Zasphinctus steinheili

Zasphinctus steinheili
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dorylinae
Genus:	Zasphinctus
Species:	Z. steinheili
Binomial name
	Zasphinctus steinheili; (Forel, 1900) Specimen labels
Synonyms
	Eusphinctus fulvipes Clark, 1934; Eusphinctus hirsutus Clark, 1929; Sphinctomyrmex fallax Forel, 1900; Sphinctomyrmex fallax hedwigae Forel, 1910;

At a Glance

• Ergatoid queen

Brown (1975) - A raid of Zasphinctus steinheili observed by me in Victoria, Australia (Wilson, 1958: 136) was waged against a small Stigmacros (Formicinae) species during the afternoon the Zasphinctus ran over bare soil, but took advantage of cracks in the earth where they could. The Stigmacros workers were seen' scattering and hiding on pieces of eucalypt bark and dead leaves lying on the ground, often carrying their own larvae. Their behavior recalled that of Formica fusca- or pallidefulva group species raided by F. sanguinea-group slavemakers in the Northern Hemisphere, and may imply the use of “propaganda” allomones such as those sprayed by the slavemakers to spread panic in the slave Formica colonies they are attacking (Wilson and Regnier, 1971).

Identification

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -16.52° to -42.93333333°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (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.

Elevation Range

Occurrence at collecting sites during elevational surveys of rainforest in the Eungella region, Queensland, Australia (Burwell et al., 2020).
Species	Elevation (m asl)
Species	200	400	600	800	1000	1200
?Zasphinctus steinheili			10-20	20-30		30-40
Shading indicates the bands of elevation where species was recorded. Numbers are the percentage of total samples containing this species.

Biology

Life History Traits

Queen number: polygynous (Buschnger et al., 1989; Mizuno et al., 2021) (9-20 queens)
Queen type: ergatoid (Buschnger et al., 1989; Mizuno et al., 2021)
Mean colony size: 80-400 (Buschnger et al., 1989; Mizuno et al., 2021)

Castes

A total of 20 ergatoid queens from 3 colonies were dissected mostly soon after collecting, during an egg-laying period (Buschinger et al. 1989). Sixteen females were all mated and fully fertile, having long ovarioles (when straightened out, as long as both gaster and petiole) with developing as well as mature oocytes. Presence of "yellow bodies" in most of the ovarioles indicated previous egg-laying. Colonies are thus polygynous.

Images from AntWeb


Worker. Specimen code casent0173064. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MCZ, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

steinheili. Sphinctomyrmex (Eusphinctus) steinheili Forel, 1900b: 72 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Queensland).
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
- [Note: Clark, 1925a: 62, implies that at least one ergatoid queen is present in the type-series.]
- Type-locality: Australia: Queensland, Mackay (Turner).
- Type-depositories: ANIC, MHNG.
- Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 225 (w.l.); Wheeler, G.C. 1950: 104 (l.); Imai, Crozier & Taylor, 1977: 348 (k.).
- Combination in Eusphinctus (Eusphinctus): Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 225;
- combination in Sphinctomyrmex: Brown, 1975: 33;
- combination in Zasphinctus: Borowiec, M.L. 2016: 243.
- Status as species: Emery, 1911d: 7; Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 225 (redescription); Clark, 1925a: 62; Wilson, 1958c: 136; Brown, 1975: 33, 79; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 51; Taylor, 1987a: 73; Buschinger, Peeters & Crozier, 1990: 287; Bolton, 1995b: 392.
- Senior synonym of fallax: Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 225; Clark, 1925a: 62; Brown, 1975: 33; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 51; Taylor, 1987a: 73; Bolton, 1995b: 392.
- Senior synonym of fulvipes: Brown, 1975: 33; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 51; Taylor, 1987a: 74; Bolton, 1995b: 392.
- Senior synonym of hedwigae: Brown, 1975: 33; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 51; Taylor, 1987a: 73; Bolton, 1995b: 392.
- Senior synonym of hirsutus: Brown, 1975: 33; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 51; Taylor, 1987a: 74; Bolton, 1995b: 392.
- Distribution: Australia.
fallax. Sphinctomyrmex (Eusphinctus) fallax Forel, 1900b: 73 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Queensland).
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
- Type-locality: Australia: Queensland, Mackay (Turner).
- Type-depositories: ANIC, MHNG.
- Status as species: Emery, 1911d: 7.
- Junior synonym of steinheili: Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 225; Clark, 1925a: 62; Brown, 1975: 33; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 51; Taylor, 1987a: 73; Bolton, 1995b: 392.
fulvipes. Eusphinctus fulvipes Clark, 1934c: 49, pl. 4, fig. 1 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA (Victoria).
- Type-material: syntype workers, syntype queens (numbers not stated).
- Type-locality: Australia: Victoria, Otway Ranges, Gellibrand, i.1932 (J. Clark).
- Type-depository: MVMA.
- Junior synonym of steinheili: Brown, 1975: 33; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 51; Taylor, 1987a: 74; Bolton, 1995b: 392.
hedwigae. Sphinctomyrmex (Eusphinctus) fallax subsp. hedwigae Forel, 1910b: 21 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA (New South Wales).
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated), 1 syntype ergatoid queen.
- Type-locality: Australia: New South Wales (Walcher).
- Type-depositories: ANIC, MHNG.
- Combination in Eusphinctus (Eusphinctus): Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 228.
- Subspecies of fallax: Emery, 1911d: 7; Emery, 1914b: 179.
- Subspecies of steinheili: Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 228; Clark, 1925a: 63.
- Junior synonym of steinheili: Brown, 1975: 33; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 51; Taylor, 1987a: 74; Bolton, 1995b: 392.
hirsutus. Eusphinctus hirsutus Clark, 1929: 118, pl. 1, figs. 1, 2 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA (Victoria).
- Type-material: 60 syntype workers, 5 syntype ergatoid queens.
- Type-locality: Australia: Victoria, East Gippsland, Cann River, 26.xi.-8.xii.1928, riverbank (J. Clark).
- Type-depository: MVMA.
- Junior synonym of steinheili: Brown, 1975: 33; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 51; Taylor, 1987a: 74; Bolton, 1995b: 392.

