Cyphomyrmex peltatus

Cyphomyrmex peltatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Cyphomyrmex
Species:	C. peltatus
Binomial name
Cyphomyrmex peltatus Kempf, 1966 Specimen Labels

Limited natural history information includes knowing collections have been made from a rotten log in a rainforest and in leaf litter in a steep, rocky slope of secondary forest.

Identification

See the description section below.

Distribution

Known from Brazil, Bolivia, Surinam and, tentatively, Costa Rica.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 5.266667° to -64.36°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Brazil (type locality), Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana.

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

Expand Explore Fungus Growing  For additional details see Fungus growing ants. A handful of ant species (approx. 275 out of the known 15,000 species) have developed the ability to cultivate fungus within their nests. In most species the fungus is used as the sole food source for the larvae and is an important resource for the adults as well. Additionally, in a limited number of cases, the fungus is used to construct part of the nest structure but is not as a food source. These fungus-feeding species are limited to North and South America, extending from the pine barrens of New Jersey, United States, in the north (Trachymyrmex septentrionalis) to the cold deserts in Argentina in the south (several species of Acromyrmex). Species that use fungi in nest construction are known from Europe and Africa (a few species in the genera Crematogaster, Lasius). The details of fungal cultivation are rich and complex. First, a wide variety of materials are used as substrate for fungus cultivating. The so-called lower genera include species that prefer dead vegetation, seeds, flowers, fruits, insect corpses, and feces, which are collected in the vicinity of their nests. The higher genera include non leaf-cutting species that collect mostly fallen leaflets, fruit, and flowers, as well as the leafcutters that collect fresh leaves from shrubs and trees. Second, while the majority of fungi that are farmed by fungus-feeding ants belong to the family Lepiotaceae, mostly the genera Leucoagaricus and Leucocoprinus, other fungi are also involved. Some species utilise fungi in the family Tricholomataceae while a few others cultivate yeast. The fungi used by the higher genera no longer produce spores. Their fungi produce nutritious and swollen hyphal tips (gongylidia) that grow in bundles called staphylae, to specifically feed the ants. Finally, colony size varies tremendously among these ants. Lower taxa mostly live in inconspicuous nests with 100–1000 individuals and relatively small fungus gardens. Higher taxa, in contrast, live in colonies made of 5–10 million ants that live and work within hundreds of interconnected fungus-bearing chambers in huge subterranean nests. Some colonies are so large, they can be seen from satellite photos, measuring up to 600 m3. Based on these habits, and taking phylogenetic information into consideration, these ants can be divided into six biologically distinct agricultural systems (with a list of genera involved in each category): Nest Construction A limited number of species that use fungi in the construction of their nests. some Crematogaster some Lasius Lower Agriculture Practiced by species in the majority of fungus-feeding genera, including those thought to retain more primitive features, which cultivate a wide range of fungal species in the tribe Leucocoprineae. some Apterostigma Cyatta (1 species) some Cyphomyrmex Kalathomyrmex (1 species) Mycocepurus (6 species) Myrmicocrypta (31 species) Mycetarotes (4 species) Mycetosoritis (2 species) Mycetophylax (21 species) Paramycetophylax (1 species) Xerolitor (1 species) Coral Fungus Agriculture Practiced by species in the Apterostigma pilosum species-group, which cultivate fungi within the Pterulaceae. some Apterostigma Yeast Agriculture Practiced by species within the Cyphomyrmex rimosus species-group, which cultivate a distinct clade of leucocoprineaceous fungi derived from the lower attine fungi. some Cyphomyrmex Generalized Higher Agriculture Practiced by species in several genera of non-leaf-cutting "higher attine" ants, which cultivate a distinct clade of leucocoprineaceous fungi separately derived from the lower attine fungi. Mycetomoellerius (33 species) Paratrachymyrmex (9 species) Sericomyrmex (11 species) Trachymyrmex (9 species) Leaf-Cutter Agriculture A subdivision of higher attine agriculture practiced by species within several ecologically dominant genera, which cultivate a single highly derived species of higher attine fungus. Acromyrmex (51 species) Amoimyrmex (3 species) Atta (20 species) Note that the farming habits of Mycetagroicus (4 species) are unknown. Also, while species of Pseudoatta (2 species) are closely related to the fungus-feeding genus Acromyrmex, they are social parasites, living in the nests of their hosts and are not actively involved in fungus growing. ‎

