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Mesoponera caffraria
| Mesoponera caffraria | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Ponerinae |
| Tribe: | Ponerini |
| Genus: | Mesoponera |
| Species: | M. caffraria |
| Binomial name | |
| Mesoponera caffraria (Smith, F., 1858)
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| Subspecies | |
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| Synonyms | |
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| At a Glance | • Tandem running |
Identification
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 11.13583333° to -34.0671°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Botswana, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa (type locality), Uganda, Zimbabwe.
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. |
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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. |
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Biology
Life History Traits
- Mean colony size: 70 (Levieux, 1967; Agbogba, 1981; Beckers et al., 1989)
- Foraging behaviour: tandem recruitment (Levieux, 1967; Agbogba, 1981; Beckers et al., 1989)
Castes
     
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Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- caffraria. Ponera caffraria Smith, F. 1858b: 91 (q.) SOUTH AFRICA.
- Type-material: holotype queen.
- Type-locality: South Africa: Port Natal (= Durban), “56/63” (Plant).
- Type-depository: BMNH.
- [Misspelled as caffra by Santschi, 1914d: 315.]
- Forel, 1913a: 108 (w.); Arnold, 1915: 65 (w.m.); Emery, 1899c: 5 (l.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1971b: 1206 (l.).
- Combination in Euponera (Mesoponera): Emery, 1901a: 46; Arnold, 1915: 65; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 775;
- combination in Euponera (Brachyponera): Santschi, 1910c: 350;
- combination in Pachycondyla: Brown, in Bolton, 1995b: 303;
- combination in Mesoponera: Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1971b: 1206; Schmidt, C.A. & Shattuck, 2014: 110.
- Status as species: Roger, 1860: 285; Roger, 1863b: 16; Mayr, 1863: 447; Mayr, 1886c: 358; Dalla Torre, 1893: 38; Mayr, 1895: 124; Santschi, 1910c: 350; Emery, 1911d: 81; Forel, 1913a: 108; Santschi, 1914d: 315; Arnold, 1915: 65 (redescription); Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 775; Arnold, 1926: 202; Santschi, 1930a: 54; Menozzi, 1933a: 97; Santschi, 1935b: 260 (in key); Bernard, 1953b: 190; Prins, 1963: 99; Bolton, 1995b: 303; Zhou & Ran, 2010: 107; Hita Garcia, et al. 2013: 220.
- Senior synonym of guineensis: Mayr, 1895: 125; Emery, 1911d: 81; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 775; Bolton, 1995b: 303.
- Distribution: Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe.
- Current subspecies: nominal plus affinis, caffra.
- guineensis. Ponera guineensis André, 1890: 318 (w.) SIERRA LEONE.
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
- Type-locality: Sierra Leone: (no further data).
- Type-depository: MNHN.
- Combination in Euponera (Mesoponera): Santschi, 1935b: 258.
- Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 39; Emery, 1895h: 20.
- Subspecies of caffraria: Santschi, 1935b: 258; Bernard, 1953b: 190.
- Junior synonym of caffraria: Mayr, 1895: 125; Emery, 1911d: 81; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 775; Bolton, 1995b: 305.
The following notes on F. Smith type specimens have been provided by Barry Bolton (details):
Ponera caffraria
Holotype alate queen in The Natural History Museum. Labelled “Port Natal. 56/63.” Acc. Reg.: “1856 no. 63 (May 24) Port Natal. Purchased of Stevens. Collected by Mr Plant.”
Description
References
- Arnold, G. 1915. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part I. Ponerinae, Dorylinae. Ann. S. Afr. Mus. 14: 1-159 (page 5, worker, male described)
- Beckers R., Goss, S., Deneubourg, J.L., Pasteels, J.M. 1989. Colony size, communication and ant foraging Strategy. Psyche 96: 239-256 (doi:10.1155/1989/94279).
- Brown, W. L., Jr. 1995a. [Untitled. Taxonomic changes in Pachycondyla attributed to Brown.] Pp. 302-311 in: Bolton, B. A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 504 pp. (page 303, Combination in Pachycondyla)
- Emery, C. 1899g. Intorno alle larve di alcune formiche. Mem. R. Accad. Sci. Ist. Bologna (5) 8: 3-10 (page 5, larva described)
- Emery, C. 1901b. Notes sur les sous-familles des Dorylines et Ponérines (Famille des Formicides). Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 45: 32-54 (page 46, Combination in Euponera (Mesoponera))
- Emery, C. 1911e. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum 118: 1-125 (page 81, senior synonym of quineensis)
- Esteves, F.A., Fisher, B.L. 2021. Corrieopone nouragues gen. nov., sp. nov., a new Ponerinae from French Guiana (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 1074, 83–173 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.1074.75551).
- Forel, A. 1913a. Fourmis de Rhodesia, etc. récoltées par M. G. Arnold, le Dr. H. Brauns et K. Fikendey. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 57: 108-147 (page 108, worker described)
- Mayr, G. 1895. Afrikanische Formiciden. Ann. K-K. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 10: 124-154 (page 125, senior synonym of quineensis)
- Schmidt, C.A. & Shattuck, S.O. 2014. The higher classification of the ant subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a review of ponerine ecology and behavior. Zootaxa 3817, 1–242 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3817.1.1).
