Pseudomyrmex cubaensis

This species nests in hollow cavities of dead vegetation.

Identification
See the nomenclature section below.

Distribution
This species occurs in the Greater Antilles and Bahamas, and has been introduced into south Florida (Ward 1985). The Florida population is isolated from the others. It is common in coastal mangroves and could have arrived in Florida in floating trees. Moreover, Simberloff and Wilson (1969) showed that this species is likely to be a regular and early colonists of isolated mangrove islets, and must therefore have the habit of flying over open water for hundreds, if not thousands of meters. On the other hand, colonies can be found in small dead twigs on live trees and shrubs and the chance of importation in nursery stock is good. (Deyrup, Davis & Cover, 2000.)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Nearctic Region: United States. Neotropical Region: Argentina, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Greater Antilles, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela.

Biology
Ward (1985) - In Florida, I have collected P. cubaensis in dead twigs of Rhizophora mangle and Conocarpus erectus. There are museum records of nests in Tillandsia (Florida) and Cladium (Bahamas), and of workers foraging on Ficus aurea, mangrove, sea grape, and acacia. Wheeler's (1905) records of Bahamaian "elongatus" in culms of Uniola and Cladium and in hollow twigs of gum mastic, sea grape, and buttonwood, refer in part to P. cubaensis (see also discussion of Pseudomyrmex subater Wheeler & Mann under Pseudomyrmex elongatus).

Ward (1989) - In the Caribbean region, colonies of P. cubaensis occupy dead stems of various woody and herbaceous plants (Ward, 1985), often in littoral environments. Mainland populations come from a variety of habitats, including tropical dry forest, savannah, roadside verge, second-growth lowland rain forest, rain forest edge and montane rain forest edge. Nesting habits of these mainland populations are probably also generalized, but unfortunately most records consist of foraging workers rather than nest series.

Nomenclature

 *  cubaensis. Pseudomyrma elongata var. cubaensis Forel, 1901e: 342 (w.) CUBA. Forel, 1913l: 215 (q.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1956: 384 (l., misidentified as elongatus). Combination in Pseudomyrmex: Creighton, 1957b: 18. Junior synonym of elongatus: Creighton, 1957b: 18. Revived from synonymy and raised to species: Ward, 1985b: 226. See also: Ward, 1989: 413.

Ward (1985):

Originally described as a variety of Pseudomyrmex elongatus, Pseudomyrmex cubaensis was synonymized with the former by Creighton (1955, p.18). However it appears to be consistently distinct from the smaller elongatus-like form with which occurs sympatrically in south Florida. The most important differences are in the relative length of the eye and the shape of the petiole. A two-dimensional plot of REL2 and PLI cleanly separates all Floridian and most other material into two taxa. In Jamaica the two forms are less distinct. It is possible that P. elongatus and P. cubaensis represent a remnant circular Rassenkreis stretching around the Gulf of Mexico, with intermediate populations in Jamaica.

Apart from the differences in eye length and petiole shape, P. cubaensis also tends to have a broader head, narrower fore femur (FI 0.42-0.48), longer post petiole (PPWI 1.01-1.25), and fewer (but longer) erect setae on the petiole, postpetiole, and fourth abdominal tergite. The body sculpture and appressed pubescence are lighter than in Florida Pseudomyrmex elongatus, producing a shinier appearance, particularly on the occiput, propleuron, petiole, and postpetiole. (Elsewhere P. elongatus may have an equally shiny integument. e.g. in Texas.)

Ward (1989):

P. cubaensis (s.l.) can be diagnosed minimally by the combination of medium size (HW 0.65-0.78); a punctate-sublucid head; relatively short eyes (REL2 0.65-0.76); moderately broad fore femur (FI 0.41-0.50); and petiole with rounded dorsolateral margination. The largest workers of P. cubaensis (s.l.) from South America overlap in size with the smallest workers of Pseudomyrmex curacaensis; they are distinguished from the latter by the possession of a broader fore femur, longer head, flatter occipital margin, shorter funicular segments, and gentler dorsolateral margination of the petiole (see discussion under P. curacaensis). At the lower limits of its size range, ''P. cubaensis (s.l.) can be difficult to distinguish from Pseudomyrmex urbanus''. Workers of the latter have broader fore femora and longer eyes for a given head width, compared to P. cubaensis (s.l.).

Workers of P. cubaensis (s.l.) differ from those of P. elongatus by their larger average size, shorter eyes and lower petiole height in the region of size overlap, and sublucid head and mesosoma.

