Rossomyrmex minuchae

Rossomyrmex minuchae
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Formicini
Genus:	Rossomyrmex
Species:	R. minuchae
Binomial name
Rossomyrmex minuchae Tinaut, 1981

At a Glance

• Dulotic

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 37.246944° to 37.118611°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Iberian Peninsula, Spain (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

R. minuchae is an obligate slave-making ant that enslaves workers of Proformica longiseta (Ruano & Tinaut, 1999; D'Ettorre & Heinze, 2001; Errard et al., 2006; Ruano et al., 2013; de la Mora et al., 2021). Both species are endemic to the high mountains of southern Spain, but while P. longiseta is common, R. minuchae is rare and with limited distribution (Ruano & Tinaut, 1999).

Behavioural observations and limited nest excavations revealed that sexuals are not produced every year, the number of sexuals is low, and the sex ratio tends to be female biased (Ruano & Tinaut 2005). Queens typically exhibit two distinct activity periods. First, the mating period takes place in early afternoon: queens “call” near the natal nest, mate and then re-enter their nest. Second, the dispersal period takes place in late afternoon: the mated queens exit their nest and fly in search of a new, non-parasitized Proformica longiseta host nest.

Nomenclature

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

• minuchae. Rossomyrmex minuchae Tinaut, 1981: 195, figs. 1-3 (w.q.) SPAIN. Tinaut, Ruano & Fernandez Escudero, 1995: 348 (m.).

References

• Baer, B. 2011. The copulation biology of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 14: 55-68.
• Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
• Borowiec, M.L., Cover, S.P., Rabeling, C. 2021. The evolution of social parasitism in Formica ants revealed by a global phylogeny. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118, e2026029118 (doi:10.1073/pnas.2026029118).
• Cantone S. 2017. Winged Ants, The Male, Dichotomous key to genera of winged male ants in the World, Behavioral ecology of mating flight (self-published).
• Cantone S. 2018. Winged Ants, The queen. Dichotomous key to genera of winged female ants in the World. The Wings of Ants: morphological and systematic relationships (self-published).
• de la Mora, A., Sankovitz, M., Purcell, J. 2020. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as host and intruder: recent advances and future directions in the study of exploitative strategies. Myrmecological News 30: 53-71 (doi:10.25849/MYRMECOL.NEWS_030:053).
• D'Ettorre, P., Heinze, J. 2001. Sociobiology of slave-making ants. Acta ethologica 3, 67–82 (doi:10.1007/s102110100038).
• Lenoir, A., P. D’Ettorre, P., Errard, C., Hefetz, A. 2001. Chemical ecology and social parasitism in ants. Annual Review of Entomology 46: 573–599.
• Ruano F, Tinaut, A. 1981. Mating behaviour in a slave-making ant, Rossomyrmex minuchae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Naturwissenschaften 92: 328–331
• Ruano, F., Devers, S., Sanllorente, O., Errard, C., Tinaut, A., Lenoir, A. 2011. A geographical mosaic of coevolution in a slave-making host-parasite system. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 24, 1071–1079 (doi:10.1111/J.1420-9101.2011.02238.X).
• Ruano, F., Hefetz, A., Lenoir, A., Francke, W., Tinaut, A. 2005. Dufour's gland secretion as a repellent used during usurpation by the slave-maker ant Rossomyrmex minuchae. Journal of Insect Physiology 51, 1158–1164 (doi:10.1016/j.jinsphys.2005.06.005).
• Ruano, F., Sanllorente, O., Lenoir, A., Tinaut, A. 2013. Rossomyrmex, the slave-maker ants from the arid steppe environments. Psyche: A Journal of Entomology 2013, 1–7 (doi:10.1155/2013/541804).
• Ruano, F., Tinaut, A., Soler, J.J. 2000. High surface temperatures select for individual foraging in ants. Behavioral Ecology 11, 396-404.
• Tinaut, A. 1981 [1980]. Rossomyrmex minuchae nov. sp. (Hym. Formicidae) encontrada en Sierra Nevada, España. Bol. Asoc. Esp. Entomol. 4: 195-203 (page 195, figs. 1-3 worker, queen described)
• Tinaut, A., Ruano, F. 2021. Biogeography of Iberian ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Diversity 13, 88. (doi:10.3390/d13020088).
• Tinaut, A.; Ruano, F.; Fernandez Escudero, I. 1995 [1994]. Descripción del macho del género Rossomyrmex Arnoldi, 1928 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Nouv. Rev. Entomol. (n.s.) 11: 347-351 (page 348, male described)
• Zamora-Munoz, C., Ruano, F., Errard, C., Lenoir, A., Hefetz, A., Tinaut, A. 2003. Coevolution in the slave-parasite system Proformica longiseta-Rossomyrmex minuchae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology 42:299-317.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Errard C., F. Ruano, F. J. Richard, A. Lenoir, A. Tinaut, and A. Hefetz. 2006. Co-evolution-driven cuticular hydrocarbon variation between the slave-making ant Rossomyrmex minuchae and its host Proformica longiseta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Chemoecology 16: 235–240.
• Ruano F., O. Sanllorente, A. Lenoir, and A. Tinaut. 2013. Rossomyrmex, the slave-maker ants from the arid steppe environments. Psyche Article ID 541804, 7 pages.
• Sanllorente O., P. Lorite, F. Ruano, T. Palomeque, and A. Tinaut. 2017. Phylogenetic relationships between the slave-making ants Rossomyrmex and their Proformica hosts in relation to other genera of the ant tribe Formicini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J Zool Syst Evol Res. 1–13.
• Tinaut A. 2016. Ants of the Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Mountains Natural Park (Andalusia, Spain) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Boln. Asoc. esp. Ent., 40 (1-2): 125-159.