Tetraponera penzigi

Tetraponera penzigi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Pseudomyrmecinae
Genus:	Tetraponera
Species group:	allaborans
Species:	T. penzigi
Binomial name
	Tetraponera penzigi; (Mayr, 1907) Specimen Label
Synonyms
	Sima zavattarii Menozzi, 1939; Tetraponera penzigi praestigiatrix Santschi, 1937; Tetraponera scotti Donisthorpe, 1931;

One of four ant species (also Crematogaster mimosae, Crematogaster sjostedti, Crematogaster nigriceps) that live on Vachellia drepanolobium. This small arboreal ant assemblage, nesting in this dominant Africa savanna tree, have been the subject of intensive research by a large group of ecologists studying species interactions and species co-existence.

At a Glance

• Ant-plant specialist

Identification

A member of the Tetraponera allaborans species-group.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -1.28333° to -1.28333°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Botswana, Ethiopia (type locality), Kenya, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania.

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

Tetraponera penzigi workers on the outside of their domatia (swollen thorn of Whistling Thorn acacia). Photo by Dino Martins)

Explore Vachellia drepanolobium

Vachellia drepanolobium, more commonly known as Acacia drepanolobium or whistling thorn, is a swollen-thorn acacia native to East Africa. The whistling thorn grows up to 6 meters tall. It produces a pair of straight spines at each node, some of which have large bulbous bases. These swollen spines are naturally hollow and occupied by any one of several symbiotic ant species. The common name of the plant is derived from the observation that when wind blows over bulbous spines in which ants have made entry and exit holes, they produce a whistling noise.

Symbiosis with ants

Like other acacias, whistling thorns have leaves that contain tannins, which are thought to serve as deterrents to herbivory. Like all African acacias, they are defended by spines. In addition, whistling thorn acacias are myrmecophytes that have formed a mutualistic relationship with some species of ants. In exchange for shelter in the bulbous spines (domatia) and nectar secretions, these ants appear to defend the tree against herbivores, such as elephants and giraffes, as well as herbivorous insects.

At a site in Kenya, three Crematogaster and one Tetraponera ant species compete for exclusive possession of individual whistling thorn trees: Crematogaster mimosae, Crematogaster sjostedti, Crematogaster nigriceps and Tetraponera penzigi (Young et al., 1996; Palmer et al., 2008). Ant species vary in their level of mutualism with whistling thorn trees. The most common ant symbiote (~ 50% of trees), C. mimosae, has the strongest mutualistic relationship, aggressively defending trees from herbivores while relying on swollen-spines for shelter and feeding from nectar produced by glands near the base of leaves.

Because the ants compete for exclusive usage of a given tree, some species employ tactics to reduce the chance of a hostile ant invasion. Crematogaster nigriceps trim the buds of trees to reduce their lateral growth, thereby reducing chances of contact with a neighbouring tree occupied by a rival colony. Tetraponera penzigi, the only species which does not utilise the nectar produced by the trees, instead destroys the nectar glands to make a tree less appealing to other species.

The symbiotic relationship between the trees and the ants appears to be maintained by the effects of browsing by large herbivores. At the site in Kenya, when large herbivores were experimentally excluded, trees reduced the number of nectar glands and swollen spines they provided to ants. In response, the usually dominant C. mimosae increased their tending of parasitic sap-sucking insects as a replacement food source. In addition, the number of C. mimosae-occupied trees declined while twice as many become occupied by C. sjostedti, a much less aggressive defender of trees. Because C. sjostedti benefits from the holes made by boring beetle larvae, this species facilitates parasitism of trees by the beetles. As a result, the mutualistic relationship between whistling thorn trees and resident ants breaks down in the absence of large herbivores, and trees become paradoxically less healthy as a result (Palmer et al., 2008) and become much more vulnerable should herbivores be reintroduced.

