Lividopone

This relatively speciose lineage includes species nesting in a variety of substrates, from soil to twigs. It is known that they prey on brood of other ants.

Identification
Diagnosis. Worker. The workers of Lividopone are recognized by a combination of 12-segmented antennae, pronotomesopleural suture fused, propodeal spiracle positioned low and presence of propodeal lobes, pygidium large and armed with modified setae, helcium broad and positioned supraaxially on the sclerite, middle tibiae with a single pectinate spur, and pretarsal claws simple. Cerapachys is similar in general habitus but it is easily differentiated because of its unfused pronotomesopleural suture. Parasyscia, certain Lioponera and Simopone may have a similar habitus but those genera never have a broad, highly positioned helcium.

Species richness
Species richness by country based on regional taxon lists (countries with darker colours are more species-rich). View Data



Biology
Brown (1975) observed about 20 workers of L. livida raiding a Pheidole nest in a rainforest habitat. I discovered a nest of Lividopone in a dead log in midelevation forest, containing only about 15 workers, one dealate gyne and no brood. Similarly small colonies were recorded for an undescribed arboreal Lividopone. All four nests of that species I collected were in hollow twigs situated above forest floor. These colonies each contained multiple apparent gynes, which were extremely worker-like and differed from other individuals only in conspicuously erect pilosity. One of the colonies contained brood of Monomorium termitobium as prey. This arboreal species also apparently synchronizes brood production and nest samples containing brood of the same stage of development are known for L. livida and other undescribed species

(author’s observations)

Nomenclature

 *  LIVIDOPONE  [Dorylinae]
 * Lividopone Bolton & Fisher, 2016: 302. Type-species: Cerapachys lividus, by original designation.