Nomenclature

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

• peltatus. Cyphomyrmex peltatus Kempf, 1966: 181, figs. 13, 20, 35, 50 (w.q.) BRAZIL (Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraíba).
  • Type-material: holotype worker, 27 paratype workers, 3 paratype queens.
  • Type-locality: holotype worker Brazil: Santa Catarina, Ibicaré, ix.1960 (F. Plaumann); paratypes: 5 workers, 1 queen with same data, 1 worker Santa Catarina, Chapecó, v.1957 (F. Plaumann), 17 workers Brazil: Rio Grande do Sul, Nova Teutônia, “8 different collections made between x.1953 and ii.1963” (F. Plaumann), 2 workers, 2 queens Rio Grande do Sul, Barão de Cotegipe, vii.1960 (F. Plaumann), 2 workers Brazil: Paraíba, Boqueirão, ix.1960 (F. Plaumann).
  • Type-depository: MZSP.
  • Status as species: Kempf, 1972a: 93; Snelling, R.R. & Longino, 1992: 485; Bolton, 1995b: 168; Fernández & Serna, 2019: 850.
  • Distribution: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Suriname.

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

Description

The holotype worker is the tallest of the series; the smallest worker examined measures as follows: total length 2.8 mm; head length 0.66 mm; head width 0.63 mm; thorax length 0.93 mm; hind femur length 0.75 mm. Otherwise the paratypes agree completely with the holotype in all essential features and details.

The present species is very close to Cyphomyrmex rimosus but a few constant characters help to differentiate both forms. The worker of peltatus differs from sympatric morphs of rimosus in the following characters: Lack of midpronotal tubercles; pentagonal impression on mesonotum, margined by the 4 low welts, the anterior pair forming a tubercle at the antero-lateral corner of the pentagon; epinotum completely unarmed, the anterior pair of tubercles bluntly rounded and only vestigial; middorsal postpetiolar impression always deeper; hairs as a rule thin, recurved, not scale-like. The female is at once recognized by the lack of epinotal spines.

The typical peltatus is known from southeastern Brazil in the States of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. I provisionally associate with the same species stray specimens from northern Brazil (Amazonas: Benjamim Constant, Manaus; Pará: Belém; Mato Grosso: Utiariti) and Surinam (La Poulle, Vank; erroneously identified as kirbyi in my paper of 1961: 518), although they are smaller in size, of lighter color, having shorter scapes and rather scale-like hairs.

Worker

(holotype). - Total length 3.1 mm; head length 0.72 mm; head width 0.69 mm; thorax length 1.04 mm; hind femur length 0.85 mm. Ferruginous; dorsum of head, scapes and tibiae strongly, promesonotum and gaster more lightly infuscated. Integument densely and finely granulate-punctate.

Head (fig 13). Mandibles finely striolate-punctate, somewhat shining. Anterior border of clypeus very gently convex, almost straight; lateral teeth triangular, not projecting. Frontal area impressed. Frontal lobes semicircular. Frontal carinae almost straight, diverging caudad, attaining tip of occipital corner. The latter scarcely salient. Front with a weak and low tumulus just behind frontal area, followed by a shallow transverse depression between greatest constriction of frontal carinae. Carinae of vertex strong, subsemicircular, diverging both cephalad and caudad, the posterior end does not attain the occipital corner. Occiput perpendicular to vertex, distinctly excavate. Preocular carina curving mesad above eye; postocular carina extending from occipital corner to the inferior border of eye, containing the supraocular tooth, which in full-face view appears just as a blunt angle of postero-lateral border of head. Eyes with 7 facets across greatest diameter. Inferior border of cheeks sharply marginate. Antennal scape gradually but strongly incrassate toward apex; surpassing in repose the occipital corner by a distance which distinctly exceeds its maximum width. Funicular segments II-IX not longer than broad, segment I as long as II and III combined.

