Myrmecia vindex

Myrmecia vindex
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmeciinae
Tribe:	Myrmeciini
Genus:	Myrmecia
Species group:	gulosa
Species:	M. vindex
Binomial name
Myrmecia vindex Smith, F., 1858 Specimen Labels
Synonyms
Myrmecia vindex basirufa Forel, 1907

These ants are visual predators. Typical encounters with even a solitary forager shows that they are a formidable and aggressive species. Nest workers are also always ready to rush out of their mound to attack an intruder (Heterick 2009).

Identification

Heterick (2009) - Myrmecia desertorum, Myrmecia fuscipes, Myrmecia gratiosa, Myrmecia nigriceps and Myrmecia vindex are all large to very large, reddish ants with red, brown or black heads and a black gaster.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Australian Myrmecia Species
• Key to Myrmecia of the southwestern Australian Botanical Province

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -28.25° to -35°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

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

Morphology

Myrmecia use their large eyes to locate prey and to find their way back to the nest from their foraging forays. Ogawa et al. (2015) were curious about how complex the color reception in ants may be and identified M. vindex as a good candidate for exploring this topic. They provided evidence about photoreceptors in M. vindex and Myrmecia croslandi that show ants can have sophisticated trichromatic color reception. Their abstract (Ogawa et al. 2015): Ants are thought to be special among Hymenopterans in having only dichromatic colour vision based on two spectrally distinct photoreceptors. Many ants are highly visual animals, however, and use vision extensively for navigation. We show here that two congeneric day- and night-active Australian ants have three spectrally distinct photoreceptor types, potentially supporting trichromatic colour vision. Electroretinogram recordings show the presence of three spectral sensitivities with peaks (lmax) at 370, 450 and 550 nm in the night-active Myrmecia vindex and peaks at 370, 470 and 510 nm in the day-active Myrmecia croslandi. Intracellular electrophysiology on individual photoreceptors confirmed that the night-active M. vindex has three spectral sensitivities with peaks (lmax) at 370, 430 and 550 nm. A large number of the intracellular recordings in the night-active M. vindex show unusually broad-band spectral sensitivities, suggesting that photoreceptors may be coupled. Spectral measurements at different temporal frequencies revealed that the ultraviolet receptors are comparatively slow. We discuss the adaptive significance and the probability of trichromacy in Myrmecia ants in the context of dim light vision and visual navigation.

Association with Other Organisms

 Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.

• This species is a host for the eucharitid wasp Austeucharis sp. (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (multiple encounter modes; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Syntype of Myrmecia vindex basirufa. Worker. Specimen code casent0907095. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Holotype of Myrmecia vindex. Worker. Specimen code casent0902796. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

Phylogeny

Myrmecia

gulosa group Myrmecia esuriens Myrmecia midas Myrmecia pulchra Myrmecia mjobergi Myrmecia regularis Myrmecia forficata Myrmecia brevinoda Myrmecia erecta Myrmecia pyriformis Myrmecia browningi Myrmecia sp. Myrmecia analis Myrmecia minuscula Myrmecia comata Myrmecia rowlandi Myrmecia flavicoma Myrmecia tarsata Myrmecia tridentata Myrmecia eungellensis Myrmecia fabricii Myrmecia athertonensis Myrmecia auriventris Myrmecia borealis Myrmecia gulosa Myrmecia forceps Myrmecia simillima Myrmecia arnoldi Myrmecia fulgida Myrmecia pavida Myrmecia vindex Myrmecia fuscipes Myrmecia (near nigriceps) Myrmecia desertorum Myrmecia nigriceps Myrmecia nigriceps Myrmecia inquilina nigrocincta group Myrmecia flammicollis Myrmecia petiolata Myrmecia nigrocincta picta group Myrmecia fucosa Myrmecia picta Myrmecia infima Myrmecia urens apicalis group Myrmecia apicalis pilosula group Myrmecia testaceipes Myrmecia acuta Myrmecia chasei Myrmecia clarki Myrmecia dispar Myrmecia occidentalis Myrmecia tepperi Myrmecia elegans Myrmecia varians Myrmecia banksi Myrmecia croslandi Myrmecia impaternata Myrmecia haskinsorum Myrmecia pilosula Myrmecia pilosula Myrmecia (near pilosula)

Based on Mera-Rodríguez et al. (2023).

Nomenclature

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

• vindex. Myrmecia vindex Smith, F. 1858b: 144 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Western Australia).
  • Type-material: holotype worker.
  • Type-locality: Australia: West Australia, “42/19” (Moore).
  • [Note: head detached, glued to label whose underside reads, “vindex type Sm.”]
  • Type-depository: BMNH.
  • Roger, 1861a: 34 (q.); Clark, 1925b: 143 (q.m.); Clark, 1951: 69 (ergatoid q.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1971d: 254 (l.).
  • Status as species: Roger, 1861a: 34; Mayr, 1862: 725 (in key); Roger, 1863b: 22; Mayr, 1863: 431; Dalla Torre, 1893: 22; Forel, 1907h: 264; Emery, 1911d: 19; Poulton & Crawley, 1922: 119; Clark, 1925b: 143; Crawley, 1926: 376 (redescription); Wheeler, W.M. 1933i: 36; Clark, 1951: 67 (redescription); Douglas & Brown, 1959: 14; Haskins & Haskins, 1974: 258; Kugler, C. 1980b: 265; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 17; Taylor, 1987a: 46; Ogata, 1991a: 358; Ogata & Taylor, 1991: 1638 (in key), 1661; Bolton, 1995b: 273; Heterick, 2009: 121.
  • Senior synonym of basirufa: Ogata & Taylor, 1991: 1661; Bolton, 1995b: 273.
  • Distribution: Australia.
• basirufa. Myrmecia vindex var. basirufa Forel, 1907h: 264 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Western Australia).
  • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
  • Type-locality: Australia: Western Australia, Subiaco, Stat. 109, 1905 (W. Michaelsen & R. Hartmeyer).
  • Type-depositories: ANIC, MHNG.
  • Clark, 1951: 71 (q.m.).
  • Subspecies of vindex: Emery, 1911d: 19; Clark, 1951: 70 (redescription); Taylor & Brown, 1985: 17; Taylor, 1987a: 46; Ogata, 1991a: 358.
  • Junior synonym of vindex: Ogata & Taylor, 1991: 1661; Bolton, 1995b: 270.