Worker
Ward (1989) - measurements, Florida and Caribbean (cubaensis s.s.) (n=24). —HL 0.89-1.02, HW 0.65-0.73, MFC 0.017-0.029, CI 0.71-0.75, OI 0.52-0.58, REL 0.47-0.51, REL2 0.65-0.71, OOI 0.41-0.95, VI 0.74-0.84, FCI 0.024-0.044, SI 0.44-0.48, SI2 0.64-0.74, FI 0.42-0.48, POI 1.09-1.44, MPI 0.038-0.084, NI 0.53-0.63, PLI 0.67-0.78, PWI 0.55-0.71, PPWI 1.01-1.28.

measurements, mainland Latin America (n=31). - HL 0.82-1.06, HW 0.65-0.78, MFC 0.015-0.031, CI 0.69-0.79, OI 0.53-0.60, REL 0.50-0.56, REL2 0.66--0.76, OOI 0.16-0.73, VI 0.75-0.86, FCI 0.022-0.044, SI 0.44-0.50, SI2 0.60-0.72, FI 0.41-0.50, POI 1.12-1.51, MPI 0.038--0.066, NI 0.54-0.68, PLI 0.75-0.88, PWI 0.57-0.71, PPWI 1.13-1.36.

(cubaensis s.s.). Medium-sized species (HW 0.65 - D.73), with elongate head and relatively short eyes (REL 0.47-0.51); sides of head shallowly convex, occipital margin flat to slightly concave, in frontal view; funicular segments II and III broader than long. Fore femur only moderately swollen; metanotal groove conspicuously impressed; basal face of propodeum more or less flat, raised slightly or not at all above level of mesonotum, rounding gently into the declivitous face which it exceeds in length. Petiole apenduculate, with a conspicuous anteroventral process (blunt or tooth-like), node rather long relative to its height (see metrics), and with gentle dorsolateral margination; postpetiole slightly longer than broad.

Mandibles striato-punctate; head densely punctate, subopaque to sublucid, with rather conspicuous shiny interspaces between the punctures on the upper third of the head, especially between the ocelli and the compound eye and immediately posterior to the eye. Mesosoma punctate to coriarious-imbricate, subopaque, with sublucid areas on the side of the pronotum and centre of the pronotum and mesonotum: petiolar node sublucid, especially its posterior face; postpetiole and gaster sublucid, covered with numerous fine piligerous punctures. Fine erect pilosity and appressed pubescence covering most of body, including mesosoma dorsum. Medium to dark brown, the antennae, mandibles, and tarsi lighter in color.

The above description applies to the populations of P. cubaensis inhabiting Florida and the Caribbean. Elsewhere, in Mexico, Central America, and South America is a variable array of cubaensis-like populations which I currently treat as conspecific with the Caribbean form. Workers in these mainland populations tend to have longer eyes and a shorter and higher petiole (compare REL, REL2, and PLI in the lists of measurements given above). They also tend to be lighter in color, especially in South America where some populations contain rather large orange-brown workers, quite different in appearance from Caribbean P. cubaensis. Taken together as a whole, however, these mainland populations overlap in size, shape, and color with the more typical P. cubaensis, and I find no clear discontinuities in the available (largely worker-based) material. Future work involving the analysis of queens, males, or biochemical characters might well reveal several cryptic species.

Type Material
Ward (1985) - Holotype (unique syntype) worker, Bahia Honda, Cuba [Examined].