References

Palmer, T.M., Stanton, M.L., Young, T.P., Goheen, J.R., Pringle, R.M., Karban, R. 2008. Breakdown of an Ant–Plant Mutualism Follows the Loss of Large Herbivores from an African Savanna. Science 319(5860): 192–195 (doi:10.1126/science.1151579).
Young, T.P., Stubblefield, C.H., Isbell, L.A. 1996. Ants on swollen-thorn acacias: Species coexistence in a simple system. Oecologia 109(1): 98–107 (doi:10.1007/s004420050063).

Castes

Images from AntWeb


Syntype of Tetraponera scotti. Worker. Specimen code casent0902911. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

Queen

Images from AntWeb


Syntype of Tetraponera scotti. Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0902818. Photographer Z. Lieberman, 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.

penzigi. Sima penzigi Mayr, 1907b: 10 (w.q.m.) TANZANIA.
- Combination in S. (Tetraponera): Arnold, 1916: 180.
- Combination in Tetraponera: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 800.
- Senior synonym of praestigiatrix: Ward, 2022: 36.
- Senior synonym of scotti: Ward, 2022: 35.
- Senior synonym of zavattarii: Ward, 2022: 36.
praestigiatrix. Tetraponera penzigi var. praestigiatrix Santschi, 1937a: 50 (q.) TANZANIA.
- Junior synonym of penzigi: Ward, 2022: 36.
scotti. Tetraponera scotti Donisthorpe, 1931b: 498 (w.q.) ETHIOPIA.
- Junior synonym of penzigi: Ward, 2022: 35.
zavattarii. Sima (Tetraponera) zavattarii Menozzi, 1939c: 99, fig. 1 (w.) ETHIOPIA.
- Combination in Tetraponera: Ward, 1990: 489.
- Junior synonym of penzigi: Ward, 2022: 36.

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

Description

References

Arnold, G. 1916. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part II. Ponerinae, Dorylinae. Ann. S. Afr. Mus. 14: 159-270 (page 180, Combination in S. (Tetraponera))
Martins, D.J. 2010. Not all ants are equal: obligate acacia ants provide different levels of protection against mega-herbivores. African Journal of Ecology 48, 1115–1122 (doi:10.1111/j.1365-2028.2010.01226.x).
Mayr, G. 1907b. 2. Formicidae. Pp. 7-24 in: Sjöstedt, Y. 1907-1910. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Schwedischen Zoologischen Expedition nach dem Kilimandjaro, dem Meru und umgebenden Massaisteppen Deutsch-Ostafrikas 1905-1906. 2. Band, Abt. 8. Stockho (page 10, worker, queen, male described)
Sensenig, R. L., D. K. Kimuyu, J. C. Ruiz Guajardo, K. E. Veblen, C. Riginos, and T. P. Young. 2017. Fire disturbance disrupts an acacia ant–plant mutualism in favor of a subordinate ant species. Ecology. 98:1455-1464. doi:10.1002/ecy.1797
Ward, P. S. 2006. The ant genus Tetraponera in the Afrotropical region: synopsis of species groups and revision of the T. ambigua-group. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecologische Nachrichten. 8:119-130.
Ward, P. S. 2022. The ant genus Tetraponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Afrotropical region: taxonomic review and key to species. Zootaxa 5102 (1):1-70 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5102.1.1).
Ward, P.S., Downie, D.A. 2005. The ant subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): phylogeny and evolution of big-eyed arboreal ants. Systematic Entomology 30:310-335 (doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2004.00281.x).
Wheeler, W. M. 1922j. 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. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 45: 711-1004 (page 800, Combination in Tetraponera)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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
IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
Medler J. T. 1980: Insects of Nigeria - Check list and bibliography. Mem. Amer. Ent. Inst. 30: i-vii, 1-919.
Menozzi C. 1939. Hymenoptera Formicidae. Missione Biologica nel Paese dei Borana. 3: 97-110.
Stanton, M.L., T.M. Palmer and T.P. Young. 2002. Competition-Colonization Trade-Offs in a Guild of African Acacia-Ants. Ecological Monographs 72(3):347-363
Stanton, M.L., T.M. Palmer and T.P. Young. 2005. Ecological barriers to early colony establishment in three coexisting acacia-ant species in Kenya. Insectes Sociaux 52:393-401
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