Ophthalmopone hottentota

Ophthalmopone hottentota
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ponerinae
Tribe:	Ponerini
Genus:	Ophthalmopone
Species:	O. hottentota
Binomial name
Ophthalmopone hottentota (Emery, 1886) Specimen labels
Synonyms
Ophthalmopone lanceolata Mayr, 1895

At a Glance

• Gamergate

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -24.13333° to -33.98333°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: South Africa (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

Termite specialists, individual foraging

Castes

The queen caste is absent, and instead gamergates (mated, egg-laying workers) reproduce (Peeters & Crewe 1985).

.

Nomenclature

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

• hottentota. Pachycondyla hottentota Emery, 1886: 360 (w.) SOUTH AFRICA. Arnold, 1915: 52 (m.). Combination in Ophthalmopone: Emery, 1902c: 30; in Pachycondyla: Brown, in Bolton, 1995b: 306; in Ophthalmopone: Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014: 124. Senior synonym of lanceolata: Emery, 1902c: 30.
• lanceolata. Ophthalmopone lanceolata Mayr, 1895: 125 (w.) SOUTH AFRICA. Junior synonym of hottentota: Emery, 1902c: 30.

References

• Arnold, G. 1915. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part I. Ponerinae, Dorylinae. Ann. S. Afr. Mus. 14: 1-159 (page 52, male described)
• Brown, W. L., Jr. 1995a. [Untitled. Taxonomic changes in Pachycondyla attributed to Brown.] Pp. 302-311 in: Bolton, B. A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 504 pp. (page 306, Combination in Pachycondyla)
• Dean, W.R.J. 1989. Foraging and forager-recruitment in Ophthalmopone hottentota Emery Hymenoptera Formicidae. Psyche (Camb.) 96 (1–2): 123–130.
• Emery, C. 1886b. Alcune formiche africane. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 18: 355-366 (page 360, worker described)
• Emery, C. 1902c. Note mirmecologiche. Rend. Sess. R. Accad. Sci. Ist. Bologna (n.s.) 6: 22-34 (page 30, Combination in Ophthalmopone, Senior synonym of lanceolata)
• Peeters, C. & Crewe, R. 1985. Queenlessness and reproductive differentiation in Ophthalmopone hottentota. South African J. Zoology 20: 268.
• Schmidt, C.A. & Shattuck, S.O. 2014. The higher classification of the ant subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a review of ponerine ecology and behavior. Zootaxa 3817, 1–242 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3817.1.1).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Arnold G. 1915. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part I. Ponerinae, Dorylinae. Annals of the South African Museum 14: 1-159.
• Emery C. 1886. Alcune formiche africane. Bullettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 18: 355-366.
• IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection