Messor capensis

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Messor capensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Stenammini
Genus: Messor
Species: M. capensis
Binomial name
Messor capensis
(Mayr, 1862)

Messor capensis casent0217867 p 1 high.jpg

Messor capensis casent0217867 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

Identification

The taxa capensis, Messor decipiens and Messor piceus, treated here as separate species, may in fact represent only a single variable species. The differences invoked to distinguish the three are minor (see key) and may eventually prove to be gradient. Among the species in which the first gastral tergite is uniformly hairy the three taxa mentioned above are characterized together by their relatively small eyes, lack of strong gastral sculpture, relatively straight-sided head and short propodeum, and lack of a median prominence on the posterior half of the clypeus. (Bolton 1982)

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -23.31667° to -34.68333°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa (type locality), Zimbabwe.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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

As is common in this genus, workers forage for seeds that are retrieved to the nests. In the Western Cape of South Africa, M. capensis gather seeds of many species, including rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) even though these lack arils. Seeds remain viable after years underground and can survive episodic fire.

Rooibos 'tea' offers several health benefits (rich in antioxidants; caffeine-free; low tannin). Seeds are tiny and housed in small pods. When each pod is ripe, it will burst open, scattering the seeds on the sandy ground. Moreover the pods on a particular bush reach maturity at different rates, so it is difficult to obtain large quantities of rooibos seeds by sifting. Indigenous knowledge (Khoi or San) about the banks of rooibos seeds in M. capensis nests allowed the start of commercial plantations. Nowadays some Cederberg farmers continue to dig up the ants' granaries every few years.

(written by Christian Peeters based on interviews with local farmer Bennie Bezuidenhout, internet information, and Lawrence Green's (1949) book In The Land Of Afternoon. Standard Press Ltd. pp. 52 to 54)


Rooibos plantation in the Nardouwsberg (Western Cape). Messor capensis gather the seeds and stock them in their underground nests. Photo by Christian Peeters.

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Messor capensis casent0217868 h 1 high.jpgMessor capensis casent0217868 p 1 high.jpgMessor capensis casent0217868 d 1 high.jpgMessor capensis casent0217868 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0217868. Photographer Estella Ortega, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Messor capensis casent0900466 h 1 high.jpgMessor capensis casent0900466 p 1 high.jpgMessor capensis casent0900466 d 1 high.jpgMessor capensis casent0900466 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Messor capensisWorker. Specimen code casent0900466. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.
Messor capensis casent0904139 h 1 high.jpgMessor capensis casent0904139 p 1 high.jpgMessor capensis casent0904139 d 1 high.jpgMessor capensis casent0904139 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Aphaenogaster pseudoaegyptiacaWorker. Specimen code casent0904139. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.
Messor capensis casent0907742 h 1 high.jpgMessor capensis casent0907742 p 1 high.jpgMessor capensis casent0907742 d 1 high.jpgMessor capensis casent0907742 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Messor braunsiWorker. Specimen code casent0907742. 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.

  • capensis. Atta capensis Mayr, 1862: 743 (w.) SOUTH AFRICA.
    • Type-material: lectotype worker (by designation of Bolton, 1982: 345).
    • Type-locality: South Africa: Cape of Good Hope, “D” (Novara Expd.).
    • Type-depository: NHMW.
    • Mayr, 1866b: 896 (q.m.).
    • Combination in Aphaenogaster: Roger, 1863b: 30;
    • combination in Stenamma (Messor): Emery, 1895h: 35;
    • combination in Messor: Forel, 1910e: 444.
    • Subspecies of barbarus: Emery, 1891b: 12; Emery, in Dalla Torre, 1893: 100 (footnote); Emery, 1895h: 35; Forel, 1910e: 444; Forel, 1910f: 15; Forel, 1911e: 266; Forel, 1914d: 242; Arnold, 1920a: 405; Emery, 1921f: 70; Emery, 1922c: 99; Stitz, 1923: 150; Arnold, 1960a: 82; Prins, 1963: 100.
    • Status as species: Roger, 1863b: 30; Mayr, 1863: 396; Mayr, 1865: 87 (redescription); Mayr, 1866b: 896; Dalla Torre, 1893: 101; Santschi, 1917e: 94; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 804; Bolton, 1982: 345 (redescription); Bolton, 1995b: 253.
    • Senior synonym of braunsi: Bolton, 1982: 345; Bolton, 1995b: 253.
    • Senior synonym of donisthorpei: Bolton, 1982: 345; Bolton, 1995b: 253.
    • Senior synonym of pseudoaegyptiaca: Bolton, 1982: 345; Bolton, 1995b: 253.
    • Senior synonym of schencki: Bolton, 1982: 345; Bolton, 1995b: 253.
    • Distribution: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe.
  • braunsi. Messor braunsi Forel, 1913a: 138 (w.) SOUTH AFRICA.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: South Africa: Cape Prov., Willowmore (H. Brauns).
    • Type-depository: MHNG.
    • Stitz, 1923: 149 (q.).
    • Status as species: Arnold, 1920a: 413; Emery, 1921f: 73; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 804; Stitz, 1923: 149.
    • Junior synonym of capensis: Bolton, 1982: 345; Bolton, 1995b: 253.
  • donisthorpei. Messor donisthorpei Santschi, 1937a: 51 (w.q.) NAMIBIA.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated), 1 synype queen.
    • Type-locality: Namibia (“S.W. Africa”): W Maltahohe, 1500 m., 12.xii.1934 (K. Jordan).
    • Type-depositories: BMNH, MCZC, NHMB, USNM.
    • Junior synonym of capensis: Bolton, 1982: 345; Bolton, 1995b: 254.
  • pseudoaegyptiaca. Aphaenogaster pseudoaegyptiaca Emery, 1884a: 384 (w.) SOUTH AFRICA.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: South Africa: Cape of Good Hope (no collector’s name).
    • Type-depository: MSNG.
    • [Misspelled as pseudaegyptiaca by Emery, 1922c: 99.]
    • Arnold, 1920a: 409 (q.m.).
    • Combination in Stenamma (Messor): Emery, 1895h: 35;
    • combination in Messor: Santschi, 1917e: 94.
    • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1891b: 12; Emery, 1895h: 35; Arnold, 1920a: 408; Emery, 1921f: 70; Emery, 1922c: 99.
    • Subspecies of capensis: Dalla Torre, 1893: 101; Santschi, 1917e: 94; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 805.
    • Junior synonym of capensis: Bolton, 1982: 345; Bolton, 1995b: 256.
  • schencki. Messor capensis var. schencki Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 805.
    • Type-material: holotype worker.
    • Type-locality: Namibia (“German Southwest Africa”): Great Namaland, Bethanien (Schenck).
    • Type-depository: unknown (presumed lost, not found in MHNG (Bolton, 1982: 345)).
    • [First available use of Messor barbarus subsp. capensis var. schenki Forel, 1910f: 15 (w.) NAMIBIA; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
    • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Arnold, 1920a: 410; Emery, 1921f: 70; Emery, 1922c: 99; Stitz, 1923: 150.
    • Junior synonym of capensis: Bolton, 1982: 345; Bolton, 1995b: 257.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Bolton (1982) - Medium to large, HW 2.35 -> 3.40.

Anterior clypeal margin varying from shallowly convex to transverse, only very rarely with the faintest vestige of a median indentation. With the head in full face view the sides more or less straight and approximately parallel, never evenly convex nor obviously diverging anteriorly. Occipital margin broadly and shallowly concave to indented medially. In HW range 2.35-3.44 the maximum diameter of the eye is 0.40-0.58, about 0.15-0.19 x HW, and the CI range is 103-119. Propodeum in profile with the dorsum rounding narrowly into the declivity in most cases; in some more broadly rounded and in a few right-angled, but only rarely with dentiform prominences and here usually only in the largest workers. Usual sculpture of entire dorsum of head of fine, densely packed parallel longitudinal rugulae, most commonly with fine punctulation between them. Variation in the sculpture consists of a reduction, in density or intensity, or one or both of these components. Sometimes the rugulae are more widely spaced and fainter than is usual, in which case the punctulate ground-sculpture is much more obvious and may appear as the dominant component in places. On the other hand the punctulate sculpture may fade out, leaving the rugulae sharply defined; the rugulae may then also become less intense and leave the head only feebly sculptured. Dorsal alitrunk usually rugose or rugulose everywhere but, as on the head, this sculpture may be reduced until it is very faint or even absent. When distinctly present the direction of sculpture on the pronotum shows variation. Commonly it is longitudinal but forms with the sculpture diagonal, transverse, irregular or varying on different parts of the surface are fairly frequent. First gastral tergite unsculptured or at most with a very faint superficial patterning. All dorsal surfaces of head and body with numerous conspicuous standing hairs. Colour black to dark reddish brown, the head and alitrunk always the same colour, the gaster sometimes darker.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Arnold G. 1920. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part IV. Myrmicinae. Annals of the South African Museum. 14: 403-578.
  • Bolton B. 1982. Afrotropical species of the myrmicine ant genera Cardiocondyla, Leptothorax, Melissotarsus, Messor and Cataulacus (Formicidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 45: 307-370.
  • Dean W. R. J., and R. I. Yeaton. 1993. The effects of harvester ant: Messor capensis nest-mounds on the physical and chemical properties of soils in the southern Karoo, South Africa. Journal of Arid Environments 25: 249-260.
  • Dean, W. R. J. and Bond, W. J. 1990. Evidence for Rapid Faunal Changes on Islands in a Man-Made Lake. Oecologia. 83:388-391.
  • Emery C. 1895. Voyage de M. E. Simon dans l'Afrique australe (janvier-avril 1893). 3e mémoire. Formicides. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 64: 15-56.
  • Forel A. 1913. Fourmis de Rhodesia, etc. récoltées par M. G. Arnold, le Dr. H. Brauns et K. Fikendey. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 57: 108-147.
  • Hanrahan S. A., M. J. Steinbauer, and F. D. Duncan. 2014. Ant assemblages in a poorly sampled part of the arid Nama Karoo. African Entomology 22(2): 448–453.
  • IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
  • Koch F., and K. Vohland. 2004. Ants along a southern African transect - a basis for biodiversity change monitoring (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Zoosystematics and Evolution 80(2): 261-273.
  • 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. 1967. The ants of our National Parks. Koedoe - African Protected Area Conservation and Science 10(1): 63-81.
  • Stitz H. 1923. Hymenoptera, VII. Formicidae. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Land- und Süsswasserfauna Deutsch-Südwestafrikas 2: 143-167.
  • Tshinguvho T. E., W. R. J. Dean, and H. G. Robertson. 1999. Conservation value of road verges in the semi-arid Karoo, South Africa: ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as bio-indicators. Biodiversity and Conservation 8: 1683–1695
  • 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