Wasmannia auropunctata

An infamous tramp ant that has been introduced to many areas outside of its native range. It has a notoriously strong sting for an ant of its size. Longino & Fernández (2007) offered the following account of one myrmecologist's experience with this ants famous stinging abilities: These are extremely tiny ants, barely visible in the field. When the senior author first began studying ants in Costa Rica, he was at first puzzled about Wasmannia. By literature accounts Wasmannia was reputed to have a terrible sting, but he had been collecting them for months in Corcovado National Park without ever experiencing the famous sting. One day he was collecting from a populous nest and some workers made it up to the soft skin of his inner forearm and began to sting. The sting was definitely noticeable, about as severe as a fire ant (i. e., Solenopsis geminata) but inordinately strong for an ant that could barely be seen! Workers are so small they cannot sting through the thicker skin of the hands.

Identification
Workers of Wasmannia auropunctata have a strongly quadrate petiolar node. The anterior face of the node is sharply differentiated from both the peduncle and the dorsal face of the node, meeting both at nearly right angles, and forming a strongly step-like profile. This is a highly distinctive feature that easily distinguishes auropunctata workers from all other Wasmannia species. (Longino & Fernández 2007)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Cameroun, Gabon, Sierra Leone. Australasian Region: Australia, New Caledonia. Indo-Australian Region: Hawaii, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu. Nearctic Region: Canada, United States. Neotropical Region: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Galapagos Islands, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Lesser Antilles, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Uruguay, Venezuela. Palaearctic Region: Israel.



Biology
Longino & Fernández (2007) - Wasmannia auropunctata is a widespread pest ant (Clark et al., 1982; De Souza et al., 1998; Fabres & Brown, 1978; Jourdan, 1997; Lubin, 1984; Ulloa Chacon & Cherix, 1990; Williams, 1994; Wetterer & Porter, 2003). In its presumed native range it occurs from Argentina to Mexico (Kempf, 1972; Wetterer & Porter, 2003). Its introduced range includes the Galapagos Islands, West Africa (Gabon, Cameroon, and possibly the Republic of Congo and the Democratic RepubIic of Congo), Melanesia (New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and possibly Tuvalu), Polynesia (Wallis and Futuna and Hawaii), parts of the US (Florida and possibly California), and subtropical Atlantic islands (the Bahamas and Bermuda) (Wetterer & Porter, 2003). It is widespread on Caribbean islands, but it is unclear whether these are long-term native populations or recent introductions (Wetterer & Porter, 2003).

The species is remarkably catholic in its habitat preference. It is common in habitats ranging from wet to dry and from early successional to mature. In an elevational gradient of mature wet forest on the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica (the Barva Transect, from La Selva Biological Station to 2000 m elevation on the slope of Volcan Barva) it is abundant at 50 m and 500 m elevations, but nearly absent at 1070 m. In the lowland habitats where it is abundant, it occurs in leaf litter on the forest floor and at all levels in the vegetation.

Although it occurs frequently in samples from mature forest habitats in Costa Rica, it is never so abundant in those habitats that it is noticeable as a pest or appears to be displacing other native species (Tennant, 1994; McGlynn & Kirksey, 2000; pers. obs.). In contrast, in certain agricultural habitats (banana plantations) and in parts of the tropics where it has been introduced it becomes super-abundant, with negative impacts on native species and human comfort (Clark et al., 1982; Wetterer & Porter, 2003). In dry-forest fragments in Colombia there is a negative correlation between W. auropunctata abundance and overall ant diversity (Armbrecht & Ulloa Chacon, 2003). Where introduced in New Caledonia it invades dense native forest and displaces native ants (Le Breton et al., 2003). Behavioral tests and cuticular hydrocarbon analysis show that W. auropunctata is multicolonial in its native range in Brazil, unicolonial where introduced in New Caledonia (Errard et al., 2002).

Nests can be almost anywhere: in rolled leaves or dead sticks in the leaf litter, under stones, in rotten wood, in hollow stems suspended above the ground, in ant-plant domatia, and under epiphytes. Workers are omnivorous scavengers and predators and can rapidly recruit to food. Colonies are polygynous and it is never clear where colony boundaries are. Dozens of dealate queens may be found together in nests. Males are rare but do occasionally occur.

Surprisingly, the chemical and toxicological nature of the venom of W. auropunctata has not been investigated. Howard et al. (1982) discovered an alkylpyrazine compound in the mandibular glands, which acted as an attractant to conspecifics and a repellent to heterospecifics. They speculated that the workers might apply the mandibular gland product as an irritating secretion, augmenting the defensive properties of the venomous sting. It would be interesting to investigate whether the venom alone is the powerful agent in this small ant, or if the strong burning sensation is a synergetic effect of venom plus mandibular gland product.

