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Hylomyrma
| Hylomyrma | |
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| Hylomyrma balzani | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Pogonomyrmecini |
| Genus: | Hylomyrma Forel, 1912 |
| Type species | |
| Pogonomyrmex (Hylomyrma) columbicus, now Hylomyrma columbica | |
| Diversity | |
| 30 species (Species Checklist, Species by Country)
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| Synonyms | |
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Ulyssea & Brandao (2021) report that our knowledge about the biology of this genus is restricted to a few label data and rare observations of live specimens. Hylomyrma species are commonly collected in leaf-litter samples of wet and dry environments submitted to winkler extractors, indicating, therefore, a preference for forested habitats or cropping areas with soil covered with litter.
One colony of Hylomyrma blandiens was collected by M.A. Ulysséa inside a fallen twig (10 cm length x 4 cm diameter) found among the leaf-litter in Madre de Dios, Peru. The colony had 24 specimens, comprising three queens (two callow with wings) and 21 workers, as well as plant remains and parts of a Curculionidae imago. There was no brood (larvae or pupae) inside this nest. Wilson observed that, in captivity, Hylomyrma versuta workers captured Drosophila spp., Isotoma viridis Bourlet, 1839 (springtails), and other selected small invertebrates offered in the feeding chamber, which they used to feed the larvae (Wheeler & Wheeler 1960). The colonies are apparently rather small; most of the leaf-litter samples included only one to three individuals of Hylomyrma. Exceptionally, five to fifteen specimens of Hylomyrma villemantae and nine Hylomyrma reitteri were collected in a few samples. Samples with five, seven or at most ten specimens are rare. When disturbed, the workers tend to assume a dead posture (thanatosis), which makes their visualization in field conditions very challenging (personal observation to Hylomyrma immanis and H. reitteri), because in thanatosis they resemble small litter debris.
Photo Gallery
Hylomyrma balzani nest in dead wood. The tiny nest contained only 2 workers with brood. Florianopolis, Brazil. Photo by Philipp Hönle.
Hylomyrma montana workers found in leaf-litter at higher elevations above 600m. Ecuador. Photo by Philipp Hönle.
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Identification
Relatively small ants (TL 4.15–6.6 mm, WL 1.08–1.75 mm); palpal formula 4:3; antennal club 4-segmented; anterior margin of clypeus bidentate; dorsal margin of mesosoma predominantly convex; prominent projections on the region of confluence between ventral and posterolateral margins of pronotum, and on the anteroventral margin of mesepisternum; propodeal spiracle aligned with the base of propodeal spine; propodeal spine well-developed; propodeal lobe uni- or bidentate; meso- and metatibial spurs sharp, with interior margin serrated; petiole relatively elongated and narrow. (Ulyssea & Brandao, 2021)
Hylomyrma can be easily differentiated from the other two Pogonomyrmecini genera. Pogonomyrmex species have the anterior margin of clypeus unarmed whereas Hylomyrma presents a pair of lateral teeth. Patagonomyrmex has a somewhat straight dorsal margin of mesosoma, and the petiolar node is strongly subtriangular, while in Hylomyrma the dorsal margin of mesosoma is predominantly convex and the dorsal margin of the petiole can be continuous and convex, or discontinuous, with the anterior surface of node differentiated from anterior peduncle in lateral view. (Ulyssea & Brandao, 2021)
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See images of species within this genus |
Keys including this Genus
Keys to Subgenera or Species Groups in this Genus
- Key to Pogonomyrmecini genera and Pogonomyrmex species groups
- Clave para obreras de los generos de Pogonomyrmecini y grupos de especies de Pogonomyrmex
Keys to Species in this Genus
Distribution
Distribution and Richness based on AntMaps
Species by Region
Number of species within biogeographic regions, along with the total number of species for each region.
