Aphaenogaster flemingi

This species nests in sandy soil, generally in open, disturbed areas, and has been collected in the nest of the leaf cutting ant Atta texana. Alate females were collected in a nest in mid-May.

Identification
The worker of this species can be recognized as the dorsal surface of the pronotum is very finely sculptured and strongly shiny, and the propodeal spines are well-developed, slender and sharp. The antennal scapes are very long, surpassing the posterior lateral margin by about three funicular segments.

The antennal scape of the female is also long, extending about three funicular segment past posterior lateral corner. The pronotal spines are very well-developed, but thickened at the base, and not slender as in the worker. The pronotum is only weakly shining, and covered with transverse striate. The species could be confused with Aphaenogaster tennesseensis.

Aphaenogaster flemingi has slender, upward pointing propodeal spines, feeble sculpturing on the mesosoma and an overall shiny appearance (DeMarco, 2015).

Florida
Deyrup (2016) - A highly distinctive species, flemingi has a shining pronotum, extremely long, slender propodeal spines, and the base of the antennal scape is expanded like the base of an arrowhead, Even in the field flemingi is easily identified as a large, reddish brown species with a shining pronotum.

Florida
Deyrup (2016) - North Carolina south through Florida, west into Kentucky and Louisiana. In Florida, flemingi is known from scattered localities extending from the Keys through the Panhandle. It is probably more common than these records indicate: flemingi is usually difficult to find because the nest entrances are concealed and workers are often active at dusk or during the night.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Nearctic Region: United States.



Florida
Deyrup (2016) - The following paragraph is summarized from Carroll (1975). Nests of flemingi are in soil in open pine flatwoods and stands of scrub oak, usually at the base of a plant or clump of grass. Nests have one or two entrances, one of which has a thatched turret of bits of vegetation. Nests are in either well-drained or poorly drained soil, and may be more than 25 cm deep. Brood are often in a superficial chamber under a clump of grass. Colonies contain up to approximately 300 workers. Foraging is on the ground in open or semi-shaded habitats. Workers bring arthropods to the nest and have been seen visiting mushrooms of the genus Russula. A colony kept in the laboratory fed on pieces of these mushrooms.

Van Pelt (1958) observed flemingi (which he called by the synonymous name macrospina) in Putnam County, Florida. He found it associated with pine-dominated habitats, including sandhills and flatwoods, He also found that flemingi was attracted to molasses traps. In North Carolina, Carter (1962) found flemingi restricted to the Coastal Plain, where it showed a preference for open, dry, grassy, sandy sites, including fields, sandhill, and coastal dunes, but two collections were made in wetter grassy areas. I have found flemingi in dry, grassy areas, wet flatwoods, and even salt marshes. On several occasions, I have seen columns of foragers emerging at dusk.

Nomenclature

 *  flemingi. Aphaenogaster texana subsp. flemingi Smith, M.R. 1928c: 275 (w.) U.S.A. Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1972b: 238 (l.). Combination in Aphaenogaster (Attomyrma): Creighton, 1950a: 143. Raised to species: Creighton, 1950a: 143. Senior synonym of macrospina: Smith, M.R. 1958a: 113.
 * macrospina. Aphaenogaster texana subsp. macrospina Smith, M.R. 1934a: 386, figs. 1, 2 (w.) U.S.A. Combination in Aphaenogaster (Attomyrma): Creighton, 1950a: 145. Raised to species: Creighton, 1950a: 145. Junior synonym of flemingi: Smith, M.R. 1958a: 113.