Oecophylla longinoda

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Oecophylla longinoda
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Oecophyllini
Genus: Oecophylla
Species: O. longinoda
Binomial name
Oecophylla longinoda
(Latreille, 1802)

MCZ ENT Oecophylla longinoda hal.jpg

MCZ ENT Oecophylla longinoda had.jpg

Specimen Label

Subspecies
Synonyms

Abundant and widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa where the species is a precious tool against fruit pests (Vayssières et al. 2016). Aggressive arboreal ants that use larval silk to weave together leaves to form their nesting cavities. A mature colony of Oecophylla longinoda can entirely dominate a tree (sometimes several) with nests distributed throughout their heavily defended arboreal territory. In Nigeria it is a major dominant on cocoa, as well as being common on coffee and indigenous trees (Taylor 1977, Taylor & Adedoyin 1978; Taylor et al., 2018). It occurs in mango (Mangifera indica) orchards in Benin (Taylor et al., 2018).

Photo Gallery

  • Alate queen with both major and minor (bottom) worker, showing the very pronounced variations in body size. Photo by Paul Van Mele.

Identification

Separation of Extant Oecophylla Species (Wheeler, 1922)
O. longinoda O. smaragdina
petiole decidedly stouter, more thickened behind, with the stigmata much less prominent when viewed from above, and its ventral surface much more convex anteriorly when viewed in profile petiole very slender, with the stigmata very prominent when seen from above, and its ventral surface nearly straight or very feebly convex in profile
polymorphism greater, minors differs more from media and majors in shape of thorax and petiole polymorphism weaker, minors similar to media and majors in shape of thorax and petiole
head of worker distinctly more triangular, being broader behind, with less convex sides head of worker less triangular, being narrower behind, with more convex sides
eyes distinctly larger eyes distinctly smaller
mandibles shorter mandibles longer
clypeus more nearly subcarinata behind, its anterior border sometimes feebly and sinuately emarginate in the middle clypeus otherwise
pronotum less convex pronotum more convex
integument not as in O. smaragdina integument decideldly more opaque, mandibles somewhat more coarsely striated, always darker and concolorous with posterior portion of head, at least in the large workers and especially in dark varieties
transverse furrow on the second and succeeding gastric segments just behind the anterior border less pronounced transverse furrow more pronounced

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 14.989° to -28.41667°.

   
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Central African Republic, Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal (type locality), Sierra Leone, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania.

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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Biology

There is a webpage with a list of some recent publications about Weaver Ants. You can also read an overview of their biology from the a chapter in The Ants: The Weaver Ants (Hölldobler and Wilson 1990).

Nene et al. 2015 (abstract): Mating in most species of ants occur during nuptial flights. In the African weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda Latreille, mating has previously been hypothesized to take place within the nest before the nuptial flight but no research data has ever been presented to support this. Understanding the mating strategy of O. longinoda is important for its successful application in biological control programs. Here we report on the findings from studies conducted in Tanzania to determine whether mating occur prior to dispersal flight. Winged O. longinoda queens collected at four steps; before taking flight, immediately after leaving the nest, up to 12h after leaving the nest and after settling naturally following the dispersal flights were examined. Mating in captivity with varied number of males and queens was also assessed. Results showed that no eggs hatched from any of the 527 winged queens that were collected prior to their dispersal flights and no mating attempts in captivity lead to viable offspring. Only eggs produced by queens collected after settling naturally (N=65) hatched into larvae. High percentages (88.73) of eggs that hatched were laid by queens that shed wings and laid their eggs within 3 days after nuptial flights. Findings from the current study suggest that mating of O. longinoda queens take place during a nuptial flight and does not take place within the nest, as previously suggested. Time from nuptial flights to shedding of wings and egg laying translates to hatchability of the eggs.

Association with Other Organisms

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  • This species is a host for the encyrtid wasp Anagyrus lopezi (a parasite) (Universal Chalcidoidea Database) (associate).
  • This species is a host for the fungus Akanthomyces gracilis (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).
  • This species is a host for the fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).
  • This species is a host for the fungus Stilbella burmensis (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).
  • This species is a host for the fungus Stilbum burmense (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).

Life History Traits

  • Queen number: monogynous (Holldobler & Wilson, 1977; Frumhoff & Ward, 1992)
  • Queen type: winged (Holldobler & Wilson, 1977; Frumhoff & Ward, 1992) (queenless worker reproduction)
  • Mean colony size: 480,000 (Way, 1954; Holldobler & Wilson, 1978; Beckers et al., 1989)
  • Foraging behaviour: mass recruiter (Way, 1954; Holldobler & Wilson, 1978; Beckers et al., 1989)

Castes

Worker

MCZ ENT Oecophylla longinoda 001 hef 5x.jpgMCZ ENT Oecophylla longinoda 001 hal 1.jpgMCZ ENT Oecophylla longinoda 001 had 1.jpgMCZ ENT Oecophylla longinoda 001 lbs.jpg
. Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Nomenclature