| Afrotropical Region | Australasian Region | Indo-Australian Region | Malagasy Region | Nearctic Region | Neotropical Region | Oriental Region | Palaearctic Region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Species | 2851 | 1736 | 3047 | 932 | 840 | 4391 | 1767 | 2925 |
Biology
Pierce et al. (2017) - Little is known about the biology and natural history of Hylomyrma. The genus is restricted to wet forests, mostly lowland rainforest, where it is a member of the cryptic leaf litter ant community. It is known almost exclusively from Winkler and Berlese samples (J.T. Longino, unpubl.), and observations of nesting or foraging habits are extremely limited. A colony was discovered by E.O. Wilson in Veracruz, Mexico, and kept in an artificial nest for observation. He observed that "In captivity workers of this species captured Drosophila spp., Isotoma viridis Bourlet [Collembola], and a few other small insects offered them in the food chamber, and fed them directly to the larvae" (quoted in Wheeler & Wheeler 1960: p. 4). As far as we know, this is still the only published reference to a colony of Hylomyrma. At the time of the 1973 revision, Kempf had perhaps fewer than 100 specimens to examine. Since that time, mass collecting techniques and large faunal surveys, mainly in Central America, have yielded thousands of specimens from many localities.
Life History Traits
- Queen number: monogynous (Ulyssea & Brandao, 2021)
- Queen type: winged or dealate (Ulyssea & Brandao, 2021) (queen-like intercastes present in some species, which may be ergatoid queens)
- Mean colony size: 16-21 (Greer et al., 2021; Ulyssea & Brandao, 2021)
- Compound colony type: not parasitic (Greer et al., 2021)
- Nest site: hypogaeic (Greer et al., 2021)
- Diet class: omnivore (Greer et al., 2021)
- Foraging stratum: subterranean/leaf litter (Greer et al., 2021)
Castes
Morphology
Worker Morphology
Explore: Show all Worker Morphology data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
• Antennal segment count: 12 • Antennal club: 4 (Ulyssea & Brandao, 2021) • Palp formula: 4,3 (Ulyssea & Brandao, 2021) • Total dental count: 5-7 • Spur formula: 1 simple-pectinate, 1 barbulate-pectinate • Eyes: 11-100 ommatidia • Pronotal Spines: absent • Mesonotal Spines: absent • Propodeal Spines: present • Petiolar Spines: absent • Caste: none or weak • Sting: present • Metaplural Gland: present • Cocoon: absent
Male Morphology
- Explore: Show all Male Morphology data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
• Antennal segment count 13 • Antennal club 0 • Palp formula 4,3 • Total dental count 4-6 • Spur formula 1 pectinate, 1 pectinate
Phylogeny
| Myrmicinae |
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See Phylogeny of Myrmicinae for details.
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- HYLOMYRMA [Myrmicinae: Myrmicini]
- Hylomyrma Forel, 1912g: 16 [as subgenus of Pogonomyrmex]. Type-species: Pogonomyrmex (Hylomyrma) columbicus, by original designation.
- Hylomyrma raised to genus: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 660 (in key).
- Hylomyrma senior synonym of Lundella: Brown, 1953h: 3.
- LUNDELLA [junior synonym of Hylomyrma]
- Lundella Emery, 1915i: 191. Type-species: Tetramorium reitteri, by original designation.
- Lundella junior synonym of Hylomyrma: Brown, 1953h: 3.
Pierce et al. (2017) - Hylomyrma is an exclusively Neotropical ant genus that occurs from southern Mexico to Argentina. Originally described as a subgenus within Pogonomyrmex it was elevated to generic status by Wheeler (1922). Hylomyrma has always been considered a close relative of Pogonomyrmex, and this was convincingly demonstrated in recent molecular studies (Brady & al. 2006, Ward & al. 2015, Branstetter & al. 2017). The only thorough species-level revision was by Kempf (1973), in which twelve species were recognized. The genus has received little attention since Kempf's revision, with only one additional species being described (Kutter 1977). Despite there being few studies, there is little doubt of the monophyly of Hylomyrma.
