Myrmicaria opaciventris

Myrmicaria opaciventris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Solenopsidini
Genus:	Myrmicaria
Species:	M. opaciventris
Binomial name
Myrmicaria opaciventris Emery, 1893 Specimen Labels
Subspecies
Myrmicaria opaciventris congolensis Forel, 1909 Myrmicaria opaciventris crucheti Santschi, 1925 Myrmicaria opaciventris mesonotalis Santschi, 1925 Myrmicaria opaciventris obscuripes Santschi, 1937

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 4.49° to -12.55°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Angola (type locality), Cameroun, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda.

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

This species was observed in southern Cameroon tending extrafloral nectaries, sometimes in the presence of other co-occuring ant species.

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 encyrtid wasp Ooencyrtus sp. (a parasite) (Universal Chalcidoidea Database) (associate).
• This species is a associate (details unknown) for the encyrtid wasp Ooencrytus sp. (a associate (details unknown)) (Quevillon, 2018).
• This species is a mutualist for the psyllid Diaphorina enderleini (a trophobiont) in Cameroon, Ethiopia (Aléné et al., 2011).

Aléné et al. (2011) observed a very unusual behaviour between the psyllid Diaphorina enderleini and Pheidole megacephala and Crematogaster striatula. While female psyllids are laying eggs on the lower leaf surface, workers of P. megacephala quickly pile up detritus combined with soil around and partly above the psyllids, resulting in a shelter-like structure. Those of C. striatula build carton shelters. During this procedure the adult female psyllids hardly move away from their eggs and larvae. The psyllid larvae are arranged in tight rows along the leaf veins, especially the principal one, and sometimes at the base of very young branches. The larvae are mostly sedentary and only move, slowly and steadily, when disturbed. They do not produce wax, as can be expected from the almost complete lack of the circumanal ring. Females and larvae excrete large drops of honeydew, which are immediately recovered by ants. In Camponotus acvapimensis and Myrmicaria opaciventris the workers did not build any structure around the psyllids but they were observed taking honeydew from them.

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Syntype of Myrmicaria opaciventris. Worker. Specimen code casent0904466. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.

Male

Images from AntWeb

Male (alate). Specimen code casent0900502. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

Nomenclature

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

• opaciventris. Myrmicaria opaciventris Emery, 1893e: 221, pl. 8, figs. 15, 16 (w.q.m.) ANGOLA. Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1953d: 187 (l.). Subspecies of eumenoides: Forel, 1911f: 276; Stitz, 1916: 393; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 148; of natalensis: Emery, 1922e: 123. Revived status as species: Santschi, 1925c: 148. Current subspecies: nominal plus congolensis, crucheti, mesonotalis, obscuripes.