Thorax (fig 20). Midpronotal tubercles absent. Lateral pronotal tooth tubercular and obtuse, sending foreward a weak carinule which separates the pronotal dorsum from its sides; antero-inferior corner rectangular. Humeral angle not expressed. Mesonotum with a shallow pentagonal impression margined by blunt carinae formed by the very low and welt-like anterior and posterior pair of tubercles; the latter form at the antero-lateral corner a bluntly projecting tumulus. Mesoepinotal constriction rather strong. Basal face of epinotum laterally immarginate with two indistinct tubercles antero-laterally, blending posteriorly into the declivous face, which is laterally immarginate. Oblique welt on sides of epinotum indistinct. Hind femora ventrally angulate at basal third, postero-ventral border narrowly crested.

Pedicel (fig 20, 35). Petiolar node nearly twice as broad as long, the anterior corners rounded, posteriorly strongly constricted in front of postpetiolar insertion; no dorsal ridges nor posterior salient laminule present. Postpetiole without a distinct anterior face, its dorsal face with a sagittal impression and postero-lateral impressions flanking a pair of blunt and low tubercles, which do not project beyond the entire posterior border. Tergum I of gaster with a feeble antero-median groove; lateral marginations at best vestigial.

Hairs minute, short, shiny and recurved, not scale-like, never completely appressed.

• 

  Kempf (1966) Figs. 14-26

• 

  Kempf (1966) Figs. 27-50

Queen

Total length 3.6-3.7 mm; head length 0.77-0.80 mm; head width 0.75-0.77 mm; thorax length 1.15-1.20 mm; hind femur length 0.88-0.91 mm. Resembling the worker, with the differences peculiar to the caste. - Ocelli very small. Eyes with about 12 facets across the greatest diameter. Lateral pronotal tooth low, blunt, tumuliform. Mesonotum: Scutum with an antero-median, laterally marginate elevation between the anterior arms of the shallowly impressed Mayrian furrows; notauli indistinct. Paraptera flat with rounded border. Scutellum posteriorly bidentate, with a semicircular excision between the teeth. Epinotum continuously declivous, without a differentiated basal face; its upper portion laterally sharply carinate. Middorsal impression of postpetiole deeper. Wings unknown.

Type Material

28 workers and 3 females, as follows: Brazil, Santa Catarina; Ibicaré, September 1960, F. Plaumann leg. 6 workers, 1 female (holotype and paratypes); Chapecó, V-1957, F. Plaumann leg. 1 worker; Nova Teutônia, strays from 8 different collections made between October 1953 and February 1963 by F. Plaumann, 17 workers; Rio Grande do Sul: Barão de Cotegipe, July 1960, F. Plaumann leg. 2 workers, 2 females; Boqueirão, September 1960, F. Plaumann leg. 2 workers. (All paratypes and deposited in WWK).

References

• Albuquerque, E., Prado, L., Andrade-Silva, J., Siqueira, E., Sampaio, K., Alves, D., Brandão, C., Andrade, P., Feitosa, R., Koch, E., Delabie, J., Fernandes, I., Baccaro, F., Souza, J., Almeida, R., Silva, R. 2021. Ants of the State of Pará, Brazil: a historical and comprehensive dataset of a key biodiversity hotspot in the Amazon Basin. Zootaxa 5001, 1–83 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5001.1.1).
• 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).
• Gamba, R.M. 2021. New locality records for ants in the coffee zone of Cundinamarca, Colombia. Dugesiana 29(1): 31-36.
• Kempf, W. W. 1966 [1965]. A revision of the Neotropical fungus-growing ants of the genus Cyphomyrmex Mayr. Part II: Group of rimosus (Spinola) (Hym., Formicidae). Stud. Entomol. 8: 161-200 (page 181, figs. 13, 20, 35, 50 worker, queen described)
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References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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