Megalomyrmex cyendyra

Megalomyrmex cyendyra
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Solenopsidini
Genus:	Megalomyrmex
Species group:	leoninus
Species:	M. cyendyra
Binomial name
Megalomyrmex cyendyra Brandão, 1990 Specimen Labels

Some type specimens were collected from mountain forests.

At a Glance

• Ergatoid queen

Identification

Brandão (1990) - Megalomyrmex cyendyra shares with Megalomyrmex glaesarius the striate mandibles, but can be distinguished from this species and all other Megalomyrmer by the 4-segmented antennal club and from members of this group by the continuous dorsal profile of the promesonotum.

Brandão (2003) - Workers of M. cyendyra sometimes have the propodeal declivity mostly smooth, with very faint rugosities over the foramen, and the epipetiolar carina incomplete. The main diagnostic characters that separate this species from all other Megalomyrmex of the Leoninus group is the number of club segments (4-5) and the continuous promesonotum.

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 3.516666667° to 0.3233°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Colombia (type locality), Ecuador.

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

Brandão (2003) - I studied three Colombian samples belonging to the IHVL collection collected in Reserva Nacional La Planada, Nariño province: two workers collected at 1800 m “interior bosque” (01°17’N, 78°15’W), one collected by F. Escobar and the other by C. Estrada; two with the same locality data collected from February to July, 1993, by C. Estrada; and two workers collected in the Parcela Olga by G. Oliva, in July 16 to 20, 2000, at 1850 m (01°15’N, 78°15’W).

Jones et al. (1999) studied the venom alkaloids of M. cyendyra workers collected in July, 1997 in Borrero Ayerbe, Municipio de Dagua-Corregimiento, Departamiento del Valle, Colombia.

Nomenclature

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

• cyendyra. Megalomyrmex cyendyra Brandão, 1990b: 433, figs. 44, 54 (w.) COLOMBIA.
  • Type-material: holotype worker, 13 paratype workers.
  • Type-locality: holotype Colombia: Valle del Cauca, Rio San Juan del Digua, ca Queremal, 1300 m., 16.vi.1971 (W.L. Brown & Chaplin); paratypes: 5 workers with same data, 4 workers Valle del Cauca, El Topazio, Farallones de Cali Park, ca Pance, 1550 m., 31.xii.1981, no. 2150 (J. Lattke), 4 workers Valle del Cauca, Munic. Cali, Pance, 1700 m., 28.vii.1973 (W.L. Brown).
  • [Note: Brandão, 1990b: 433, comments that MIZA has 21 more workers of the El Topazio series.]
  • Type-depositories: MCZC (holotype); MCZC, MIZA, MZSP (paratypes).
  • Status as species: Brandão, 1991: 354; Bolton, 1995b: 249; Brandão, 2003: 151; Fernández & Serna, 2019: 806.
  • Distribution: Colombia.

Description

Worker

Mandibles faintly striate: anterior clypeal bor­der straight without denticle: frontal suture im­ pressed: 21 ocular facets at compound eye larg­est diameter: (4-5) segmented antenna! club: oc­cipital margin not raised; promesonotal suture impressed only laterally, promesonotal profile continuous; mesostemum and metastemum with­ out acrotergites: dorsal face of propodeum indis­tinct from declivity; declivity striate: epipetiolar carina complete; non-pedunculate petiole with dorsal margin straight in side view: dorsal mar­gin of petiolar node round in frontal view; petio­lar spiracles laterally produced: ventral face of petiole without denticles. but with a longitudinal non-translucid flange that attains the spiracles region; ventral process of postpetiole globose: apex of postpetiole acuminate; genual plates round.

Type Material

Rio San Juan del Digua, ca. Queremal, 1300m, Valle del Cauca, Colombia (03°31'N, 76°43'W) holotype and 5 paratypes); Farallones de Cali Park, El Topazio. ca. Pance, 1550m, Valle del Cauca, Colombia (03°20'N, 76°43'W) (4 paratypes); Pance, munic. Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, l700m (same coordinates of El Topazio). Holotype and 2 paratypes from Queremal, 2 paratypes from Pance at Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard; 3 paratypes from Queremal, 2 from Pance and 2 from El Topazio at Museu de Zoologia da USP; 2 paratypes from El Topazio at Facultad de Agronomia de Maracay, Venezuela. The samples from Pance and Queremal have been collected respectively by W.L. Brown Jr. & Chaplin in June, 16, 1971 (“mountain rain forest”) and W.L. Brown Jr. in July. 28, 1973 (“mountain forest”). The types from El Topazio have been collected by J. Lattke (accession number 2150) at December. 31. 1981. The Maracay collection houses 21 more workers of this series.

Etymology

The composed name cyendyra means mother-sister in Tupi language, regarding the gamergate found with the Queremal sample.

References

• Brandão, C. R. F. 1990b. Systematic revision of the Neotropical ant genus Megalomyrmex Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae), with the description of thirteen new species. Arq. Zool. (São Paulo) 31: 411-481 (page 433, figs. 44, 54 worker described)
• Brandão, C. R. F. 2003. Further revisionary studies on the ant gentus Megalomyrmex Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Pap. Avulsos Zool. (São Paulo) 43: 145-159.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Brandão C. R. F. 2003. Further revisionary studies on the ant genus Megalomyrmex Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia (São Paulo) 43: 145-159
• Ulyssea M. A., C. R. F. Brandao. 2013. Catalogue of Dacetini and Solenopsidini ant type specimens (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae) deposited in the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil. Papies Avulsos de Zoologia 53(14): 187-209.