Formicoxenus quebecensis

Formicoxenus quebecensis
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Formicoxenus
Species:	F. quebecensis
Binomial name
Formicoxenus quebecensis Francoeur, 1985 Specimen labels

This ant is a guest in the nests of Myrmica alaskensis. See Doering & Prebus (2023) for extensive details on its biology.

At a Glance

• Xenobiotic

Identification

Keys including this Species

• Key to US Formicoxenus species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 55° to 47.665°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: Canada (type locality), United States.

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

Life History Traits

• Queen number: monogynous (Francoeur et al., 1985; Frumhoff & Ward, 1992) (functional monogyny)

Nomenclature

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

• quebecensis. Formicoxenus quebecensis Francoeur, in Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 378, figs. (q.m.) CANADA (Québec).
  • Type-material: holotype worker (?), paratype workers, paratype queens, paratype males (numbers not stated).
  • [Note: Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 378, do not specify the sex/caste of the holotype, which is assumed here to be a worker.]
  • Type-locality: holotype Canada: Québec, Saguenay, Moisie Bay (no collector’s name); paratypes with same data.
  • Type-depositories: AFPC (holotype); ABPC, AFPC, BMNH, CIQC, MCZC, USNM (paratypes).
  • Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1989a: 323 (l.).
  • Status as species: Bolton, 1995b: 207.
  • Distribution: Canada.

Description

Karyotype

• 2n = 28 (Canada) (Francoeur et al., 1985; Fischer, 1987).

References

• Buschinger, A. 2009. Social parasitism among ants: a review (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 12: 219-235.
• Buschinger, A.; Schumann, R. D.; Heinze, J. 1994. First records of the guest ant Formicoxenus quebecensis Francoeur from western Canada (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Psyche (Cambridge) 101:53-57. [1994-06-28] (page 53, see also)
• Doering, G. N., Prebus, M. 2023. Southern record of the xenobiotic ant Formicoxenus quebecensis from eastern Wisconsin. Sociobiology 70(2), e8374 (doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v70i2.8374).
• Francoeur, A.; Loiselle, R.; Buschinger, A. 1984. Taxonomic revision of the ant genus Formicoxenus (Formicidae, Hymenoptera). [Abstract.] P. 528 in: XVII International Congress of Entomology. Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany, August 20-26, 1984. Abst (page 528, new species)
• Francoeur, A.; Loiselle, R.; Buschinger, A. 1985. Biosystématique de la tribu Leptothoracini (Formicidae, Hymenoptera). 1. Le genre Formicoxenus dans la région holarctique. Nat. Can. (Qué.) 112: 343-403. (page 378, figs. queen, male described)
• Lenoir, A., P. D’Ettorre, P., Errard, C., Hefetz, A. 2001. Chemical ecology and social parasitism in ants. Annual Review of Entomology 46: 573–599.
• Seifert, B. 2023. Two new species of Formicoxenus Mayr 1855 and Leptothorax Mayr 1855 from Tibet (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Soil Organisms 95(2), 129-142 (doi:10.25674/SO95ISS2ID315).
• Wheeler, G. C.; Wheeler, J. 1989a [1988]. Notes on ant larvae: Myrmicinae. Trans. Am. Entomol. Soc. 114: 319-327 (page 323, larva described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Buschinger A., R. D. Schumann, and J. Heinze. 1994. First records of the guest and Formicoxenus quebecensis Francoeur from Western Canada (Hymenoptera, Formicidae. Psyche 101: 53-57.
• Buschinger, A. and A. Schulz. 2008. Leptothorax athabasca sp. n. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Alberta, Canada and ant with an apparently restricted range. Myrmecological News 11:243-248
• Buschinger, A., R. D. Schumann, and J. Heinze. 1994. First records of the guest ant Formicoxenus quebecensis Francoeur from western Canada (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Psyche 101:53-57
• Glasier J. R. N., S. E. Nielsen, J. Acorn, and J. Pinzon. 2019. Boreal sand hills are areas of high diversity for Boreal ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Diversity 11, 22; doi:10.3390/d11020022.
• Glasier J. R. N., S. Nielsen, J. H. Acorn, L. H. Borysenko, and T. Radtke. 2016. A checklist of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Saskatchewan. The Canadian Field-Naturalist 130(1): 40-48.
• Glasier, J. Alberta Ants. AntWeb.
• Heinze, J. 1995. The Origin of Workerless Parasites in Leptothorax (S. Str.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Psyche 102 (3-4) :195-214