Messor aciculatus

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Messor aciculatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Stenammini
Genus: Messor
Species: M. aciculatus
Binomial name
Messor aciculatus
(Smith, F., 1874)

Messor aciculatus casent0217860 p 1 high.jpg

Messor aciculatus casent0217860 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Subspecies
Synonyms


Common Name
Kuronaga-ari
Language: Japanese

This species nests in bare areas near standing grasses and in open grasslands. Its nests open directly at the ground surface. Underground there is a nearly vertical shaft and many chambers; total nest depth may be up to 4 meters. In Japan, this species is known to be winter-active (Hosoishi et al., 2019) and in autumn workers collect grass seeds. Foraging workers show individual site tenacity: each returning repeatedly to search a particular area, though foraging methods vary according to food conditions. Winged sexuals fly from April to May (Onoyama, 1981a). The number of larval instars is three (Onoyama, 1981; Onoyama, 1982a). Chromosomal number 2n=44 (Imai & Yosida, 1965). In Japan Messor aciculatus is distributed from Iwate Prefecture to Yaku Island. It is also found widely on the Asian continent (Onoyama, 1981). (Japanese Ant Image Database)

Identification

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 44.16666667° to 30.34264°.

   
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: China, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Japan (type locality), Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation.

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

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

Hosoishi et al. (2019) examined winter foraging activity in western Japan. They found foraging activity was generally low, except during relatively warm periods when the surface ground temperature was above 6–7°C or soil temperature was above 4–5°C. Tetramorium tsushimae, Messor aciculatus and Pheidole nodus were the most abundant in the open land type, whereas Nylanderia flavipes, Pheidole nodus and Crematogaster osakensis were the most abundant in the forest type.

Flight Period

X X
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

 Notes: Japan.

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Castes

Images from AntWeb

Messor aciculatus casent0217860 l 2 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0217860. Photographer Shannon Hartman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Messor aciculatus casent0217861 h 1 high.jpgMessor aciculatus casent0217861 p 1 high.jpgMessor aciculatus casent0217861 d 1 high.jpgMessor aciculatus casent0217861 l 1 high.jpgMessor aciculatus casent0217861 p 2 high.jpgMessor aciculatus casent0217861 l 2 high.jpg
Male (alate). Specimen code casent0217861. Photographer Shannon Hartman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Messor aciculatus casent0900469 d 1 high.jpgMessor aciculatus casent0900469 p 1 high.jpgMessor aciculatus casent0900469 h 1 high.jpgMessor aciculatus casent0900469 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Messor aciculatus. Worker. Specimen code casent0900469. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.
Messor aciculatus casent0904141 h 1 high.jpgMessor aciculatus casent0904141 d 1 high.jpgMessor aciculatus casent0904141 p 1 high.jpgMessor aciculatus casent0904141 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Messor barbarus lobulifera. Worker. Specimen code casent0904141. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.
Messor aciculatus casent0907743 h 1 high.jpgMessor aciculatus casent0907743 p 1 high.jpgMessor aciculatus casent0907743 d 1 high.jpgMessor aciculatus casent0907743 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Stenamma aciculatum brunneicorne. Worker. Specimen code casent0907743. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Nomenclature

