Poneracantha bispinosa

Poneracantha bispinosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ectatomminae
Tribe:	Ectatommini
Genus:	Poneracantha
Species:	P. bispinosa
Binomial name
Poneracantha bispinosa (Emery, 1890) Specimen Label

Along with Poneracantha perspicax, Poneracantha bispinosa represents a highly specialized form in one lineage of millipede hunters. (Lattke 1995)

Identification

A member of the bispinosa complex (in the rastrata subgroup of the rastrata species group). Eyes subglobulose, scapes long and surpassing vertexal margin; mandibles edentate. Promesonotal suture breaks sculpture dorsally but not laterally; mesometanotal suture deep and broad. Head, mesosoma and postpetiole rugose; ferruginous. (Lattke 1995)

Keys including this Species

• Key to New World Gnamptogenys workers

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 10.59427° to 1.874065°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Colombia, Costa Rica (type locality), Panama.

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

Lattke (1995) - This wet forest species is a millipede specialist. J. Longino (pers. comm.) observed the following two raids from the same colony, both at 11:00 AM: "A column of 20 workers was moving along a liana on the forest floor. They left the liana and moved very slowly across the leaf litter, frequently bunching up. They all went under a leaf and then agitated ants could be seen coming out from under the lea f, 2 or 3 ants at a time, cleaning their antennae and mandibles. I removed the leaf to find the ants attacking a millipede. Some were stinging and some were pulling on the legs. The distance from the first sighting to the prey was 6 m. I followed a returning worker as far as I could into a tree fall tangle, 10 m from prey." The second attack involved 46 workers tackling a 6 cm long millipede within a rotten log. Once the millipede was subdued they carried it back to the nest.

Two millipedes taken from the nest by Longino were determined by R.L. Hoffman as Trichomorpha sp. (Polydesmida: Chelodesmidae), and Epinannolene sp. (Spirostreptida: Epinannolenidae).

Brown & Fenner (1998) report this species being raided by the army ant Eciton vagans at La Selva, Costa Rica.

Morphology

The anterior clypeal setae are more developed than in any other of the rastrata group species and an interesting autapomorphy is a brief anteromedian longitudinal sulcus on the clypeus. (Lattke 1995)

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 phorid fly Apocephalus asyndetus (a parasite) in Costa Rica (phorid.net; Brown & Fenner, 1998) (attacked).
• This species is a host for the phorid fly Apocephalus sp. 21 (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).

Nomenclature

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

• bispinosa. Ectatomma (Holcoponera) bispinosum Emery, 1890b: 40 (w.) COSTA RICA.
  • Type-material: holotype worker.
  • Type-locality: Costa Rica: Jiménez, 1889 (A. Alfaro).
  • Type-depository: MSNG.
  • [Also described as new by Emery, 1894k: 47.]
  • Brown, 1958g: 301 (m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1952a: 133 (l.).
  • Combination in E. (Ectatomma): Emery, 1896g: 37;
  • combination in E. (Poneracantha): Emery, 1897d: 547;
  • combination in Gnamptogenys: Brown, 1958g: 227;
  • combination in Poneracantha: Camacho, Franco, Branstetter, et al. 2022: 11.
  • Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 23; Forel, 1899c: 6; Emery, 1911d: 44; Brown, 1958g: 227, 301; Kempf, 1972a: 112; Bolton, 1995b: 208; Lattke, 1995: 159; Lattke, et al. 2004: 342; Lattke, et al. 2007: 263 (in key); Lattke, et al. 2008: 81; Feitosa & Prada-Achiardi, 2019: 671; Camacho, et al. 2020: 461 (in key); Camacho, Franco, Branstetter, et al. 2022: 11.
  • Distribution: Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama.

