Carebara brevipilosa

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Carebara brevipilosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Carebara
Species: C. brevipilosa
Binomial name
Carebara brevipilosa
Fernández, 2004

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Specimen Labels

Individuals and nest series were collected from the leaf-litter and soil, using Winkler extractors and pitfall traps.

Identification

A member of the Neotropical Carebara concinna species complex and Afrotropical Carebara concinna species complex.

Fischer et al. (2014) - Antennae with 11 segments. Major workers: unknown. Minor worker: Head almost as wide as long, with longitudinal rugulae and reticulations, except for smooth and shiny frons, petiole anteroventrally with small anteriorly directed tooth, dorsal promesonotum weakly to superficially rugoreticulate, and sometimes with a few weak to superficial rugulae present and metatibiae with short appressed to decumbent pilosity.

Carebara brevipilosa can be confused with Carebara urichi, but is easily distinguished by the lack of long suberect hairs at the outer edge of the metatibiae and the sculpture on the dorsal promesonotum, which is typically irregularly longitudinally rugose to rugoreticulate with few irregular longitudinal rugae in C. urichi and weakly to superficially reticulate without or with very few short rugulae in C. brevipilosa. Also, C. brevipilosa (HW minor workers 0.41–44, WL 0.48–0.57) seems to be distinctly smaller than C. urichi (HW minor workers 0.31–0.32, WL 0.35–3.37). These are the only two species in the polita group recorded from the Neotropical Region. Major workers of C. brevipilosa have not been collected or identified yet.

Fernández (2004) - As in the case of Carebara urichi, there is variation in color and sculpturing, as well as pilosity and the propodeal spine shape. While not always apparent locally, this is evident at greater geographical scales.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Carebara brevipilosa is relatively widespread in the Neotropical Region, with a range that extends from southern Mexico to Brazil.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 25.68015° to -24.544°.

     
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia (type locality), Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela.

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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Habitat

This species was collected mainly in the rainforest and at elevations ranging from 50–1050 m.

Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • brevipilosa. Carebara brevipilosa Fernández, 2004a: 210 (w.) COLOMBIA, BRAZIL (São Paulo, Amazonas).
    • Type-material: holotype worker, 9 paratype workers.
    • Type-locality: holotype Colombia: Caquetá, San José de la Fragua, La Esmeralda, Yuruyaco River, 1500 m., 7-10.ix.2002 (E.L. González); paratypes: 1 worker with same data, 3 workers Brazil: São Paulo, Agudos, 23.ii.1995 (W. Kempf 1806), 3 workers Colombia: Amazonas, Amacayacu Nat. Park, Mata-Mata creek, 3°48’S, 70°15W, 27.iii.2000, Winkler 2 (R. Alvarado), 2 workers Colombia: Nariño, Territorio Kofán, 00°30’N, 77°13’W, 1430 m., 25.xi.1998, Winkler T4 in forest (E.L. González).
    • Type-depositories: IAVH (holotype); CPDC, IAVH, ICNB, MCZC, MZSP (paratypes).
    • Status as species: Fischer, et al. 2014: 76 (redescription); Fernández & Serna, 2019: 822.
    • Distribution: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Fischer et al. (2014) - (n=5): HW 0.31–0.32 (0.31), HL 0.32–0.33 (0.32), SL 0.20–0.21 (0.21), MDL 0.20-0.21 (0.20), EL 0.01–0.02 (0.01), WL 0.35–0.37 (0.35), PNH 0.14–0.16 (0.15), PNW 0.19–0.20 (0.19), MNH 0.20, PDH 0.14, PTL 0.13–0.14 (0.14), PPL 0.07–0.08 (0.08), PTH 0.09–0.11 (0.10), PPH 0.05–0.06 (0.05), PTW 0.05, PPW 0.08–0.09 (0.08), PSL 0.04–0.05 (0.04), MFL 0.23–0.25 (0.24), MTL 0.17–0.19 (0.18), CI 95–98 (97), SI 65–68 (67), MDI 65–67 (66), EI 4–5 (5), FI 74–80 (77), PSLI 12–15 (14), LPpI 136–143 (139), DPpI 100–116 (108), PpWI 157–190 (170), PpLI 53–58 (55), PpHI 50–67 (56).

Head in full-face view almost as wide as long (CI 95–98), narrowed anteriorly and posteriorly, posterior margin straight or feebly concave medially, posterolateral corners bluntly angulate, sides convex. Mandibles with four teeth, apical and preapical tooth larger than following teeth. Clypeus anteriorly concave, bicarinate, subangulate toward sides. Antennae with eleven segments, scapes failing to reach posterior margin of head by about the length of the preapical funicular segment. Eyes reduced to a single ommatidium. Frontal carinae present, usually feebly developed but long, in some specimens almost reaching posterior head margin.

In profile, promesonotum convex or weakly convex, metanotal groove broadly concave and deeply impressed. Dorsum of propodeum almost straight in profile and sloping posteriorly, anterodorsal corner convex, propodeal spines relatively short, triangular and upwardly directed, declivity of propodeum concave. Propodeal spiracle near posterior border of propodeum.

Petiole moderately long, peduncle in profile about as long as petiole node, ventral face convex, anteroventral corner with a small triangular tooth which, in some specimens, can be reduced and inconspicuous, petiole node broadly wedge-shaped and rounded dorsally. Postpetiole in profile weakly convex dorsally, almost straight ventrally, about 1.4 times longer than high (LPpI 136–143) and much lower than petiole (PpHI 50–67). In dorsal view, petiole node almost as wide as long, and roundly convex, postpetiole on average 1.7 times wider than petiole (PpWI 157–190), with convex sides and posteriorly wider than anteriorly.

Head with some irregular, longitudinal striations and rugosities, except for smooth and shiny frons. Mandibles and median portion of clypeus smooth and shiny with scattered punctures, face with scattered punctuations. Mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole areolate-rugose, except for smooth spot on anteroventral pronotum, and smooth and shiny petiole and postpetiole dorsum. Gaster smooth and shiny.

Head and body with relatively few long, suberect standing hairs and with decumbent to subdecumbent short pilosity. Scapes with abundant decumbent pilosity. Four longer hairs on clypeal margin extending close to the anterior border of mandibles. Color dark orange, legs and antennae lighter colored orange.

Type Material

Holotype worker. COLOMBIA. Caquetá: San José de la Fragua, La Esmeralda, Yuruyaco River, 1500 m, 7-10 sep 2002, E.L. González leg., deposited in Humboldt Institute. Paratypes. BRAZIL. São Paulo: 3 workers, Agudos, 23 feb 1995, W. Kempf 1806, CEPLAC and Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo. COLOMBIA. 1 worker, same data as type, Insect Collection, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales; Amazonas: 3 workers, Amacayacu National Park, Mata-Mata creek, 3°48’S 70°15’W, Winkler 2, 27 mar 2000, R. Alvarado, leg., IAvH and ICN; Nariño: 2 worker, Territorio Kofán, 00°30’N 77°13’W, 1430m, Winkler T4 in forest, 25 nov 1998, E. L. González, leg., IAvH and Museum of Comparative Zoology.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Achury R., and A.V. Suarez. 2017. Richness and composition of ground-dwelling ants in tropical rainforest and surrounding landscapes in the Colombian Inter-Andean valley. Neotropical Entomology https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-017-0565-4
  • Fernández F. 2004. The American species of the myrmicine ant genus Carebara Westwood (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Caldasia 26: 191-238.
  • Fischer G., F. Azorsa, F. Fernandez, and B. L. Fisher. 2014. The ant genus Carebara Westwood (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): synonymisation of Pheidologeton Mayr under Carebara, establishment and revision of the C. polita species group. Zookeys doi: 10.3897/zookeys.@@.7922
  • 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.
  • Gonzalo Andrade-C. M., and J. D. Lynch. 2007. Los tipos nomenclatures depositaods en la colleccion zoologica del instituto de ciencias naturales. INSTITUTO DE CIENCIAS NATURALES-FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA BIBLIOTECA JOSÉ JERÓNIMO TRIANA No. 16, 212 pages.
  • Lapolla, J.S., T. Suman, J. Soso-Calvo and T.R. Schultz. 2006. Leaf litter ant diversity in Guyana. Biodiversity and Conservation 16:491–510
  • Longino J. T. 2013. Ants of Honduras. Consulted on 18 Jan 2013. https://sites.google.com/site/longinollama/reports/ants-of-honduras
  • Longino J. T. 2013. Ants of Nicargua. Consulted on 18 Jan 2013. https://sites.google.com/site/longinollama/reports/ants-of-nicaragua
  • Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.
  • Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/
  • Longino, J.T. 2010. Personal Communication. Longino Collection Database
  • Pacheco R., H. L. Vasconcelos, S. Groc, G. P. Camacho, and T. L. M. Frizzo. 2013. The importance of remnants of natural vegetation for maintaining ant diversity in Brazilian agricultural landscapes. Biodivers. Conserv. DOI 10.1007/s10531-013-0463-y
  • Pacheco R., and H. L. Vasconcelos. 2012. Subterranean Pitfall Traps: Is ItWorth Including Them in Your Ant Sampling Protocol? Psyche doi:10.1155/2012/870794
  • Pires de Prado L., R. M. Feitosa, S. Pinzon Triana, J. A. Munoz Gutierrez, G. X. Rousseau, R. Alves Silva, G. M. Siqueira, C. L. Caldas dos Santos, F. Veras Silva, T. Sanches Ranzani da Silva, A. Casadei-Ferreira, R. Rosa da Silva, and J. Andrade-Silva. 2019. An overview of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the state of Maranhao, Brazil. Pap. Avulsos Zool. 59: e20195938.
  • Silva R.R., and C. R. F. Brandao. 2014. Ecosystem-Wide Morphological Structure of Leaf-Litter Ant Communities along a Tropical Latitudinal Gradient. PLoSONE 9(3): e93049. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0093049