Perissomyrmex snyderi

Perissomyrmex snyderi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Perissomyrmex
Species:	P. snyderi
Binomial name
	Perissomyrmex snyderi; Smith, M.R., 1947 Specimen Label

Perissomyrmex is a small genus with five of its six species occurring in Asia. The disjunct Central American range of P. snyderi is the outlier. Longino and Hartley (1995) hypothesized this species has a relictual distribution, i.e., a remainder of what putatively once was a much more widely distributed lineage.

Identification

Ogata and Okito (2007) - Diagnosed by the presence of a subpetiolar process in the workers, the dentition of the anterior margin of the clypeus and the coarse and irregular sculpturation on the head. Shows great variation in worker caste body size, shape of spines, and teeth on the anterior clypeal margin. The degree of the protuberance of the anterior clypeal margin varies but is generally less distinct than Asian Perissomyrmex.

Keys including this Species

Key to Perissomyrmex

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 17.51666667° to 14.4567631°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Guatemala (type locality), Honduras, Mexico.
Oriental Region: Nepal.

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

Longino and Hartley (1995) - Berlese samples of this species were collected by R. S. Anderson from cloud forest leaf-litter in southern Mexico and Guatemala. These consisted of three adjacent samples from the lower slopes of Volcin Tacana, North Union Juarez, 1507’N, 9206’W, Chiapas, Mexico, between 1950 and 2000m elevation. P. S. Ward collected P. snyderi from another Chiapas cloud forest site, also from leaf-litter sampling, at 1713’N, 9258’W, 1700m elevation. That location was described as having a cloud forest with more tropical than temperate elements, with Pinus and Liquidambar in the vicinity but not at the particular collection site of the ants.

Castes

Worker

Longino and Hartley (1995) - Measurements of individuals (n=206) from the Anderson samples (see biology section above) showed that the workers exhibited a diphasic allometry polymorphism with distinctive minor and major worker castes.

Longino and Hartley 1995. Figure 1. Diphasic allometry in Perissomyrmex snyderi as revealed by a log-log plot of head width on Weber’s length, n 205 workers and one queen.

Longino and Hartley 1995. Figure 2. Size frequency distribution of a field sample of Perissomyrmex snyderi. The dots are the observed head width values plotted against the expected values of a standard normal variable. Two line segments of differing slope are evidence of bimodality. Queen head width falls within the range of values for major workers.

Longino and Hartley 1995. Figure 3. Perissomyrmex workers. A. Minor worker, face. B. Minor worker, lateral. C. Major worker, face. D. Major worker, lateral. Scale bars are 0.1mm (A) and 1.0mm (B,C,D). Face views are to same scale, and lateral views are to same scale.

Images from AntWeb


Worker. Specimen code casent0178558. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MCZ, Cambridge, MA, USA.


Worker. Specimen code psw11581-5. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by UCDC, Davis, CA, USA.


Worker. Specimen code casent0172276. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by ANIC, Canberra, Australia.


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Nomenclature

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

snyderi. Perissomyrmex snyderi Smith, M.R. 1947i: 282, figs. 1, 2 (w.) GUATEMALA.
- Type-material: holotype worker, 1 paratype worker.
- Type-locality: Guatemala (no further data); in begonia root from Guatemala, intercepted in quarantine at Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S.A.
- Type-depository: USNM.
- Status as species: Kempf, 1972a: 182; Bolton, 1981b: 283; Bolton, 1995b: 316; Longino & Hartley, 1995: 195 Radchenko, 2003: 18 (in key); Xu & Wang, 2004: 218 (in key); Zhou & Huang, 2006: 193 (in key); Ogata & Okido, 2007: 362 (redescription); Branstetter & Sáenz, 2012: 259.
- Distribution: Guatemala, Mexico.

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

Description

Worker

Ogata and Okido (2007) - TL 3.74-4.94, HL 0.88-1.24, HW 0.88-1.34, CI 100-108, SL 0.82-0.94, SI 73-93, PW 0.56-0.72, ML 0.98-1.20, GL 1.00-1.40, GW 0.80-1.06.

Polymorphic. Labrum with lamellate flange developed at basal part of curvature. Anterior clypeal margin with 3 pairs of projection, the shape and size varying to reduce or fused; basically, the median pair broad and robust, inner lateral pair smaller; outer lateral pair smallest, sometimes reduced or lost; the median notch roundly concave; in some case the median paired teeth fused without median notch in major worker. Propodeal spine straight or slightly curved upward. Subpetiolar process present anteriorly; ventral margin of petiole almost straight in profile; anterior portion of petiole diverging toward midlength of petiole in dorsal view. Sculpture on head and mesosoma irregularly costate. Body color blackish.

References

Bolton, B. 1981b. A revision of six minor genera of Myrmicinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Ethiopian zoogeographical region. Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Entomol. 43: 245-307 (page 283, see also)
Lin, C.-C., Wu, W.-J. 1998. The ant tribe Myrmecinini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Taiwan. Chinese Journal of Entomology 18: 83-100.
Longino, J. T.; Hartley, D. A. 1995 [1994]. Perissomyrmex snyderi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is native to Central America and exhibits worker polymorphism. Psyche. 101:195-202. (page 195, see also)
Ogata K., H. Okido. 2007. Revision of the ant genus Perissomyrmex with notes on the phylogeny of the tribe Myrmecinini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute. 80:352-369.
Smith, M. R. 1947i. A new genus and species of ant from Guatemala (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). J. N. Y. Entomol. Soc. 55: 281-284 (page 282, figs. 1, 2 worker described)
Subedi, I.P., Budha, P.B., Bharti, H., Alonso, L. 2020. An updated checklist of Nepalese ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 1006, 99–136 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.1006.58808).
Xu Z.-H. and Zhang C.-L. 2012. Review of the myrmicine ant genus Perissomyrmex M. R. Smith, 1947 with description of a new species from Tibet, China. Myrmecological News. 17:147-154.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.
Longino, J.T. and D.A. Hartley. 1994. Perissomyrmex snyderi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is native to Central America and exhimits worker polymorphism. Psyche 101:195-202
Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133