Mycetophylax andersoni

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Mycetophylax andersoni
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Mycetophylax
Species: M. andersoni
Binomial name
Mycetophylax andersoni
(Mackay, W.P. & Serna, 2010)

Cyphomyrmex andersoni casent0617742 p 1 high.jpg

Cyphomyrmex andersoni casent0617742 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Two specimens were collected in montane hardwood leaf litter at 1100-1200 m elevation and in wet montane forest litter.

Identification

Mackay and Serna (2010) - The worker is a small (total length about 2.5 mm, n =2) reddish-brown ant. The mandibles have six teeth, the frontal carinae do not reach the dorsad occular suture, the frontovertexal corners are barely extended into auricle-like structures; the pronotum has three angulate processes or teeth, including the medial process and two lateral processes, together with a pair of posterior swellings, and the mesonotum has a pair of conical processes; the propodeum has a pair of anterior, blunt processes and two well-developed angulate posterior processes; and the posterior 1/3 of the petiole is raised into a blunt process that appears bidentate when seen obliquely from above; the postpetiole has two parallel raised regions on the dorsal surface; and the gaster lacks longitudinal raised areas. The posterior femur has a distinctive ventral angulate process, followed distally by a poorly defined carina.

This species would key to Mycetophylax olitor in Kempf (1964), found in Brazil and Argentina. Mycetophylax andersoni is somewhat larger (HL of M. olitor 0.64, HW 0.56 from Kempf, 1964), has fewer mandibular teeth (7-8 in M. olitor), the midpronotal tubercle is approximately the same size as the lateral tubercles (midpronotal tubercle much smaller than lateral tubercles in M. olitor), and the propodeal spines are well developed (poorly developed in M. olitor). The mandibular teeth are worn and partially hidden by the clypeus in the holotype and badly worn in the mandible of the other specimen, but this species appears to be the only one of the strigatus species complex with six mandibular teeth (and as the members of the rimosus species complex all have five mandibular, it is apparently the only species in Cyphomyrmex with six teeth).

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 18.5333° to 10.225°.

 
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Costa Rica (type locality), Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua.

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

Explore-icon.png Explore Fungus Growing 
For additional details see Fungus growing ants.

A handful of ant species (approx. 275 out of the known 15,000 species) have developed the ability to cultivate fungus within their nests. In most species the fungus is used as the sole food source for the larvae and is an important resource for the adults as well. Additionally, in a limited number of cases, the fungus is used to construct part of the nest structure but is not as a food source.

These fungus-feeding species are limited to North and South America, extending from the pine barrens of New Jersey, United States, in the north (Trachymyrmex septentrionalis) to the cold deserts in Argentina in the south (several species of Acromyrmex). Species that use fungi in nest construction are known from Europe and Africa (a few species in the genera Crematogaster, Lasius).


The details of fungal cultivation are rich and complex. First, a wide variety of materials are used as substrate for fungus cultivating. The so-called lower genera include species that prefer dead vegetation, seeds, flowers, fruits, insect corpses, and feces, which are collected in the vicinity of their nests. The higher genera include non leaf-cutting species that collect mostly fallen leaflets, fruit, and flowers, as well as the leafcutters that collect fresh leaves from shrubs and trees. Second, while the majority of fungi that are farmed by fungus-feeding ants belong to the family Lepiotaceae, mostly the genera Leucoagaricus and Leucocoprinus, other fungi are also involved. Some species utilise fungi in the family Tricholomataceae while a few others cultivate yeast. The fungi used by the higher genera no longer produce spores. Their fungi produce nutritious and swollen hyphal tips (gongylidia) that grow in bundles called staphylae, to specifically feed the ants. Finally, colony size varies tremendously among these ants. Lower taxa mostly live in inconspicuous nests with 100–1000 individuals and relatively small fungus gardens. Higher taxa, in contrast, live in colonies made of 5–10 million ants that live and work within hundreds of interconnected fungus-bearing chambers in huge subterranean nests. Some colonies are so large, they can be seen from satellite photos, measuring up to 600 m3.

Based on these habits, and taking phylogenetic information into consideration, these ants can be divided into six biologically distinct agricultural systems (with a list of genera involved in each category):

Nest Construction

A limited number of species that use fungi in the construction of their nests.

