Azteca merida

Azteca merida
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dolichoderinae
Tribe:	Leptomyrmecini
Genus:	Azteca
Species:	A. merida
Binomial name
	Azteca merida; Longino, 1992 Specimen Labels

Identification

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 18.18333333° to 9.183333333°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Ecuador, Mexico, Venezuela (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.

Biology

Explore Overview of Azteca biology

All known Azteca species are arboreal, nesting in living or dead wood, or external carton nests. Some species exhibit obligate associations with myrmecophytes, especially of the genus Cecropia (see Chapter 14 of The Ants). Feeding habits are generalized with foraging occurring both arboreally and on the ground.

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Castes

Nomenclature

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

merida. Azteca merida Longino, 1991: 1589, figs. 13, 14, 30, 45 (w.q.) VENEZUELA.
- Type-material: holotype queen, 10 paratype workers, 10 paratype queens.
- Type-locality: holotype Venezuela: Estado Trujillo, 15 km. ESE Boconó, 9°11’N, 70°09’W, 1160 m., 23-24.viii.1987, no. 1832 (J. Longino); paratypes: 10 workers with same data, 10 queens Venezuela: Estado Trujillo, 14 km. ESE Boconó, 1500-1850 m., 25.viii.1987, no. 1860-s (J. Longino).
- Type-depositories: MCZC (holotype); BMNH, FSCG, LACM, MCZC, MHNG, MIZA, MSNG, MZSP, UCDC, USNM (paratypes).
- Status as species: Shattuck, 1994: 22; Bolton, 1995b: 79.
- Distribution: Venezuela.

Description

References

Longino, J. T. 1991a. Taxonomy of the Cecropia-inhabiting Azteca ants. J. Nat. Hist. 2 25: 1571-1602 (page 1589, figs. 13, 14, 30, 45 worker, queen described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
Del Toro, I., M. Vázquez, W.P. Mackay, P. Rojas and R. Zapata-Mata. Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Tabasco: explorando la diversidad de la mirmecofauna en las selvas tropicales de baja altitud. Dugesiana 16(1):1-14.
Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133