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Alayo D. P. 1974. Introduccion al estudio de los Himenopteros de Cuba. Superfamilia Formicoidea. Academia de Ciencias de Cuba. Instituto de Zoologia. Serie Biologica no.53: 58 pp. La Habana.
 * Brandao, C.R.F. 1991. Adendos ao catalogo abreviado das formigas da regiao neotropical (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Rev. Bras. Entomol. 35: 319-412.
 * Branstetter M. G. and L. Sáenz. 2012. Las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Guatemala. Pp. 221-268 in: Cano E. B. and J. C. Schuster. (eds.) 2012. Biodiversidad de Guatemala. Volumen 2. Guatemala: Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, iv + 328 pp
 * Cuezzo, F. 1998. Formicidae. Chapter 42 in Morrone J.J., and S. Coscaron (dirs) Biodiversidad de artropodos argentinos: una perspectiva biotaxonomica Ediciones Sur, La Plata. Pages 452-462.
 * Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
 * Deyrup M., C. Johnson, G. C. Wheeler, J. Wheeler. 1989. A preliminary list of the ants of Florida. Florida Entomologist 72: 91-101
 * Deyrup M., L. Davis, and S. Buckner. 1998. Composition of the ant fauna of three Bahamian islands. Proceedings of the seventh symposium on the natural history of the Bahamas. 23-32. Bahamian Field Station, San Salvador, Bahamas
 * Deyrup, M. 2003. An updated list of Florida ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist 86(1):43-48.
 * Deyrup, M. and J. Trager. 1986. Ants of the Archbold Biological Station, Highlands County, Florida (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist 69(1):206-228
 * Deyrup, Mark A., Carlin, Norman, Trager, James and Umphrey, Gary. 1988. A Review of the Ants of the Florida Keys. The Florida Entomologist. 71(2):163-176.
 * Fernandez Garcia I., and J. L. Fontenla. 2005. Nuevas adiciones a la entomofauna del Area Protegida Mil Cumbres, Pinar del Río, Cuba. Cocuyo 15: 20-22.
 * Fernandez Triana J. L., H. Sariol, M. A. Vega Castillo, S. Ricardo, M. Gonzalez, and E. P. Ferrer. 2002. Datos preliminares dobre la biodiversidad del orden Hymenoptera en la provincia Granma, Cuba. Bol. S.E.A. 31: 43-48.
 * Fernández F., E. E. Palacio, W. P. MacKay, and E. S. MacKay. 1996. Introducción al estudio de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Colombia. Pp. 349-412 in: Andrade M. G., G. Amat García, and F. Fernández. (eds.) 1996. Insectos de Colombia. Estudios escogidos. Bogotá: Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 541 pp
 * Fernández Triana J. L., J. L. Fontenla, E. Portuondo Ferrer, and J. A. Genaro. 2005. Especies de himenópteros registrados en el Parque Nacional La Bayamesa, Cuba, 17-22 de junio del 2003 y 2-10 de febrero del 2004. In Maceira F., D., A.Fong G., W. S. Alverson, y/and T. Wachter, eds. 2005. Cuba: Parque Nacional La Bayamesa. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 13. The Field Museum, Chicago.
 * Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
 * Fontanla Rizo J.L. 1997. Lista preliminar de las hormigas de Cuba. Cocuyo 6: 18-21.
 * Fontenla J. L. 2005. Species of ants (Formicidae) recorded during the rapid biological inventory of the Zapata Peninsula, 8-15 September 2002. In: Kirkconnell P., A., D. F. Stotz, y / and J. M. Shopland, eds. 2005. Cuba: Península de Zapata. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 07. The Field Museum, Chicago
 * Fontenla J. L. 2005. Species of ants (Formicidae) recorded in the Sierra de Cubitas and adjacent areas, Camagüey Province, 16-19 September 2002. In: Díaz, L., M., W. S. Alverson, A. Barreto V., y / and T. Wachter. 2006. Cuba: Camagüey, Sierra de Cubitas. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 08. The Field Museum, Chicago
 * Fontenla J. L., and J. Alfonso-Simonetti. 2018. Classification of Cuban ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) into functional groups. Poeyana Revista Cubana de Zoologia 506: 21-30.
 * Fontenla Rizo J. L. 1993. Mirmecofauna de Isla de la Juventud y de algunos cayos del archipielago cubano. Poeyana. Instituto de Ecologia y Sistematica, Academia de Ciencias de Cuba 444:1-7.
 * Fontenla Rizo J. L. 1997. Lista preliminar de las hormigas de Cuba (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Cocuyo 6: 18-21.
 * Forel A. 1901. Variétés myrmécologiques. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 45: 334-382.
 * Forel A. 1907. Formiciden aus dem Naturhistorischen Museum in Hamburg. II. Teil. Neueingänge seit 1900. Mitt. Naturhist. Mus. Hambg. 24: 1-20.
 * Forel A. 1913. Fourmis d'Argentine, du Brésil, du Guatémala & de Cuba reçues de M. M. Bruch, Prof. v. Ihering, Mlle Baez, M. Peper et M. Rovereto. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles. 49: 203-250.
 * Franco W., N. Ladino, J. H. C. Delabie, A. Dejean, J. Orivel, M. Fichaux, S. Groc, M. Leponce, and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674(5): 509-543.
 * Gove, A. D., J. D. Majer, and V. Rico-Gray. 2009. Ant assemblages in isolated trees are more sensitive to species loss and replacement than their woodland counterparts. Basic and Applied Ecology 10: 187-195.
 * Klotz, J.H., J.R. Mangold, K.M. Vail, L.R. Davis Jr., R.S. Patterson. 1995. A survey of the urban pest ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Peninsular Florida. Florida Entomologist 78(1):109-118
 * Llyod, Morrison W. 2002. Island bigeography and metapopulation dynamics of Bahamianan ants. Journal of Biogeography. 29:387-394.
 * Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/
 * Mann W. M. 1920. Additions to the ant fauna of the West Indies and Central America. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 42: 403-439.