Type Material

Eusphinctus fulvipes: Syntype, worker(s), queen(s), Gellibrand, Victoria, Australia, Museum Victoria, Melbourne.
Eusphinctus hirsutus: Syntype, 13 workers, Cann River, Victoria, Australia, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Eusphinctus hirsutus: Syntype, worker(s), queen(s), Cann River, Victoria, Australia, Museum Victoria, Melbourne.
Sphinctomyrmex (Eusphinctus) fallax: Syntype, 2 workers, Mackay, Queensland, Australia, Australian National Insect Collection.
Sphinctomyrmex (Eusphinctus) fallax: Syntype, worker(s), Mackay, Queensland, Australia, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.
Sphinctomyrmex (Eusphinctus) fallax hedwigae: Syntype, 5 workers, New South Wales, Australia, Australian National Insect Collection.
Sphinctomyrmex (Eusphinctus) fallax hedwigae: Syntype, worker(s), New South Wales, Australia, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.
Sphinctomyrmex (Eusphinctus) steinheili: Syntype, 2 workers, Mackay, Queensland, Australia, Australian National Insect Collection.
Sphinctomyrmex (Eusphinctus) steinheili: Syntype, 1 worker (as queen), Mackay, Queensland, Australia, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Sphinctomyrmex (Eusphinctus) steinheili: Syntype, worker(s), Mackay, Queensland, Australia, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.

Description

Karyotype

See additional details at the Ant Chromosome Database.

Explore: Show all Karyotype data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.

2n = 45 (Australia) (Imai et al., 1977) (as Sphinctomyrmex steinheili).
2n = 46 (Australia) (Imai et al., 1977) (as Sphinctomyrmex steinheili).

References

Borowiec, M.L. 2016. Generic revision of the ant subfamily Dorylinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 608: 1-280 (doi: 10.3897/zookeys.608.9427).
Brown, W. L., Jr. 1975. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. V. Ponerinae, tribes Platythyreini, Cerapachyini, Cylindromyrmecini, Acanthostichini, and Aenictogitini. Search Agric. (Ithaca N. Y.) 5(1 1: 1-115 (page 33, Combination in Sphinctomyrmex, page 33, senior synonym of fulvipes, hedwigae and hirsutus)
Burwell, C.J., Nakamura, A. 2020. Rainforest ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) along an elevational gradient at Eungella in the Clarke Range, Central Queensland coast, Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 125: 43-63.
Buschinger, A., Peeters, C. & Crozier, R.H. 1990. Life-pattern studies on an Australian Sphinctomyrmex: functional polygyny, brood periodicity and raiding behavior. Psyche 96 (1989): 287-300. [1990.] (page 287, see also)
Clark, J. (1925). The ants of Victoria. Part I. Victorian Naturalist (Melbourne). 42: 58–64.
Clark, J. (1929). Results of a collecting trip to the Cann River, East Gippsland. Victorian Naturalist (Melbourne). 46: 115–123.
Clark, J. (1934). Ants from the Otway Ranges. Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria. 8: 48–73.
Forel, A. (1910). Formicides australiens reçus de MM. Froggatt et Rowland Turner. Revue Suisse de Zoologie. 18: 1–94.
Forel, A. 1900b. Ponerinae et Dorylinae d'Australie récoltés par MM. Turner, Froggatt, Nugent, Chase, Rothney, J.-J. Walker, etc. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 44: 54-77 (page 72, queen described)
Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
Imai, H. T.; Crozier, R. H.; Taylor, R. W. 1977. Karyotype evolution in Australian ants. Chromosoma (Berl.) 59: 341-393 (page 348, karyotype described)
Mizuno, R., Suttiprapan, P., Jaitrong, W., Yamada, A., Ito, F. 2021. Colony composition, phasic reproduction, and queen–worker dimorphism of an oriental non-army ant doryline Cerapachys sulcinodis species complex in northern Thailand. Insectes Sociaux (doi:10.1007/s00040-021-00841-5).
Wheeler, G. C. 1950. Ant larvae of the subfamily Cerapachyinae. Psyche (Camb.) 57: 102-113 (page 104, larva described)
Wheeler, W. M. 1918a. The Australian ants of the ponerine tribe Cerapachyini. Proc. Am. Acad. Arts Sci. 53: 215-265 (page 225, worker described, Combination in Eusphinctus (Eusphinctus), senior synonym of fallax)
Wilson, E. O. 1958c. Studies on the ant fauna of Melanesia. I. The tribe Leptogenyini. II. The tribes Amblyoponini and Platythyreini. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 118: 101-153 (page 136, see also)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Brown W. L., Jr. 1975. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. V. Ponerinae, tribes Platythyreini, Cerapachyini, Cylindromyrmecini, Acanthostichini, and Aenictogitini. Search Agric. (Ithaca N. Y.) 5(1): 1-115.
CSIRO Collection
Lowery B. B., and R. J. Taylor. 1994. Occurrence of ant species in a range of sclerophyll forest communities at Old Chum Dam, north-eastern Tasmania. Australian Entomologist 21: 11-14.