Strongylognathus afer

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Strongylognathus afer
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Strongylognathus
Species: S. afer
Binomial name
Strongylognathus afer
Emery, 1884

Strongylognathus afer casent0280847 p 1 high.jpg

Strongylognathus afer casent0280847 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms
At a Glance • Dulotic  

Identification

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 37.378889° to 31.216667°.

   
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Algeria (type locality), Morocco, Tunisia.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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.
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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.
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Biology

This species is a dulotic parasite, but its host is unknown.

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Strongylognathus afer casent0904863 p 1 high.jpgStrongylognathus afer casent0904863 h 1 high.jpgStrongylognathus afer casent0904863 d 1 high.jpgStrongylognathus afer casent0904863 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Strongylognathus huberi foreli. Worker. Specimen code casent0904863. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.
Strongylognathus afer casent0904868 l 1 high.jpgStrongylognathus afer casent0904868 h 1 high.jpgStrongylognathus afer casent0904868 p 1 high.jpgStrongylognathus afer casent0904868 d 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Strongylognathus afer. Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0904868. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.

Nomenclature

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

  • afer. Strongylognathus afer Emery, 1884a: 380 (footnote) (q.) ALGERIA.
    • Type-material: holotype queen.
    • Type-locality: Algeria: Daya (Bedel).
    • Type-depository: MSNG.
    • Forel, 1900e: 279 (w.); Santschi, 1910d: 71 (m.).
    • Subspecies of huberi: Medina, 1889: 31; Dalla Torre, 1893: 130; Forel, 1900e: 279 (in key).
    • Junior synonym of caeciliae: Collingwood, 1978: 70.
    • Status as species: Emery, 1909d: 711; Wheeler, W.M. 1909g: 186; Santschi, 1910d: 71; Kutter, 1923: 337; Emery, 1924d: 285; Donisthorpe, 1936c: 114 (in list); Ceballos, 1956: 307; Kutter, 1968b: 205; Cagniant, 1970a: 430; Bolton, 1976: 306; Bolton, 1995b: 395; Cagniant, 2006a: 196; Sanetra & Güsten, 2001: 4 (redescription); Borowiec, L. 2014: 162.
    • Senior synonym of foreli: Kutter, 1968b: 205; Sanetra & Güsten, 2001: 4.
    • Distribution: Algeria, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia..
  • foreli. Strongylognathus huberi subsp. foreli Emery, 1924d: 286.
    • Type-material: holotype (?) worker.
    • [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
    • Type-locality: Algeria: “Ost-Algerien” (no further data).
    • Type-depository: MSNG.
    • [First available use of Strongylognathus huberi subsp. huberi var. foreli Emery, 1909d: 709 (w.) ALGERIA; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
    • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Wheeler, W.M. 1909g: 186.
    • Subspecies of huberi: Kutter, 1923: 388; Emery, 1924d: 286; Donisthorpe, 1936c: 114 (in list).
    • Status as species: Bolton, 1976: 308; Bolton, 1995b: 395.
    • Junior synonym of afer: Kutter, 1968b: 205; Sanetra & Güsten, 2001: 4.

Description

Female. Notably smaller than other species of the S. huberi group execpt S. caeciliae Forel, 1897 and S. minutus Radchenko, 1991. Head considerably smaller than in worker, mesosoma only slightly longer; female/worker thorax volume ratio (see Stille 1996) 2.1-2.2 as measured for samples from Nefza, J. Gora’a and Le Kef. Head nearly as wide as long, widest at eye level or somewhat posteriorly (eyes excluded) but lateral margin only very slightly convex (Fig. 1). Occipital corners rather rounded and posterior margin weakly concave. Scape when directed backwards fails to reach occipital margin by about 1½ times its greatest width. Eyes situated medially on head sides, somewhat bulging (greatest diameter 0.180-0.190mm). Head surface generally smooth and shining medially, almost without any sculpture in some specimens but shallow longitudinally striate over most of the surface in others. Lateral parts always longitudinally rugose with some anastomosing, posteriorly converging archedly to lateral ocelli. Pronotal corners rather angular, well visible from above. Propodeal teeth developed as short acute denticles, sometimes nearly absent. Mesoscutum with distinct longitudinal rugosity and weak microsculpture except for anterior central and posterior lateral portions, which are smooth and shiny, as are scutellum and metanotum except on their outermost parts (Fig. 2). Propodeum and often also lateral parts of mesosoma with well developed punctate-reticulate microsculpture and some rugae, especially around the pronotal corners. Petiolar nodes as in Fig. 3, surface largely covered with distinct microsculpture as on propodeum, weak to absent only around center of petiolus; rugosity scarce and indistinct if present at all. Body color dark blackish brown in fresh specimens, first gastral tergite and especially appendages lighter.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
  • Cagniant, H. "Liste actualisee des fourmis du Maroc (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8 (2006): 193-200.
  • Cagniant, H. Les peuplements de fourmis des forêts algériennes: écologie, biocénotique, essai biologique. Universite de Toulouse, 1973.
  • Forel A. 1900. Fourmis du Japon. Nids en toile. Strongylognathus Huberi et voisins. Fourmilière triple. Cyphomymrex Wheeleri. Fourmis importées. Mitt. Schweiz. Entomol. Ges. 10: 267-287.
  • IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
  • Sanetra, M., and R. Güsten. "The socially parasitic ant genus Strongylognathus Mayr in North Africa (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Zootaxa 20 (2001): 1-20.
  • Santschi, F. "Nouvelles fourmis de Tunisie (suite). [part b]." Bulletin de la Société d' Histoire naturelle de l' Afrique du Nord 1 (1910): 70-72.
  • Santschi, F. 1910. Nouvelles fourmis de Tunisie (suite). Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de l'Afrique du Nord 1: 70-72
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