References

• Brown, B.V., Fenner, D.H. 1998. Parasitic phorid flies (Diptera: Phoridae) associated with army ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ecitoninae, Dorylinae) and their conservation biology. Biotropica 30: 482-487.
• Brown, W. L., Jr. 1958g. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. II. Tribe Ectatommini (Hymenoptera). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 118: 173-362 (page 227, Combination in Gnamptogenys, page 301, see also)
• Camacho, G.P., Franco, W., Branstetter, M.G., Pie, M.R., Longino, J.T., Schultz, T.R., Feitosa, R.M. 2022. UCE phylogenomics resolves major relationships among Ectaheteromorph ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ectatomminae, Heteroponerinae): A new classification for the subfamilies and the description of a new genus. Insect Systematics and Diversity 6(1): 5; 1–20 (doi:10.1093/isd/ixab026).
• Emery, C. 1890c. Studii sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 22: 38-80 (page 40, worker described)
• Emery, C. 1894l. Estudios sobre las hormigas de Costa Rica. An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica 1888- 1889: 45-64 (page 47, also described as new)
• Emery, C. 1896g. Studi sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. XVII-XXV. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 28: 33-107 (page 37, Combination in E. (Ectatomma)
• Emery, C. 1897d. Viaggio di Lamberto Loria nella Papuasia orientale. XVIII. Formiche raccolte nella Nuova Guinea dal Dott. Lamberto Loria. [part]. Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. 38[=(2(18): 546-576 (page 547, Combination in E. (Poneracantha))
• Lattke, J. E. 1995. Revision of the ant genus Gnamptogenys in the New World (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. Hym. Res. 4: 137-193 (page 158, see also)
• Lattke, J.E., Fernández, F. & Palacio, E.E. 2007. Identification of the species of Gnamptogenys Roger in the Americas (pp. 254-270). In Snelling, R.R., Fisher, B.L. & Ward, P.S. (eds). Advances in ant systematics: homage to E.O. Wilson – 50 years of contributions. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 80: 690 pp.
• Wheeler, G. C.; Wheeler, J. 1952a. The ant larvae of the subfamily Ponerinae - Part I. Am. Midl. Nat. 48: 111-144 (page 133, larva described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Amat-G G., M. G. Andrade-C. and F. Fernández. (eds.) 1999. Insectos de Colombia. Volumen II. Bogotá: Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 433 pp. 131975
• Brown W. L., Jr. 1958. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. II. Tribe Ectatommini (Hymenoptera). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 118: 173-362.
• Emery C. 1890. Studii sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 22: 38-8
• Emery C. 1911. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum 118: 1-125.
• Fernández F., and E. E. Palacio. 1995. Hormigas de Colombia IV: nuevos registros de géneros y especies. Caldasia 17: 587-596.
• Fernández F., and T. M. Arias-Penna. 2008. Las hormigas cazadoras en la región Neotropical. Pp. 3-39 in: Jiménez, E.; Fernández, F.; Arias, T.M.; Lozano-Zambrano, F. H. (eds.) 2008. Sistemática, biogeografía y conservación de las hormigas cazadoras de Colombia. Bogotá: Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, xiv + 609 pp.
• Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
• INBio Collection (via Gbif)
• Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
• Kugler C. 1991. Stings of ants of the tribe Ectatommini (Formicidae: Ponerinae). Insecta Mundi 5: 153-166.
• Lattke J. E., F. Fernández, E. E. Palacio. 2004. Una nueva especie de Gnamptogenys (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) y comentarios sobre las especies del género en Colombia y Ecuador. Iheringia. Série Zoologia 94: 341-349.
• Lattke J. E., F. Fernández, T. M. Arias-Penna, E. E. Palacio, W. Mackay, and E. MacKay. 2008. Género Gnamptogenys Roger. Pp. 66-100 in: Jiménez, E.; Fernández, F.; Arias, T.M.; Lozano-Zambrano, F. H. (eds.) 2008. Sistemática, biogeografía y conservación de las hormigas cazadoras de Colombia. Bogotá: Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, xiv + 609 pp.
• Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/