Crematogaster californica

Crematogaster californica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Crematogaster
Species group:	scutellaris
Species:	C. californica
Binomial name
Crematogaster californica Wheeler, W.M., 1919 Specimen labels

Mackay and Mackay (2002) - Nests are found at the bases of plants and in chollas (although Buren [1968] stated that it did not nest in cactus), or under stones (one nest at high elevation was under a log). Brood was found in nests in March. This ant tends coccids and aphids. One colony was nesting together with a species of Camponotus. (Mallis, 1941; Wheeler and Wheeler, 1973)

Identification

Keys including this Species

• Key to North American Crematogaster species
• Key to western US Crematogaster

Distribution

Southern California, Nevada, Baja California and New Mexico.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: United States (type locality).
Neotropical Region: Mexico.

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.

Habitat

Arid areas, including grasslands (grama) and desert scrub (creosote) up to pinyon-juniper forests, Chihuahua pine and oak forests up to 2350 meters elevation. One nest was in a ponderosa pine, Douglas fir forest, but this is an unusual habitat for this species. (Mackay and Mackay 2002)

Biology

Nevada, Wheeler and Wheeler (1986) - We have 6 records from 5 localities; all in the Hot Desert (1 in a Sarcobatus Subclimax); 2 were nesting under desert pavement; 1 was in the base of an Atriplex plant; 1 in a sand dune under a large horizontal stem of an old larrea.

Nomenclature

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

• californica. Crematogaster laeviuscula var. californica Wheeler, W.M. 1919g: 111.
  • [First available use of Crematogaster lineolata subsp. laeviuscula var. californica Emery, 1895c: 285 (w.) U.S.A. (California); unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
  • Type-material: lectotype worker (by designation of Ward & Blaimer, 2022: 909).
  • Type-locality: lectotype U.S.A.: California, Los Angeles (no collector’s name).
  • [Note: other original syntype locality: 1 worker U.S.A.: California, Encinitas (no collector’s name); Ward & Blaimer, 2022: 911, report that this specimen is apparently lost, not in MHNG or MSNG.]
  • Type-depository: MSNG (lectotype).
  • Combination in C. (Crematogaster): Buren, 1968b: 94.
  • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Wheeler, W.M. 1910g: 564; Emery, 1922e: 141; Essig, 1926: 859.
  • Subspecies of lineolata: Wheeler, W.M. 1934f: 135; Wheeler, W.M. 1935g: 22.
  • Subspecies of laeviuscula: Enzmann, J. 1946c: 93.
  • Junior synonym of coarctata: Creighton, 1950a: 207; Morgan & Mackay, 2017: 105.
  • Status as species: Smith, M.R. 1951a: 808; Smith, M.R. 1958c: 125; Buren, 1968b: 94 (in key); Smith, D.R. 1979: 1377; Snelling, R.R. & George, 1979:121; Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1986g: 47; Bolton, 1995b: 149; Mackay & Mackay, 2002: 86; Ward, 2005: 65; Ward & Blaimer, 2022: 909.
  • Distribution: Mexico, U.S.A.

References

• Buren, W. F. 1968b. A review of the species of Crematogaster, sensu stricto, in North America (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Part II. Descriptions of new species. J. Ga. Entomol. Soc. 3: 91-121 (page 94, Combination in C. (Crematogaster), Revived from synonymy and raised to species (in key))
• Creighton, W. S. 1950a. The ants of North America. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 104: 1-585 (page 207, Junior synonym of coarctata)
• Emery, C. 1895d. Beiträge zur Kenntniss der nordamerikanischen Ameisenfauna. (Schluss). Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere 8: 257-360 (page 285, First available use of Crematogaster lineolata subsp. laeviuscula var. californica; unavailable name.)
• Mackay, W.P. & Mackay, E.E. 2002. The Ants of New Mexico: 400 pp. Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston, N.Y.
• Smith, M. R. 1951c. Family Formicidae. Pp. 778-875 in: Muesebeck, C. F., Krombein, K. V., Townes, H. K. (eds.) Hymenoptera of America north of Mexico. Synoptic catalogue. U. S. Dep. Agric. Agric. Monogr. 2:1-1420. (page 808, Revived from synonymy and raised to species)
• Ward, P.S., Blaimer, B.B. 2022. Taxonomy in the phylogenomic era: species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships among North American ants of the Crematogaster scutellaris group (Formicidae: Hymenoptera), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 194(3): 893–937 (doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab047).
• Wheeler, G. C. and J. Wheeler. 1986. The ants of Nevada. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles.
• Wheeler, W. M. 1919h. A new paper-making Crematogaster from the southeastern United States. Psyche (Camb.) 26: 107-112 (page 111, worker described)
• Wheeler, W. M. 1934f. Ants from the islands off the west coast of Lower California and Mexico. Pan-Pac. Entomol. 10: 132-144 (page 135, Subspecies of lineolata)