References
- Borgmeier, T. 1927c. Catalogo systematico e synonymico das formigas do Brasil. 2 parte. Subf. Pseudomyrminae, Myrmicinae, Formicidae. Arch. Mus. Nac. (Rio J.) 29: 69-164 (page 77, Hylomyrma as genus)
- Boudinot, B.E. 2019. Hormigas de Colombia. Cap. 15. Clave para las subfamilias y generos basada en machos. Pp. 487-499 in: Fernández, F., Guerrero, R.J., Delsinne, T. (eds.) 2019d. Hormigas de Colombia. Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 1198 pp.
- Brown, W. L., Jr. 1953h. Characters and synonymies among the genera of ants. Part II. Breviora 18: 1-8. (page 3, Hylomyrma as genus ; Hylomyrma senior synonym of Lundella)
- Cantone S. 2018. Winged Ants, The queen. Dichotomous key to genera of winged female ants in the World. The Wings of Ants: morphological and systematic relationships (self-published).
- Donisthorpe, H. 1943g. A list of the type-species of the genera and subgenera of the Formicidae. [part]. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 11(10): 617-688 (page 651, Hylomyrma as subgenus of Pogonomyrmex)
- Emery, C. 1921c. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Myrmicinae. [part]. Genera Insectorum 174A:1-94 94: 1-94 + 7 (page 49, Hylomyrma in Myrmicinae, Myrmicini; Hylomyrma as subgenus of Pogonomyrmex)
- Fernandez, F., Guerrero, R.J., Sánchez-Restrepo, A.F. 2021. Sistemática y diversidad de las hormigas neotropicales. Revista Colombiana de Entomología 47, 1–20 (doi:10.25100/socolen.v47i1.11082).
- Forel, A. 1912h. Formicides néotropiques. Part IV. 3me sous-famille Myrmicinae Lep. (suite). Mém. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 20: 1-32 (page 16, Hylomyrma as subgenus of Pogonomyrmex)
- Forel, A. 1917. Cadre synoptique actuel de la faune universelle des fourmis. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 51: 229-253 (page 240, Hylomyrma as subgenus of Pogonomyrmex)
- Hanisch, P.E., Sosa-Calvo, J., Schultz, T.R. 2022. The last piece of the puzzle? Phylogenetic position and natural history of the monotypic fungus-farming ant genus Paramycetophylax (Formicidae: Attini). Insect Systematics and Diversity 6 (1): 11:1-17 (doi:10.1093/isd/ixab029).
- Jansen, G., Savolainen, R. 2010. Molecular phylogeny of the ant tribe Myrmicini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 160(3), 482–495 (doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00604.x).
- Kempf, W. W. 1964e. Miscellaneous studies on Neotropical ants. III. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Stud. Entomol. 7: 45-71 (page 54, Hylomyrma as genus)
- Kempf, W. W. 1973b. A revision of the Neotropical myrmicine ant genus Hylomyrma Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Stud. Entomol. 16: 225-260 (page 225, Revision of genus)
- Kusnezov, N. 1951e. El género Pogonomyrmex Mayr (Hym., Formicidae). Acta Zool. Lilloana 11: 227-333 (page 245, Hylomyrma as subgenus of Pogonomyrmex)
- Kusnezov, N. 1956a. Claves para la identificación de las hormigas de la fauna argentina. Idia 104- 105: 1-56 (page 18, Hylomyrma as subgenus of Pogonomyrmex)
- Pierce, M.P., Branstetter, M.G., Longino, J.T. 2017. Integrative taxonomy reveals multiple cryptic species within Central American Hylomyrma FOREL, 1912 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News. 25:131-143.
- Ulyssea, M.A., Brandao, C.R.F. 2021. Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical ant genus Hylomyrma Forel, 1912 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae), with the description of fourteen new species. Zootaxa 5055, 1–137 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5055.1.1).
- Wheeler, W. M. 1922i. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VII. Keys to the genera and subgenera of ants. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 45: 631-710 (page 660, Hylomyrma raised to genus (in key); Hylomyrma in Myrmicinae, Myrmicini; Hylomyrma as genus)