- Smith, F. 1858b. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London: British Museum, 216 pp. (page 91, queen described)
- Wheeler, G. C.; Wheeler, J. 1971b. Ant larvae of the subfamily Ponerinae: second supplement. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 6 64: 1197-1217 (page 1206, larva described, Combination in Mesoponera)
- Wheeler, W. M. 1922j. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VIII. A synonymic list of the ants of the Ethiopian region. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 45: 711-1004 (page 775, senior synonym of quineensis)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- André E. 1890. Matériaux pour servir à la faune myrmécologique de Sierra-Leone (Afrique occidentale). Rev. Entomol. (Caen) 9: 311-327.
- Arnold G. 1915. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part I. Ponerinae, Dorylinae. Annals of the South African Museum 14: 1-159.
- Arnold G. 1926. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Appendix. Annals of the South African Museum. 23: 191-295.
- Bernard F. 1953. La réserve naturelle intégrale du Mt Nimba. XI. Hyménoptères Formicidae. Mémoires de l'Institut Français d'Afrique Noire 19: 165-270.
- Braschler B., S. L. Chown, and K. J.Gaston. 2012. The Fynbos and Succulent Karoo Biomes Do Not Have Exceptional Local Ant Richness. PLoS ONE 7(3): e31463.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031463
- Diame L., B. Taylor, R. Blatrix, J. F. Vayssieres, J. Y. Rey, I. Grechi, and K. Diarra. 2017. A preliminary checklist of the ant (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) fauna of Senegal. Journal of Insect Biodiversity 5(15): 1-16.
- IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
- Kolo Y. 2006. Evaluation rapide des fourmis de la région de Boké, Guinée. In Wright, H.E. and J. McCullough et M.S. Diallo. (eds). 2006. A Rapid Biological Assessment of the Boké Préfecture, Northwestern Guinea. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment 41. Conservation International, Washington, DC.
- Kone M., S. Konate, K. Yeo, P. K. Kouassi, and K. E. Linsenmair. 2012. Changes in ant communities along an age gradient of cocoa cultivation in the Oumé region, central Côte dIvoire. Entomological Science 15: 324339.
- Kouakou L. M. M., K. Yeo, K. Ouattara, W. Dekoninck, T. Delsinne, and S. Konate. 2018. Investigating urban ant community (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in port cities and in major towns along the border in Côte d’Ivoire: a rapid assessment to detect potential introduced invasive ant species. Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences 36(1): 5793-5811.
- Kouakou L. M. M., W. Dekoninck, M. Kone, T. Delsinne, K. Yeo, K. Ouattara, and S. Konate. 2018. Diversity and distribution of introduced and potentially invasive ant species from the three main ecoregions of Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa). Belgian Journal of Zoology 148 (1): 83–103.
- Levieux J. 1972. Etude du peuplement en fourmis terricoles d'une savane preforestiere de Cote d'Ivoire. Revue d'Ecologie et de Biologie du Sol 10(3): 381-428.
- Levieux J., and T. Diomande. 1985. Evolution des peuplements de fourmis terricoles selon l'age de la végétation dans une foret de Cote d'Ivoire intacte ou soumise à l'action humaine. Insectes Sociaux 32(2): 128-139.
- Lévieux J. 1972. Les fourmis de la savane de Lamto (Côte d'Ivoire): éléments de taxonomie. Bulletin de l'Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire. Série A. Sciences Naturelles 34: 611-654.
- Medler J. T. 1980: Insects of Nigeria - Check list and bibliography. Mem. Amer. Ent. Inst. 30: i-vii, 1-919.
- Prins A. J. 1963. A list of the ants collected in the Kruger National Park with notes on their distribution. Koedoe 6: 91-108.
- Prins A. J. 1964. Revised list of the ants collected in the Kruger National Park. Koedoe 7: 77-93.
- Prins A. J., and J. J. Cillie. 1968. The ants collected in the Hluhluwe and Umfolozi game reserves. The Lammergeyer 8: 40-47.
- Santschi F. 1910. Formicides nouveaux ou peu connus du Congo français. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 78: 349-400.
- Santschi F. 1935. Hymenoptera. I. Formicidae. Mission Scientifique de l'Omo 2: 255-277.
- Stephens S. S., P. B. Bosu, and M. R. Wager. 2016. Effect of overstory tree species diversity and composition on ground foraging ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in timber plantations in Ghana. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & management 12(1-2): 96-107.
- Taylor B. 1976. Ants of the Nigerian Forest Zone (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). I. Ponerinae, Cerapachyinae, Pseudomyrmecinae. Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria Technical Bulletin Series 4: 1-41.
- Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VIII. A synonymic list of the ants of the Ethiopian region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 711-1004
- Yeo K., S. Konate, S. Tiho, and S. K. Camara. 2011. Impacts of land use types on ant communities in a tropical forest margin (Oumé - Cote d'Ivoire). African Journal of Agricultural Research 6(2): 260-274.
- Yeo K., T. Delsinne, S. Komate, L. L. Alonso, D. Aidara, and C. Peeters. 2016. Diversity and distribution of ant assemblages above and below ground in a West African forest–savannah mosaic (Lamto, Cote d’Ivoire). Insectes Sociaux DOI 10.1007/s00040-016-0527-6