Type Material

• Syntype, 1 worker, Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia, Hamburg SW Aust. Exped., ANIC32-014846, Australian National Insect Collection.
• Syntype, worker(s), Western Australia, Australia, The Natural History Museum.
• Syntype, 1 worker, Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
• Syntype, worker(s), Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.

The following notes on F. Smith type specimens have been provided by Barry Bolton (details):

Myrmecia vindex

Holotype worker in The Natural History Museum. Labelled “W. Austral 42/19” and with “Mr Moor” on underside of label.

At some time in the past the head has become detached and is now glued to a label whose underside reads “vindex type Sm.”

Description

Karyotype

• 2n = 74 (Australia) (Hirai et al., 1996).
• 2n = 76 (Australia) (Hirai et al., 1996).

References

• Ataya, H., Lenoir, A. 1984. Le comportement necrophorique chez la formi Lasius niger L. Insectes Sociaux 31: 20-33.
• Billen, J., Khalife, A., Ito, F., Anh, N.D., Esteves, F.A. 2021. The basitarsal sulcus gland, a novel exocrine structure in ants. Arthropod Structure, Development 61, 101041 (doi:10.1016/j.asd.2021.101041).
• Clark, J. 1925b. The ants of Victoria. Part II. Vic. Nat. (Melb.). 42:135-144. (page 143, queen, male described)
• Clark, J. 1951. The Formicidae of Australia. 1. Subfamily Myrmeciinae: 230 pp. CSIRO, Melbourne. [(31.xii).1951.]
• Crawley, W. C. 1926. A revision of some old types of Formicidae. Trans. Entomol. Soc. Lond. 1925:373-393 (page 376, see also)
• Douglas, A.; Brown, W. L., Jr. 1959. Myrmecia inquilina new species: the first parasite among the lower ants. Insectes Soc. 6:13-19. (page 14, see also)
• Forel, A. 1907j. Formicidae. In: Michaelsen, W., Hartmeyer, R. (eds.) Die Fauna Südwest-Australiens. Band I, Lieferung 7. Jena: Gustav Fischer, pp. 263-310. (page 264, see also)
• Haskins, C. P.; Haskins, E. F. 1974. Notes on the necrophoric behaviour in the archaic ant Myrmecia vindex. Psyche. 81:258-267. (page 258, see also)
• Heterick, B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of South-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 76:1-206.
• Heterick, B.E. 2021. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part I: Systematics. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 86, 1-245 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2021.001-245).
• Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
• Mera-Rodríguez, D., Jourdan, H., Ward, P.S., Shattuck, S., Cover, S.P., Wilson, E.O., Rabeling, C. 2023. Biogeography and evolution of social parasitism in Australian Myrmecia bulldog ants revealed by phylogenomics. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 186, 107825 (doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107825).
• Ogata, K.; Taylor, R. W. 1991. Ants of the genus Myrmecia Fabricius: a preliminary review and key to the named species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmeciinae). J. Nat. Hist. 2 25:1623-1673. (page 1661, Senior synonym of basirufa)
• Ogawa, Y., M. Falkowski, A. Narendra, J. Zeil, and J. M. Hemmi. 2015. Three spectrally distinct photoreceptors in diurnal and nocturnal Australian ants. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences. 282:20150673. doi:10.1098/rspb.2015.0673
• Roger, J. 1861a. Die Ponera-artigen Ameisen (Schluss). Berl. Entomol. Z. 5:1-54. (page 34, queen described)
• Smith, F. 1858b. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London: British Museum, 216 pp. (page 144, worker described)
• van der Kooi, C.J., Stavenga, D.G., Arikawa, K., Belušič, G., Kelber, A. 2020. Evolution of insect color vision: From spectral sensitivity to visual ecology. Annual Review of Entomology 66, annurev-ento-061720–071644. (doi:10.1146/annurev-ento-061720-071644).
• Wheeler, G. C.; Wheeler, J. 1971d. Ant larvae of the subfamily Myrmeciinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Pan-Pac. Entomol. 47:245-256. (page 254, larva described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Forel A. 1915. Results of Dr. E. Mjöbergs Swedish Scientific Expeditions to Australia 1910-13. 2. Ameisen. Ark. Zool. 9(16): 1-119
• Ogata K. and Taylor R.W. 1991. Ants of the genus Myrmecia Fabricius: a preliminary review and key to the named species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmeciinae), Journal of Natural History, 25: 1623-1673