 * Moreau C. S., M. A. Deyrup, and L. R. David Jr. 2014. Ants of the Florida Keys: Species Accounts, Biogeography, and Conservation (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. Insect Sci. 14(295): DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieu157
 * Morrison L. W. 1998. A review of Bahamian ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) biogeography. Journal of Biogeography 25: 561-571.
 * Morrison, Lloyd W. 1998. The Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Insular Ant Metapopulations. Ecology. 79(4):1135-1146.
 * Morrison, Lloyd. 2006. The Ants of Small Bahamian Cays. Bahamas Naturalist & Journal of Science. 1(2):27-32.
 * Navarro, E.V. Vergara, H. Echavarria Sanchez, F.J. Serna Cardona. 2007. Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) asociadas al arboretum de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, sede Medellin. Boletín Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa 40:497-505.
 * Perez-Gelabert D. E. 2008. Arthropods of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti): A checklist and bibliography. Zootaxa 1831:1-530.
 * Pic, M. 2001. Fatrores locais estructuradadores da riqueza de especies de formigas arbicolas em Cerrado. Masters Thesis. Universidade Federal de Vicosa.
 * Portuondo E. F., and J. L. Reyes. 2002. Mirmecofauna de los macizos montañosos de Sierra Maestra y Nipe-Sagua-Baracoa. Cocuyo 12: 10-13
 * Portuondo E. F., and J. L. Reyes. 2006. Species of Hymenoptera recorded in the Reserva Ecológica Pico Mogote, Santiago de Cuba Province, 20-25 September 2002. In: Maceira F., D., A. Fong G., y/and W. S. Alverson, eds. 2006. Cuba: Pico Mogote. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 09. The Field Museum, Chicago.
 * Portuondo E. F., and J. L. Reyes. 2006. Species of hymenopterans recorded in Siboney-Juticí Ecological Reserve, Santiago de Cuba Province, compiled from collections during the rapid inventory of 27-28 September 2002. Fong G., A., D. Maceira F., W. S. Alverson, y / and J. M. Shopland, eds. 2005. Cuba: Siboney-Juticí. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 10. The Field Museum, Chicago.
 * Portuondo Ferrer E., and J. L. Fernández Triana. 2005. Species of hymenopterans (bees, wasps, and ants) recorded in Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, from literature records, revision of the collection at BIOECO, and collections before and during the rapid inventory, 12-22 February 2004. In Fong G., A., D. Maceira F., W. S. Alverson, y/and T. Wachter, eds. 2005. Cuba: Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 14. The Field Museum, Chicago.
 * Portuondo Ferrer, E. and J. Fernandez Triana. Biodiversidad del orden Hymenoptera en Los Macizos Montanosos de Cuba Oriental. Boletin S.E.A. 35:121-136.
 * Reyes, J. L. "Inventario de la colección de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) del Centro Oriental de Ecosistemas y Biodiversidad, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba." Boletín de la Sociedad Aragonesa 36 (2005): 279-283.
 * Rojas M. L. 2012. Fauna de insectos en cayos del golfo de Ana María, Cuba. Rev. Invest. Mar. 32(2): 66-72.
 * Vasconcelos, H.L., J.M.S. Vilhena, W.E. Magnusson and A.L.K.M. Albernaz. 2006. Long-term effects of forest fragmentation on Amazonian ant communities. Journal of Biogeography 33:1348-1356
 * Vittar, F. 2008. Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de la Mesopotamia Argentina. INSUGEO Miscelania 17(2):447-466
 * Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133
 * Ward P. S. 1985. The Nearctic species of the genus Pseudomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Quaestiones Entomologicae 21: 209-246
 * Ward P. S. 1990. The Ant Subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Generic Revision and Relationship to Other Formicids. Systematic Entomology 15: 449-489
 * Ward P. S. 1992. Ants of the genus Pseudomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Dominican amber, with a synopsis of the extant Antillean species. Psyche (Cambridge) 99: 55-85
 * Ward P. S., and D. A. Downie. 2005. The ant subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae: phylogeny and evolution of big-eyed arboreal ants. Systematic Entomology 30: 310-335.
 * Ward, P. S. 1989. Systematic Studies on Pseudomyrmecine Ants: Revision of the Pseudomyrmex Oculatus and P. Subtilissimus Species Groups with Taxonomic Comments on Other Species. Questiones Entomologicae 25: 393-468
 * Wetterer J. K. 2018. Native and exotic ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) nesting in red mangroves (Malpighiales: Rhizophora mangle) of eastern Florida. Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 144(2): 347-357.
 * Wetterer, J.K and A.L. Wetterer. 2003. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on Non-Native Neotropical Ant-Acacias (Fabales: Fabaceae) in Florida. The Florida Entomologist 76(4):460-463
 * Wheeler W. M. 1905. The ants of the Bahamas, with a list of the known West Indian species. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 21: 79-135.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1913. The ants of Cuba. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 54: 477-505.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1942. Studies of Neotropical ant-plants and their ants. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 90: 1-262.
 * Wheeler W. M., and W. M. Mann. 1914. The ants of Haiti. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 33: 1-61.
 * Wild, A. L. "A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Zootaxa 1622 (2007): 1-55.
 * Yanoviak S. P., and M. Kaspari. 2000. Community structure and the habitat templet: ants in the tropical forest canopy and litter. Oikos 89: 259-266.