalothrix (16 species), Strumigenys (859 species), Talaridris (1 species)

Based on Ward et al. (2014), Blaimer et al. (2018) and Li et al. (2018).

A genus of fungus growing ants.

At a Glance

• Fungus Grower

 

Identification

See images of species within this genus

 

Distribution

Fossils

Fossils are known from: Dominican amber, Dominican Republic (Burdigalian, Early Miocene).

Biology

Association with Other Organisms

All Associate Records for Genus

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Taxon	Relationship	Associate Type	Associate Taxon	Associate Relationship	Locality	Source	Notes
Apterostigma auriculatum	host	diapriid wasp	Leucopria	parasite		www.diapriid.org	potential host
Apterostigma dentigerum	host	fly	Pseudogaurax paratolmos	parasite	Panama	Gonzalez et al., 2016
Apterostigma goniodes	host	ant	Megalomyrmex mondaboroides	xenobiont	Costa Rica	Adams et al., 2015

Life History Traits

• Mean colony size: 27-155 (Greer et al., 2021)
• Compound colony type: not parasitic (Greer et al., 2021)
• Nest site: hypogaeic (Greer et al., 2021)
• Diet class: herbivore (Greer et al., 2021)
• Foraging stratum: arboreal (Greer et al., 2021)
• Foraging behaviour: cooperative (Greer et al., 2021)

Morphology

Worker Morphology

• Antennal segment count: 11 • Antennal club: gradual-3, weak • Palp formula: 3,2 • Total dental count: 8-14 • Spur formula: 0,0 • Eyes: 11-100 ommatidia • Scrobes: absent • Pronotal Spines: absent • Mesonotal Spines: absent • Propodeal Spines: absent; dentiform • Petiolar Spines: absent • Caste: none or weak • Sting: present • Metaplural Gland: present • Cocoon: absent

These characters are collated in the Worker Morphology table.

Karyotype

Species Uncertain

• 2n = 20; 24; 32, karyotype = 6M+12SM+2A; 24M; 14M+6SM+10ST+2T (Brazil; French Guiana; Panama) (Cardoso & Cristiano, 2021; Fadini & Pompolo, 1996; Mariano et al., 2011; Murakami et al., 1998).

All Karyotype Records for Genus

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Taxon	Haploid	Diploid	Karyotype	Locality	Source	Notes
Apterostigma		20 • 24 • 32	6M+12SM+2A; 24M; 14M+6SM+10ST+2T	Brazil; French Guiana; Panama	Cardoso & Cristiano, 2021; Fadini & Pompolo, 1996; Mariano et al., 2011; Murakami et al., 1998
Apterostigma madidiense		24	24M	Brazil	Cardoso & Cristiano, 2021
Apterostigma madidiense	23		14M+20SM+10ST+2A	Brazil	Barros et al., 2013
Apterostigma mayri		24	24M	Panama	Cardoso & Cristiano, 2021; Murakami et al., 1998
Apterostigma steigeri		22	20M+2SM	Brazil	Barros et al., 2013

Nomenclature

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

• APTEROSTIGMA [Myrmicinae: Attini]
  • Apterostigma Mayr, 1865: 111. Type-species: Apterostigma pilosum, by monotypy.

