Transcript Document

Subfamily Myrmicinae
Compiled by Hilda Taylor
Subfamily Myrmicinae
General Characteristics:
Largest subfamily
- Members of this subfamily have stingers or
have modified stingers
- Petiole and postpetiole are present
- Origin of the antennae is covered by lobes and
lobes continue into the frontal carinae
Behavior:
- Aggressive to docile
Habitat:
- Deserts to tropical forests
Genus Acromyrmex
(Fungus Growing Ants)
Spines on Body
Tubercles
Descriptive Characteristics:
- Antennae with 11 segments
- Body covered with spines
- Gaster with tubercles (bumps)
- Polymorphic
Habitat:
- Mostly grasslands, also in deserts
- Common in tropics
- Feed on fungus they grow
- Possibly feed on juices of the
plants they cut
Behavior:
- Cut grass to grow fungus
- Cut leaves of Stinking Gourd (Cucurbita foetidisima),
in Chihuahuan Desert
- Aggressive, they bite
Note: Bigger than Trachymyrmex, spp.
Genus Aphaenogaster
Spines
Descriptive Characteristics:
- Slender elegant ants
- Long legs
- Spines on propodeum normally or
angled structures
- 12 segmented antennae
Long Legs
Habitat:
- Chihuahuan Desert
- Mexico – Mountains in Veracruz
Behavior:
- Active early in the morning and
late in the evening
- Aggressive
Genus Atta
Leaf Cutting Ants
Descriptive Characteristics:
- 11 segmented antennae
- Big shinny head
- Strongly polymorphic:
= soldiers are very different from
tiny workers
= need soldiers for identification
Habitat:
- Found in tropical forests:
= South America in Argentina
and Brazil
= Mexico
= USA in East Texas (oak forests),
Oregon Pipe Cactus in Arizona
Behavior:
- Aggressive, specially big workers
- Grow fungi
Genus Cardiocondyla
Spines/Angles
Rounded Petiole
Penducle
Descriptive Characteristics:
- 12 segmented antennae
- Clypeus sticks up like a point above mandibles
- Propodeum with spines or angles
- Penducle – long
- Petiole – rounded smoothly
- Tiny ants
- Males look like workers, but have big mandibles
and have no wings
Behavior:
-Not aggressive, too small
Habitat:
- New World, South America up
to Brazil
- Found all over the place:
= tropics
= deserts (Indio in pitfalls)
= California (C. etiopa)
- Nest in the ground
Genus Cephalotes
Spines
Note: As of 2000 the above were synonymized with genus Cephalotes
Minor Worker
Major Worker
Descriptive Characteristics:
- Head, mesosoma and propodeum with spines
- Very large ant, beautiful ant
- Polymorphic
- Dark brown, dull
- Zacryptocerus spp.also has lateral spines on
the body
Behavior:
- Not aggressive, do not sting
- Move jerky-like
Habitat:
- Tropical, mesic habitats
- Mexico
- USA in Arizona, but very rare
- Nest in big dead branches (~ 2”
in diam) and hollow twigs
- Nest possibly in termite mounds
Genus Crematogaster
Acrobat Ants
Descriptive Characteristics:
- Gaster looks like a heart
- Petiole is hooked up to top part of the gaster
- Monomorphic:
= males and females look the same
= bicolor, brown and yellow
- Raise gaster over the mesosoma when placed
in alcohol (same as Azteca, spp)
Habitat:
- USA and Mexico
- Found everywhere:
= under rocks, ground, trees, twigs
= Chih. Desert on Creosote bush
(Larrea tridentata)
Behavior:
-Aggressive, can sting but does not hurt much
- Sting sprays paint as defense mechanism
Genus Cyphomyrmex
Tubercles
Frontal Carina
Bumps
Lobe
Descriptive Characteristics:
- Head:
= Lobes hide the point of origin of the antennae and
join with the frontal carinae.
= The carinae extend all the way back of the head
= Rounded structures on top of head resemble horns
- Alitrunk – full of bumps, may have tiny spines
- Gaster – tubercles similar to Acromyrmex, spp.,
but not as sharp
Behavior:
- Not aggressive
- Slow
- Play dead
Habitat:
- Ranges from north New Mexico to
Argentina
- Common in tropical forests, also
in arid zones like the Chihuahuan
Desert
- Use dung from catepillars as
substrate for fungus
Genus Leptothorax
Spines
(Most common ant)
Spines
Peduncle
Spines
Leptothrax
spine
Peduncle
Descriptive Characteristics:
-11 or 12 antennal segments
-Antennal club has 3 segments
-Mexican species have no spines, all others do
-Macromischa, spp – 11 antennal segments, convex
alitrunk and have very long peduncle (Mex.)
-Nesomyrmex, spp – 11 or 12 antennal segments,
petiole and postpetiole covered with spines (Mex.)
Habitat:
- Found everywhere:
= under rocks, dead logs, in the
ground, in roots
- Some are parasitic on other ants
- Common
- L. whitford lives in branches
Behavior:
- Not aggressive if left alone
- L. whitford is the only aggressive species
Genus Manica
Depression
Rounded
Comb-like
Descriptive Characteristics:
-Same group as Pogonomyrmex (they are Harvester ants)
= Pogonomyrmex, Myrmica, and Manica have
comb-like tibial spurs (pectinate) on mid and hind legs
-12 segmented antennae
-Depression present between mesonotum and
propodeum
-Rounded petiole
Behavior:
- Docile, do not sting
Habitat:
- USA in north New Mexico,
Colorado, California
- May not find in Mexico
- Nest in the ground in pine and
and juniper forests
Genus Megalomyrmex
Oval head
Rounded
Same shape
Descriptive characteristics:
-12 segmented antennae
- 3 segmented club
- Oval head
- Yellowish color, smooth and shinny pretty blond ants
- Big ants ~ ½” long
- Petiole and postpetiole have same shape
- Rounded mesosoma
Behavior:
- Not very aggressive
Habitat:
- Tropical
- Not in the USA
- Found under rocks nesting in the soil
- May find in Mexico, not common