Myrmecia pavida
| Myrmecia pavida | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmeciinae |
| Tribe: | Myrmeciini |
| Genus: | Myrmecia |
| Species: | M. pavida |
| Binomial name | |
| Myrmecia pavida Clark, 1951 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Contents
Identification
Myrmecia arnoldi, Myrmecia pavida and Myrmecia rubripes are all closely related and share a similar range.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Heterick (2009) - Southwestern WA to southern SA.
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).
Distribution based on AntMaps
Distribution based on AntWeb specimens
Check data from AntWeb
Biology
Chappell et al. (2013): We find little evidence of geographic structuring or inbreeding in the population, indicating that the species outbreeds, most probably in mating swarms. We also find that queens of M. pavida show moderately high polyandry, with 84% having mated with between two and seven males, and an overall mean observed mating frequency of 3.8. This is significantly higher than previously reported for queens of Nothomyrmecia macrops, in which most females mate singly. This was similar to that of Myrmecia pyriformis, Myrmecia brevinoda, and Myrmecia pilosula, the three congenerics for which mating frequencies have recently been reported.
Castes
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's New General Catalogue, a catalogue of the world's ants.
- atrata. Myrmecia atrata Clark, 1951: 77, fig. 55 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Junior synonym of pavida: Ogata & Taylor, 1991: 1659.
- pavida. Myrmecia pavida Clark, 1951: 76, fig. 54 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Senior synonym of atrata: Ogata & Taylor, 1991: 1659.
Type Material
- Myrmecia pavida: Holotype, worker, Mt. Barker, Western Australia, Australia, Greaves,T., ANIC32-013392, Australian National Insect Collection.
- Myrmecia atrata: Holotype, worker, Ravensthorpe, Western Australia, Australia, Greaves,T., ANIC32-015328, Australian National Insect Collection.
Description
Karyotype
- 2n = 44 (Australia) (Hirai et al., 1996).
References
- Chappell, P., Roberts, K., Baer, B. & Hughes, W.O.H. 2013. Mating system and population genetic structure of the bulldog ant Myrmecia pavida (Hymenoptera Formicidae). Myrmecological News 18, 25-32.
- Clark, J. 1951. The Formicidae of Australia. 1. Subfamily Myrmeciinae: 230 pp. CSIRO, Melbourne. [(31.xii).1951.] PDF
- Heterick, B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of South-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 76:1-206.
- Ogata, K.; Taylor, R. W. 1991. Ants of the genus Myrmecia Fabricius: a preliminary review and key to the named species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmeciinae). J. Nat. Hist. 2 25: 1623-1673 (page 1659, Senior synonym of atrata)
