Belonopelta attenuata
Belonopelta attenuata | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Formicidae |
Subfamily: | Ponerinae |
Tribe: | Ponerini |
Alliance: | Pachycondyla genus group |
Genus: | Belonopelta |
Species: | B. attenuata |
Binomial name | |
Belonopelta attenuata Mayr, 1870 |
This species is rare and little is known about its biology, especially when compared to its only congener Belonopelta deletrix. Based on what is known of this other species (see the biology section of the deletrix species page for observations of colonies collected by E.O. Wilson) and the morphology of the mandibles of attenuata this ant is likely a cryptobiotic predator of diplurans and/or other soft-bodied arthropods.
Identification
Mann (1922) - Belonopelta deletrix differs from Belonopelta attenuata in its shorter and broader head, the clypeus more projecting and narrowly rounded in front, the more slender and arcuate mandibles with much longer tips, the longer antennal scapes, smaller size and in having on the head coarser, separated punctures in addition to the dense and subtile punctation.
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 5.3° to 5.3°.
North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Colombia (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
Castes
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- attenuata. Belonopelta attenuata Mayr, 1870a: 395, pl. 1, fig. 11 (w.) COLOMBIA (“New Granada”).
- Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 43; Emery, 1901a: 44; Emery, 1911d: 88; Wheeler, W.M. 1935d: 10; Kempf, 1972a: 37; Baroni Urbani, 1975b: 300 (redescription); Bolton, 1995b: 80; Zabala, 2008: 137 (in key) ; Fernández & Guerrero, 2019: 517.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
References
- Baroni Urbani, C. 1975b. Contributo alla conoscenza dei generi Belonopelta Mayr e Leiopelta gen. n. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Mitt. Schweiz. Entomol. Ges. 48: 295-310 (page 300, see also)
- Bolton, B. 1995b. A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 504 pp. (page 80, catalogue)
- Esteves, F.A., Fisher, B.L. 2021. Corrieopone nouragues gen. nov., sp. nov., a new Ponerinae from French Guiana (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 1074, 83–173 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.1074.75551).
- Mayr, G. 1870a. Formicidae novogranadenses. Sitzungsber. Kais. Akad. Wiss. Wien Math.-Naturwiss. Cl. Abt. I 61: 370-417 (page 395, pl. 1, fig. 11 worker described)