References

• Ashmead, W. H. 1905c. A skeleton of a new arrangement of the families, subfamilies, tribes and genera of the ants, or the superfamily Formicoidea. Can. Entomol. 37: 381-384 (page 384, Apterostigma in Cryptoceridae, Attinae)
• Barden, P. 2017. Fossil ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): ancient diversity and the rise of modern lineages. Myrmecological News 24: 1-30.
• Bolton, B. 2003. Synopsis and Classification of Formicidae. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 71: 370pp (page 197, Apterostigma in Myrmicinae, Attini)
• Boudinot, B.E. 2019. Hormigas de Colombia. Cap. 15. Clave para las subfamilias y generos basada en machos. Pp. 487-499 in: Fernández, F., Guerrero, R.J., Delsinne, T. (eds.) 2019d. Hormigas de Colombia. Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 1198 pp.
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• 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).
• Cardoso, D. C., Cristiano, M. P. 2021. Karyotype diversity, mode, and tempo of the chromosomal evolution of Attina (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Attini): Is there an upper limit to chromosome number? Insects 1212, 1084 (doi:10.3390/insects12121084).
• Dalla Torre, K. W. von. 1893. Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Vol. 7. Formicidae (Heterogyna). Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 289 pp. (page 149, Apterostigma in Myrmicinae)
• Emery, C. 1877b. Saggio di un ordinamento naturale dei Mirmicidei, e considerazioni sulla filogenesi delle formiche. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 9: 67-83 (page 81, Apterostigma in Myrmicinae, Pheidolini [Pheidolidae])
• Emery, C. 1895l. Die Gattung Dorylus Fab. und die systematische Eintheilung der Formiciden. Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere 8: 685-778 (page 770, Apterostigma in Myrmicinae, Attini)
• Emery, C. 1913c. Études sur les Myrmicinae. [V-VII.]. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 57: 250-262 (page 251, Apterostigma in Myrmicinae, Attini)
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• Fernandez, F., Guerrero, R.J., Sánchez-Restrepo, A.F. 2021. Sistemática y diversidad de las hormigas neotropicales. Revista Colombiana de Entomología 47, 1–20 (doi:10.25100/socolen.v47i1.11082).
• Forel, A. 1893b. Sur la classification de la famille des Formicides, avec remarques synonymiques. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 37: 161-167 (page 164, Apterostigma in Myrmicinae, Attini)
• Forel, A. 1899d. Formicidae. [part]. Biol. Cent.-Am. Hym. 3: 25-56 (page 37, Apterostigma in Myrmicinae, Attini)
• Forel, A. 1917. Cadre synoptique actuel de la faune universelle des fourmis. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 51: 229-253 (page 247, Apterostigma in Myrmicinae, Attini)
• Hanisch, P.E., Sosa-Calvo, J., Schultz, T.R. 2022. The last piece of the puzzle? Phylogenetic position and natural history of the monotypic fungus-farming ant genus Paramycetophylax (Formicidae: Attini). Insect Systematics and Diversity 6 (1): 11:1-17 (doi:10.1093/isd/ixab029).
• Hogan, C.T., Jones, T.H., Zhukova, M., Sosa-Calvo, J., Adams, R.M.M. 2017. Novel mandibular gland volatiles from Apterostigma ants. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 72: 56-62 (doi:10.1016/j.bse.2017.04.005).
• Jansen, G., Savolainen, R. 2010. Molecular phylogeny of the ant tribe Myrmicini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 160(3), 482–495 (doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00604.x).
• Kaspari, M., Pickering, J., Longino, J., Windsor, D. 2001. The phenology of a Neotropical ant assemblage: evidence for continuous and overlapping reproduction. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 50, 382–390 (doi:10.1007/s002650100378).
• Lattke, J. E. 1997. Revisión del género Apterostigma Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Arq. Zool. (São Paulo) 34: 121-221.
• Mayr, G. 1865. Formicidae. In: Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte "Novara" um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859. Zoologischer Theil. Bd. II. Abt. 1. Wien: K. Gerold's Sohn, 119 pp. (page 111, Apterostigma as genus)
• Mayr, G. 1865. Formicidae. In: Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte "Novara" um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859. Zoologischer Theil. Bd. II. Abt. 1. Wien: K. Gerold's Sohn, 119 pp. (page 25, Apterostigma in Myrmicinae [Myrmicidae])
• Menegatti, C., Fukuda, T.T.H., Pupo, M.T. 2020. Chemical ecology in insect-microbe interactions in the Neotropics. Planta Medica, a-1229–9435. (doi:10.1055/a-1229-9435).
• Richter, A., Boudinot, B., Yamamoto, S., Katzke, J., Beutel, R. G. 2022. The first reconstruction of the head anatomy of a Cretaceous insect, †Gerontoformica gracilis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and the early evolution of ants. Insect Systematics and Diversity 6(5): 1-80 (doi:10.1093/isd/ixac013).
• Villesen, P., Mueller, U.G., Schultz, T.R., Adams, R.M.M., Bouck, A.C. 2004. Evolution of ant-cultivar specialization and cultivar switching in Apterostigma fungus-growing ants. Evolution 58(10): 2252–2265.
• Wheeler, W. M. 1910b. Ants: their structure, development and behavior. New York: Columbia University Press, xxv + 663 pp. (page 141, Apterostigma in Myrmicinae, Attini)
• Wheeler, W. M. 1922i. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VII. Keys to the genera and subgenera of ants. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 45: 631-710 (page 669, Apterostigma in Myrmicinae, Attini)