References

• Aléné, D.C., Djiéto-Lordon, C., Burckhardt, D. 2011. Unusual behaviour — unusual morphology: Mutualistic relationships between ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Diaphorina enderleini (Hemiptera: Psylloidea), associated with Vernonia amygdalina (Asteraceae). African Invertebrates 52, 353–361 (doi:10.5733/afin.052.0210).
• Baer, B. 2011. The copulation biology of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 14: 55-68.
• 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).
• Del Toro, I., Robbons, R.R., Pelini, S.L. 2012. The little things that run the world revisited: a review of ant-mediated ecosystem services and disservices (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 17: 133-146.
• Emery, C. 1893g. Formicides de l'Archipel Malais. Rev. Suisse Zool. 1: 187-229 (page 221, pl. 8, figs. 15, 16 worker, queen, male described)
• Emery, C. 1922c. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Myrmicinae. [part]. Genera Insectorum 174B: 95-206 (page 123, Variety/subspecies of natalensis)
• Forel, A. 1911g. Die Ameisen des K. Zoologischen Museums in München. Sitzungsber. Math.-Phys. Kl. K. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. Münch. 11: 249-303 (page 276, Variety/subspecies of eumenoides)
• Fotso, A. K., R. Hanna, M. Tindo, A. Doumtsop, and P. Nagel. 2015. How plants and honeydew-producing hemipterans affect ant species richness and structure in a tropical forest zone. Insectes Sociaux. 62:443-453. doi:10.1007/s00040-015-0423-5
• Fournier, D., Tindo, M., Kenne, M., Mbenoun Masse, P.S., Van Bossche, V., De Coninck, E., Aron, S. 2012. Genetic structure, nestmate recognition and behaviour of two cryptic species of the invasive Big-Headed Ant Pheidole megacephala. PLoS ONE 7(2): e31480 (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031480).
• Gathalkar, G.B., Barsagade, D.D. 2018. Cephalic microstructure and its role in predation biology of Myrmicaria brunnea on Antheraea mylitta. Journal of Applied Biology, Biotechnology 6: 1-6 (doi:10.7324/jabb.2017.60101).
• Mbenoun Masse, P.S., Ebolo, G.L.M., Titti, G.E., Mony, R. 2021. Ant species richness, abundance and functional groups along an elevation gradient in Central Cameroon. Biodiversity Journal 12(1): 179-194 (doi:10.31396/biodiv.jour.2021.12.1.179.194).
• Meurville, M.-P., LeBoeuf, A.C. 2021. Trophallaxis: the functions and evolution of social fluid exchange in ant colonies (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 31: 1-30 (doi:10.25849/MYRMECOL.NEWS_031:001).
• Nsengimana, V., Hagenimana, T., Barakagwira, J., de Dieu Nsenganeza, J., Iradukunda, S. C., Majyambere, M., Kizungu, O. B., Nkundimana, A., Umutoni, D., Fabrice, R., Cyubahiro, B., Kouakou, L. M., Kolo, Y., Anale, J. S., Gómez, K., Dekoninck, W. 2023. Checklist of ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species from Nyungwe Tropical Rain Forest, south-western Rwanda. Journal of East African Natural History 111(2), 69-81 (doi:10.2982/028.111.0203).
• Santschi, F. 1925c [1924]. Révision des Myrmicaria d'Afrique. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 64: 133-176 (page 148, Revived status as species)
• Scupola, A. 2019. New ant species of Myrmicaria Saunders, 1842 (Hymenoptera Formicidae) from Senegal, a second species with subpetiolar process in this genus. Biodiversity Journal 10(4): 601–607 (doi:10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2019.10.4.601.607).
• Stitz, H. 1916. Formiciden. Ergeb. Zweiten Dtsch. Zent.-Afr. Exped. 1: 369-405 (page 393, Variety/subspecies of eumenoides)
• Suzzoni, J. P.; Kenne, M.; Dejean, A. 1994. The ecology and distribution of Myrmicaria opaciventris. Pp. 133-150 in: Williams, D. F. (ed.) Exotic ants. Biology, impact, and control of introduced species. Boulder: Westview Press, xvii + 332 pp. (page 133, see also)
• Wheeler, G. C.; Wheeler, J. 1953d. The ant larvae of the myrmicine tribes Melissotarsini, Metaponini, Myrmicariini, and Cardiocondylini. J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 43: 185-189 (page 187, larva described)
• Wheeler, W. M. 1922b. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. II. The ants collected by the American Museum Congo Expedition. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 45: 39-269 (page 148, Variety/subspecies of eumenoides)
• Zéphirin, T., Leila, B.B., Chantal, A.D., Champlain, D.-L. 2019. Recruitment Rate of Nestmate in Six Tropical Arboreal Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Insect Behavior 32, 252–266 (doi:10.1007/s10905-019-09731-y).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• 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
• Diame L., B. Taylor, R. Blatrix, J. F. Vayssieres, J. Y. Rey, I. Grechi, and K. Diarra. 2017. A preliminary checklist of the ant (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) fauna of Senegal. Journal of Insect Biodiversity 5(15): 1-16.
• Emery C. 1893. Formicides de l'Archipel Malais. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 1: 187-229.
• Emery, C. "Voyage de MM. Bedot et Pictet dans l'Archipel Malais. Formicides de l'Archipel Malais." Revue Suisse de Zoologie 1 (1893): 187-229.
• 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.
• Forel A. 1911. Fourmis d'Afrique et d'Asie. I. Fourmis d'Afrique surtout du Musée du Congo Belge. Rev. Zool. Afr. (Bruss.) 1: 274-283.
• Garcia F.H., Wiesel E. and Fischer G. 2013.The Ants of Kenya (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)—Faunal Overview, First Species Checklist, Bibliography, Accounts for All Genera, and Discussion on Taxonomy and Zoogeography. Journal of East African Natural History, 101(2): 127-222
• Hita Garcia, F., G. Fischer, M.K. Peters, R.R. Snelling and H.W. Wagele. 2009. A preliminary checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Kakamega Forest (Kenya). Journal of East African Natural HIstory 98(2): 147-165.
• Nsengimana V., K. A. Beth, F. Frederic, K. M. M. Lombart, D. Wouter, and N. Donat. 2018. Use of soil and litter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as biological indicators of soil quality under different land uses in Southern Rwanda. Environmental Entomology 47(6): 1394-1401.
• Ross S. R. P. J., F. Hita Garcia, G. Fischer, and M. K. Peters. 2018. Selective logging intensity in an East African rain forest predicts reductions in ant diversity. Biotropica 1-11.
• Santschi F. 1910. Formicides nouveaux ou peu connus du Congo français. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 78: 349-400.
• Santschi F. 1925. Révision des Myrmicaria d'Afrique. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique. 64: 133-176.
• Stitz H. 1916. Formiciden. Ergebnisse der Zweiten Deutschen Zentral-Afrika Expedition 1: 369-405.
• Tadu Z., C. Djieto-Lordon, R. Babin, Yede, E. B. Messop-Youbi, and A. Fomena. 2013. Influence of insecticide treatment on ant diversity in tropical agroforestry system: some aspect of the recolonization process. International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation 5(12): 832-844.
• 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.
• Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VIII. A synonymic list of the ants of the Ethiopian region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 711-1004