Florida
Deyrup, Davis & Cover (2000): A common species in south Florida, occurring sporadically as far north as Marion County. Nests are in leaf litter, in rotten wood or hollow twigs on the ground, at the bases of trees, and frequently in flower pots. Habitats that are wet or dry, shaded or open, are ail acceptable. On some sites the populations are huge, the massed workers forming golden patches on the underside of any object that has been left on the ground, but it is generally a minor species in the fauna. Where it is most abundant, it is easy to see how this ant could become a major pest (because of its powerful sting) and reduce populations of native species, as it has in the Galapagos (Clark et al. 1982, Lubin 1984). We have recently found sites on the island of New Providence, Bahamas, with huge concentrations of W. auropunctata. The factors that trigger or support these outbreaks are unknown. At two outbreak sites in south Florida there are unusual concentrations of plants that produce large amounts of extra-floral nectar, and are visited day and night by hordes of W. auropunctata. It may be that this resource has tipped the balance in favor of W. auropunctata and caused these very local outbreaks.

This species is a general scavenger, and seems quite dependent on extra-floral nectaries. Pest status: this species packs a sting out of all proportion to its size, and humans are frequently stung by ants that have fallen out of trees, or are foraging across lawn chairs, or floating on the surface of swimming pools. Foraging columns often move for many yards, and may invade homes, where stray ants sting the occupants. First published Florida record: Smith 1929; earlier specimens: 1924.

Castes
Longino & Fernández (2007) - There appear to be two size classes of queens. Queens with smaller heads include ten from various sites in Costa Rica, including La Selva Biological Station and the Penas Blancas Valley, one from Jamaica, and one from Venezuela. Queens with large heads are all from the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica. Three are from La Selva (two from different Winkler samples of sifted leaf litter from the forest floor, one from a small nest under an epiphyte mat in an old treefall) and one is an alate queen found in a Cecropia sapling near Volcan Arenal. Thus the small-headed and big-headed forms are broadly sympatric in Costa Rica. Among the small-headed queens four are definitively associated with workers from the same colony, and among the big-headed queens one is associated with workers. Others have workers doubtfully associated (together in the same Winkler sample). We can discern no differences in workers associated with the two types of queens. The cause of the two size classes of queens is unknown, but could reflect either differences between cryptic species or intraspecific polymorphism.

An aberrant worker form is frequently encountered in large samples of W. auropunctata. These aberrant workers have the head grossly swollen. The entire head is more spherical than normal, as if the head were inflated like a balloon. The rest of the body is little different from a normal worker. These aberrant workers are occasionally encountered in Winkler samples that contain hundreds or thousands of auropunctata workers.

Nomenclature

 *  auropunctata. Tetramorium auropunctatum Roger, 1863a: 182 (w.q.m.) CUBA. Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1954d: 444 (l.). Combination in Ochetomyrmex: Forel, 1886b: xlix; in Wasmannia: Forel, 1893g: 383. Senior synonym of atomum: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 912; of glabra: Kempf, 1964e: 66; of panamana: Brown, 1948d: 102; of australis, laevifrons, nigricans, obscura, pulla, rugosa: Longino & Fernández, 2007: 276.
 * rugosa. Ochetomyrmex auropunctatus var. rugosus Forel, 1886b: xlix (w.) GUATEMALA. Santschi, 1929d: 299 (q.m.). Combination in Wasmannia: Forel, 1901c: 128. Subspecies of auropunctata: Emery, 1888c: 353. Junior synonym of auropunctata: Longino & Fernández, 2007: 276.
 * australis. Wasmannia auropunctata var. australis Emery, 1894c: 193 (w.) BRAZIL. Junior synonym of auropunctata: Longino & Fernández, 2007: 276.
 * laevifrons. Wasmannia auropunctata var. laevifrons Emery, 1894c: 193 (w.) BOLIVIA. Wheeler, W.M. 1925a: 36 (q.). Junior synonym of auropunctata: Longino & Fernández, 2007: 276.
 * nigricans. Wasmannia auropunctata var. nigricans Emery, 1906c: 160 (w.) PARAGUAY. Junior synonym of auropunctata: Longino & Fernández, 2007: 276.
 * obscura. Wasmannia auropunctata var. obscura Forel, 1912g: 1 (w.) COLOMBIA. Junior synonym of auropunctata: Longino & Fernández, 2007: 276.
 * atomum. Xiphomyrmex atomum Santschi, 1914d: 370 (w.) GABON. Combination in Wasmannia: Santschi, 1916b: 504. Subspecies of auropunctata: Santschi, 1916b: 504. Junior synonym of auropunctata: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 912.
 * weiseri. Wasmannia sulcaticeps var. weiseri Forel, 1914d: 281 (q.m.) ARGENTINA. Junior synonym of auropunctata: Longino & Fernández, 2007: 281.
 * glabra. Wasmannia glabra Santschi, 1931c: 272 (q.) FRENCH GUIANA. Junior synonym of auropunctata: Kempf, 1964e: 66.
 * pulla. Wasmannia auropunctata st. pulla Santschi, 1931c: 272 (w.) PANAMA. Junior synonym of auropunctata: Longino & Fernández, 2007: 277.
 * panamana. Hercynia panamana Enzmann, J. 1947a: 44, pl. 5 (w.q.) PANAMA. Junior synonym of auropunctata: Brown, 1948d: 102.