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Azteca sericea
| Azteca sericea | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dolichoderinae |
| Tribe: | Leptomyrmecini |
| Genus: | Azteca |
| Species: | A. sericea |
| Binomial name | |
| Azteca sericea (Mayr, 1866)
| |
| Synonyms | |
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Azteca sericea is known from Mexico and Guatemala, where it is associated with myrmecophytic orchids. (Longino 2007)
Identification
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 21.165524° to 21.165524°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico (type locality), Suriname.
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. |
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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
Dejain et al. (2018) found this species nesting in Aechmea bracteata, a large tank bromeliad (leaves ca. 1-m-long; inflorescences up to 1.7-m-long). Each plant forms numerous shoots, with each bearing multiple reservoirs within their leaves and a central dry cavity where ants can nest. Other ants were also found, and both the presence of ants and the ant species present was found to be correlated with changes in the aquatic macroinvertebrate communities within the plants' reservoirs. Azteca sericea was found in 13 of the 92 plants sampled. The study was carried out in an inundated forest dominated by 10-m-tall Metopium brownei (Anacardiaceae). This forest was located in southern Quintana Roo, Mexico (18.42678 N; 88.80438 W; 120 meters a.s.l).
Castes
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- sericea. Iridomyrmex sericeus Mayr, 1866a: 498, pl. fig. 8 (w.) MEXICO (no state data).
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
- Type-locality: Mexico (no further data) (invalid restriction of type-locality by Kempf, 1972a: 34; no lectotype designated), Mexico (?): St Joseph I. (= San José I.?) (Heller).
- Type-depository: NHMW (perhaps also NHRS as the St Joseph I. specimens are cited as “Mus. holm.”).
- Wheeler, W.M. 1942: 239 (q.).
- Combination in Azteca: Forel, 1878: 384.
- Junior synonym of instabilis: Mayr, 1878: 870.
- Junior synonym of xanthochroa: Forel, 1878: 384 (footnote).
- Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 164; Emery, 1893b: 134 (redescription); Forel, 1899c: 109; Emery, 1913a: 34; Wheeler, W.M. 1916c: 12; Wheeler, W.M. 1942: 239; Kempf, 1972a: 34; Shattuck, 1994: 25; Bolton, 1995b: 79; Longino, 2007: 61; Branstetter & Sáenz, 2012: 253.
- Senior synonym of mexicana: Longino, 2007: 61.
- Distribution: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico.
- mexicana. Azteca instabilis var. mexicana Emery, 1896b: 3 (in text) (w.) MEXICO (no state data).
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
- [Note: Shattuck, 1994: 20, cites 12w syntypes (3 MCZC, 9 USNM).]
- Type-locality: Mexico: (no further data).
- Type-depositories: MCZC, MSNG, USNM.
- Subspecies of instabilis: Forel, 1899c: 107; Emery, 1913a: 33; Mann, 1922: 51; Kempf, 1972a: 32; Shattuck, 1994: 20; Bolton, 1995b: 79.
- Junior synonym of sericea: Longino, 2007: 61.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Type Material
Longino (2007) - Syntype workers: Mexico, in pseudobulbs of Schomburgkia tibicinus (Heller) Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna (examined).
References
- Dejean, A., A. Compin, M. Leponce, F. Azemar, C. Bonhomme, S. Talaga, L. Pelozuelo, Y. Henaut, and B. Corbara. 2018. Ants impact the composition of the aquatic macroinvertebrate communities of a myrmecophytic tank bromeliad. Comptes Rendus Biologies. 341:200-207. doi:10.1016/j.crvi.2018.02.003
- Emery, C. 1893l. Studio monografico sul genere Azteca Forel. Mem. R. Accad. Sci. Ist. Bologna (5)3:119-152 (page 134, revived from synonymy)
- Forel, A. 1878c. Études myrmécologiques en 1878 (première partie) avec l'anatomie du gésier des fourmis. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 15: 337-392 (page 384, combination in Azteca)
- Franco, W., Ladino, N., Delabie, J.H.C., Dejean, A., Orivel, J., Fichaux, M., Groc, S., Leponce, M., Feitosa, R.M. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674, 509–543 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4674.5.2).
- Longino, J.T. 2007. A taxonomic review of the genus Azteca in Costa Rica and a global revision of the aurita group. Zootaxa. 1491:1-63.
- Mayr, G. 1866a. Myrmecologische Beiträge. Sitzungsber. Kais. Akad. Wiss. Wien Math.-Naturwiss. Cl. Abt. I 53: 484-517 (page 498, pl. fig. 8 worker described)
- Mayr, G. 1878 [1877]. Formiciden gesammelt in Brasilien von Professor Trail. Verh. K-K. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 27: 867-878 (page 870, junior synonym of instabilis)
- Ramos, A.S.de J.C., González, G., Lemos, R.N.S.de 2020. A new species of Diomus Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Diomini) from the eastern Amazon. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 64, e20200014 (doi:10.1590/1806-9665-rbent-2020-0014).
- Schmitt, L., Aponte‐Rolón, B., Perfecto, I. 2020. Evaluating community effects of a Keystone Ant, Azteca sericeasur, on Inga micheliana leaf litter decomposition in a shaded coffee agro‐ecosystem. Biotropica 52, 1253–1261 (doi:10.1111/btp.12833).
- Wheeler, W. M. 1942. Studies of Neotropical ant-plants and their ants. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 90: 1-262 (page 239, queen described)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Fernández F., E. E. Palacio, W. P. Mackay, and E. S. MacKay. 1996. Introducción al estudio de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Colombia. Pp. 349-412 in: Andrade M. G., G. Amat García, and F. Fernández. (eds.) 1996. Insectos de Colombia. Estudios escogidos. Bogotá: Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 541 pp
- Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
- Franco W., N. Ladino, J. H. C. Delabie, A. Dejean, J. Orivel, M. Fichaux, S. Groc, M. Leponce, and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674(5): 509-543.
- Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
- Maes, J.-M. and W.P. MacKay. 1993. Catalogo de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Nicaragua. Revista Nicaraguense de Entomologia 23.
- Shattuck S. O. 1994. Taxonomic catalog of the ant subfamilies Aneuretinae and Dolichoderinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). University of California Publications in Entomology 112: i-xix, 1-241.
- Wheeler W. M. 1942. Studies of Neotropical ant-plants and their ants. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 90: 1-262.