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

  • aciculatus. Aphaenogaster aciculata Smith, F. 1874: 405 (w.q.) JAPAN.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated), 1 (?) syntype queen.
    • Type-locality: Japan: Hiogo (G. Lewis).
    • Type-depository: BMNH.
    • [Misspelled as acciculatus by Pisarski, 1969a: 227, Pisarski, 1969b: 295.]
    • Imai, 1966: 119 (k.); Onoyama, 1982a: 325 (l.); Kupyanskaya, 1990: 122 (m.).
    • Combination in Stenamma (Messor): Forel, 1901h: 60;
    • combination in Aphaenogaster (Attomyrma): Emery, 1921f: 57;
    • combination in Messor: Forel, 1922: 93.
    • Status as species: Mayr, 1879: 670; Dalla Torre, 1893: 98; Wheeler, W.M. 1906c: 315; Emery, 1908c: 336; Yano, 1910: 420; Emery, 1921f: 57; Wheeler, W.M. 1928c: 9; Wheeler, W.M. 1928d: 107; Wheeler, W.M. 1929f: 2; Wheeler, W.M. 1930h: 63; Teranishi, 1940: 13; Azuma, 1951: 87; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 131, 136 (combinations in Aphaenogaster and Messor, respectively); Azuma, 1953: 2; Pisarski, 1969a: 227; Pisarski, 1969b: 295; Collingwood, 1976: 303; Arnol’di, 1977b: 1645 (in key); Azuma, 1977: 113; Onoyama, 1980: 197; Ogata, 1991b: 88; Wu, J. & Wang, 1992: 1305; Morisita, et al. 1992: 20; Bolton, 1995b: 252; Wu, J. & Wang, 1995: 98; Tang, J., Li, et al. 1995: 53; Park & Kim, 2000: 109; Imai, et al. 2003: 160; Radchenko, 2005b: 136; Pfeiffer, et al. 2007: 4; Terayama, 2009: 170; He & Song, 2009: 722; Guénard & Dunn, 2012: 44.
    • Senior synonym of brunneicorne: Yano, 1910: 420; Wheeler, W.M. 1928c: 9 (in text); Wheeler, W.M. 1928d: 107 (in text); Arnol’di, 1977b: 1645 (in key); Onoyama, 1980: 197; Bolton, 1995b: 252; Park & Kim, 2000: 109; Imai, et al. 2003: 160.
    • Senior synonym of lobulifera: Wheeler, W.M. 1928c: 9 (in text); Wheeler, W.M. 1928d: 107 (in text); Wheeler, W.M. 1930h: 63; Arnol’di, 1977b: 1645 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 252; Tang, J., Li, et al. 1995: 53; Imai, et al. 2003: 160.
    • Distribution: China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia, Taiwan.
    • Current subspecies: nominal plus risianus.
  • brunneicorne. Stenamma (Messor) aciculatum var. brunneicorne Forel, 1901h: 60 (w.) JAPAN.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Japan: Hozuyama, Kuwadagori Tamba (no collector’s name).
    • Type-depository: in Hamburg Museum, probably destroyed in World War II.
    • Combination in Messor: Emery, 1908e: 459.
    • Subspecies of aciculatus: Wheeler, W.M. 1906c: 315.
    • Status as species: Emery, 1908e: 459; Emery, 1921f: 73; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 137.
    • Junior synonym of aciculatus: Yano, 1910: 420; Wheeler, W.M. 1928c: 9 (in text); Wheeler, W.M. 1928d: 107 (in text); Arnol’di, 1977b: 1645 (in key); Onoyama, 1980: 197; Bolton, 1995b: 253; Park & Kim, 2000: 109; Imai, et al. 2003: 160.
  • lobulifera. Messor barbarus var. lobulifera Emery, 1901i: 159 (w.) MONGOLIA.
    • Type-material: 4 syntype workers.
    • Type-locality: Mongolia: Burgaltai (J. Gróf?).
    • Type-depository: HNHM.
    • [Misspelled as lobifer by Santschi, 1925f: 83, Menozzi, 1930d: 329.]
    • Santschi, 1925f: 93 (q.m.); Santschi, 1928b: 31 (q.m.).
    • Status as species: Ruzsky, 1905b: 739; Emery, 1908e: 459; Ruzsky, 1915a: 443; Wheeler, W.M. 1921c: 535; Emery, 1921f: 74; Wheeler, W.M. 1923b: 1; Santschi, 1925f: 83, 93; Wheeler, W.M. 1927d: 2; Wheeler, W.M. 1927e: 1; Santschi, 1928b: 31; Menozzi, 1930d: 329; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 137.
    • Junior synonym of aciculatus: Wheeler, W.M. 1928c: 9 (in text); Wheeler, W.M. 1928d: 107 (in text); Wheeler, W.M. 1930h: 63; Arnol’di, 1977b: 1645 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 255; Tang, J., Li, et al. 1995: 53; Imai, et al. 2003: 160.

Description

Karyotype

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  • n = 22, 2n = 44 (Japan) (Imai & Yosida, 1964; Imai, 1966; Imai, 1969).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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