Lower Agriculture

Practiced by species in the majority of fungus-feeding genera, including those thought to retain more primitive features, which cultivate a wide range of fungal species in the tribe Leucocoprineae.

Coral Fungus Agriculture

Practiced by species in the Apterostigma pilosum species-group, which cultivate fungi within the Pterulaceae.

Yeast Agriculture

Practiced by species within the Cyphomyrmex rimosus species-group, which cultivate a distinct clade of leucocoprineaceous fungi derived from the lower attine fungi.

Generalized Higher Agriculture

Practiced by species in several genera of non-leaf-cutting "higher attine" ants, which cultivate a distinct clade of leucocoprineaceous fungi separately derived from the lower attine fungi.

Leaf-Cutter Agriculture

A subdivision of higher attine agriculture practiced by species within several ecologically dominant genera, which cultivate a single highly derived species of higher attine fungus.

Note that the farming habits of Mycetagroicus (4 species) are unknown. Also, while species of Pseudoatta (2 species) are closely related to the fungus-feeding genus Acromyrmex, they are social parasites, living in the nests of their hosts and are not actively involved in fungus growing. ‎

Castes

Cyphomyrmex andersoni inb0003201099 l 1 high.jpgCyphomyrmex andersoni inb0003201099 d 1 high.jpgCyphomyrmex andersoni inb0003201099 p 1 high.jpgCyphomyrmex andersoni inb0003201099 h 1 high.jpg
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Nomenclature

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

  • andersoni. Cyphomyrmex andersoni Mackay, W.P. & Serna, 2010: 45, figs. 1-6 (w.) COSTA RICA.
    • Combination in Mycetophylax: Sosa-Calvo et al., 2017: 9.

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

Description

Mackay and Serna 2010. Figures 1-6.

Worker

HL 0.76-0.78, HW 0.64-D.66, 5L 0.58-D.60, EL 0.13-0.14, EW 0.08-0.10 WL 0.90-D.93. Indices: CI 84-85, 5I 74-79, OJ 65-73. Mandible with 6 teeth; anteclypeus broadly rounded; paraclypeal teeth (anterior teeth-like processes on the clypeus) spiniform, moderately developed; frontal lobes and frontal carinae relatively narrow, extending to frontovertexal corner (posterolateral angle between frons and vertex), forming carina that fuses with posterolateral margin of antennal scrobe, preocular carina continues posteriorly to form mesial margin of antennal scrobe; eyes relatively small, extending past sides of head; scape relatively short, barely reaches frontovertexal corner; pronotum with medial protuberance, 2 lateral, conical tubercles and 2 posterolateral lobate processes, anteroinfra angle of lateropronotum developed; 2 angulate conical tubercles on mesonotum (height approximately 0.05 mm); anterior margin of dorsopropodeum with 2 broad processes (height 0.03 mm), dorsopropodeum relatively short (0.08 mm from notopropodeal groove to highest point of anterior tubercles) posteropropodeum longer (0.25 mm, measured from anterior tubercles to metapleural lobe), propodeal spines small (length 0.04 mm) and rounded; petiole enlarged posteriorly, forming dorsal tubercles as seen in lateral view (length 0.1 mm, height 0.07 mm) that appears to have two lateral tiny bumps; postpetiole with longitudinal medial depression flanked by two longitudinal ridges; all femora swollen, fore femur with poorly developed longitudinal carina along posteroventral margin, middle femur similar, but carina poorly developed, posterior femur with well-developed longitudinal carina forming distinct angle distad about one third length from body.

Erect hairs absent, except on mandible; hairs on scape and head appressed, hairs on ventral surface of head and anterior margin of procoxa subdecumbent, hairs on mesosoma, petiole, postpetiole, legs and gaster appressed.

Type Material

Holotype worker, Costa Rica, Alajuela, 27 k Nand 8 k W west of San Ramon, 29-vi-6-vii-1999, R. Anderson # 19901, 99-1096, 10°13'30"N; 34°35'30"W (Museum of Comparative Zoology).

Etymology

This new species is named in honor of Robert Anderson, who collected these specimens as well as thousands of other interesting specimens.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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