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Neivamyrmex alfaroi
| Neivamyrmex alfaroi | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dorylinae |
| Genus: | Neivamyrmex |
| Species: | N. alfaroi |
| Binomial name | |
| Neivamyrmex alfaroi (Emery, 1890)
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This species is only known from queens and/or workers and has yet to be associated with males.
Identification
Posterior face of propodeum strongly concave, distinctly indented below a rounded juncture of dorsal and posterior faces; eye with distinct convex cornea; head smooth and with sparse small puncta, distinctly shiny; surface of body red brown, lacking violaceous reflections.
Similar species: Neivamyrmex iridescens.
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 10.838° to 8.48017°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica (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. |
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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
Jack Longino: This species occurs in lowland wet to moist forest, including seasonally dry scrubby vegetation at 300m elevation on the road to Monteverde. At Cedral in Corcovado National Park I watched a spectacular nocturnal raid on a Cyphomyrmex salvini nest. At 2000hrs I watched a very dense, fan-shaped swarm slowly advanced up a thin treetrunk. Individual ants moved very rapidly, and they were so dense that you could see swirls and eddies within the swarm. They attacked a Cyphomyrmex colony that was nesting in an aroid clump several meters high. The Cyphomyrmex ran out carrying brood, and soon were covering surrounding vegetation. At Llorona, also in Corcovado, and at Estrella, at 300m elevation on the road to Monteverde, I saw columns during the day. In a scrubby forest patch near Quepos, while collecting at night, I found a column on the ground. I put a stick with a Camponotus linnaei nest on the column, and the Neivamyrmex immediately attacked, dragging out alate queens and males.
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 associate (details unknown) for the phorid fly Ecitomyia wheeleri (a associate (details unknown)) (Quevillon, 2018).
Castes
Images from AntWeb
   
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| Syntype of Neivamyrmex alfaroi. Worker. Specimen code casent0903727. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy. |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- alfaroi. Eciton alfaroi Emery, 1890b: 39 (w.) COSTA RICA.
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
- Type-locality: Costa Rica: San José, 1889 (A. Alfaro).
- Type-depository: MSNG.
- [Also described as new by Emery, 1894k: 45.]
- Borgmeier, 1949: 202 (q.).
- Combination in E. (Acamatus): Emery, 1894c: 182 (in text);
- combination in E. (Neivamyrmex): Borgmeier, 1949: 201;
- combination in Neivamyrmex: Borgmeier, 1953: 6.
- Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 1; Emery, 1894c: 183 (in key); Forel, 1899c: 27; Emery, 1910b: 24; Borgmeier, 1939: 414; Borgmeier, 1949: 201; Borgmeier, 1955: 533 (redescription); Kempf, 1972a: 153; Watkins, 1976: 12 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 287.
- Distribution: Costa Rica.
Description
References
- Borgmeier, T. 1949. Formigas novas ou pouco conhecidas de Costa Rica e da Argentina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Rev. Bras. Biol. 9: 201-210 (page 201, Combination in E. (Neivamyrmex))
- Borgmeier, T. 1949. Formigas novas ou pouco conhecidas de Costa Rica e da Argentina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Rev. Bras. Biol. 9: 201-210 (page 202, queen described)
- Borgmeier, T. 1953. Vorarbeiten zu einer Revision der neotropischen Wanderameisen. Stud. Entomol. 2: 1-51 (page 6, Combination in Neivamyrmex)
- Borgmeier, T. 1955. Die Wanderameisen der neotropischen Region. Stud. Entomol. 3: 1-720 (page 533, see also)
- Borowiec, M.L. 2019. Convergent evolution of the army ant syndrome and congruence in big-data phylogenetics. Systematic Biology 68, 642–656 (doi:10.1093/sysbio/syy088).
- Emery, C. 1890c. Studii sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 22: 38-80 (page 39, worker described)
- Emery, C. 1894d. Studi sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. VI-XVI. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 26: 137-241 (page 182, Combination in E. (Acamatus) in text)
- Emery, C. 1894l. Estudios sobre las hormigas de Costa Rica. An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica 1888- 1889: 45-64 (page 45, also described as new)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Smith M. A., W. Hallwachs, D. H. Janzen. 2014. Diversity and phylogenetic community structure of ants along a Costa Rican elevational gradient. Ecography 37(8): 720-731.
- Watkins J. F., II 1976. The identification and distribution of New World army ants (Dorylinae: Formicidae). Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press, 102 pp