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

  • longinoda. Formica longinoda Latreille, 1802c: 184, pl. 11, fig. 72 (w.) SENEGAL. Emery, 1892d: 564 (q.); Forel, 1913b: 339 (m.). Combination in Oecophylla: Mayr, 1863: 439. Junior synonym of virescens: Smith, F. 1858b: 29. Subspecies of smaragdina: Emery, 1892d: 564; Forel, 1907e: 15; Santschi, 1914b: 128; Santschi, 1919a: 345; Emery, 1925b: 52; Prins, 1965b: 77. Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 176; Emery, 1921c: 102; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 227; Santschi, 1928f: 211; Bolton, 1995b: 298. Senior synonym of brevinodis: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 945. Current subspecies: nominal plus annectens, claridens, fusca, rubriceps, rufescens, taeniata, textor. See also: Gotwald, 1973: 72; Hölldobler & Wilson, 1978: 19.
  • brevinodis. Oecophylla brevinodis André, 1890: 313 (w.) SIERRA LEONE. Santschi, 1919a: 345 (q.). Subspecies of longinoda: Dalla Torre, 1893: 176; of smaragdina: Stitz, 1916: 396. Junior synonym of longinoda: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 945.

Description

Karyotype

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  • n = 12 (Crozier, 1970b).

Worker Morphology

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  • Caste: trimorphic

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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  • Belshaw R., and B. Bolton. 1994. A survey of the leaf litter ant fauna in Ghana, West Africa (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 3: 5-16.
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  • Dejean A., F. Azemar, R. Cereghino, M. Leponce, B. Corbara, J. Orivel, and A. Compin. 2015. The dynamics of ant mosaics in tropical rainforests characterized using the SelfOrganizing Map algorithm. Insect Science doi: 10.1111/1744-7917.12208
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  • Forel A. 1897. Ameisen aus Nossi-Bé, Majunga, Juan de Nova (Madagaskar), den Aldabra-Inseln und Sansibar, gesammelt von Herrn Dr. A. Voeltzkow aus Berlin. Mit einem Anhang über die von Herrn Privatdocenten Dr. A. Brauer in Marburg auf den Seychellen und von Herrn Perrot auf Ste. Marie (Madagaskar) gesammelten Ameisen. Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 21: 185-208.
  • Forel A. 1909. Fourmis du Musée de Bruxelles. Fourmis de Benguela récoltées par M. Creighton Wellman, et fourmis du Congo récoltées par MM. Luja, Kohl et Laurent. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 53: 51-73.
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  • IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
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  • Kouakou L. M. M., W. Dekoninck, M. Kone, T. Delsinne, K. Yeo, K. Ouattara, and S. Konate. 2018. Diversity and distribution of introduced and potentially invasive ant species from the three main ecoregions of Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa). Belgian Journal of Zoology 148 (1): 83–103.
  • Lévieux J. 1972. Les fourmis de la savane de Lamto (Côte d'Ivoire): éléments de taxonomie. Bulletin de l'Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire. Série A. Sciences Naturelles 34: 611-654.
  • Medler J. T. 1980: Insects of Nigeria - Check list and bibliography. Mem. Amer. Ent. Inst. 30: i-vii, 1-919.
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  • Menozzi C. 1942. Formiche dell'isola Fernando Poo e del territorio del Rio Muni (Guinea Spagnola). 24. Beitrag zu den wissenschaftlichen Ergebnissen der Forschungsreise H. Eidmann nach Spanisch-Guinea 1939 bis 1940. Zoologischer Anzeiger 140: 164-182.
  • Newe W. A., G. M. Rwegasira, J. Offenberg, M. Mwatawala, and M. G. Nielsen. 2015. Mating behavior of the African weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda (Latreille) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
  • Samso Fast T., J. Aagard Axelsen, G. Kier Lynegaard, M. Mwatawala, and J. Offenberg. 2015. Search Rate and Functional Response of a Eusocial Insect (Oecophylla longinoda) in a Tanzanian Mango Orchard. Psyche http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/817251
  • Santschi F. 1910. Formicides nouveaux ou peu connus du Congo français. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 78: 349-400.
  • Santschi F. 1914. Formicides de l'Afrique occidentale et australe du voyage de Mr. le Professeur F. Silvestri. Bollettino del Laboratorio di Zoologia Generale e Agraria della Reale Scuola Superiore d'Agricoltura. Portici 8: 309-385.
  • Santschi F. 1919. Cinq notes myrmécologiques. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles 52: 325-350.
  • Santschi F. 1939. Résultats scientifiques des croisières du navire-école belge, "Mercator". XIV. Formicidae s. lt. Mémoires du Musée Royal d'Histoire Naturelle de Belgique. (2)15: 159-167.
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  • Wargui R. B., A. Adandonon, A. Sinzogan, F. M. Anato, J. F. Vayssieres, D. K. Kossou, and J. Offenberg. 2018. Weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) performance in mango and cashew trees under different management regimes. Sociobiology 65(2): 208-214.
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  • Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. II. The ants collected by the American Museum Congo Expedition. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 39-269.
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  • Yeo K., L. M. M. Kouakou, W. Dekoninck, K. Ouattara, and S. Konate. 2016. Detecting intruders: assessment of the anthropophilic ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the city of Abidjan and along access roads in Banco National Park (Côte d’Ivoire). Journal of Entomology and Zoological Studies 4(4): 351-359.
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