Echinopla
Species accounts
Echinopla lineata Mayr 1872 |
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Showing posts with label ants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ants. Show all posts
15 Feb 2014
8 Feb 2014
Ants of Singapore #11 - Polyrhachis (cf. tubifex)
Polyrhachis
Species accounts
Polyrhachis cf. tubifex
Polyrhachis cf. tubifex nest with alate.
Larvae with cocoon.
Lives in bamboo culms.
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| Worker with alate. Worker biting on the alate wings. |
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| Alate in the nest. |
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| A view of the alate. |
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| Worker carrying larvae. |
Further reading:
- http://ripley.si.edu/ent/nmnhtypedb/images/pdfs/12311.pdf
- http://ripley.si.edu/ent/nmnhtypedb/images/pdfs/14656.pdf
27 Jan 2014
Ants of Singapore #10 - Amblyopone (reclinata)
Amblyopone
Species accounts
Amblyopone reclinata Mayr, 1879
Distribution: Luzon
Saw these really cool Amblyopone cf reclinata ants. They belong to the subfamily Amblyoponinae. Check out those mean jaws.
These ants belong to a group of "Dracula ants".
Ants of the genus Amblyopone has "footprint gland" which is used in recruitment via secretion of a pheromone [1]. This allows for quick recruitment [2].
14 Jan 2014
Ants of Singapore #09 - Gnamptogenys (costatus)
Gnamptogenys
Species accounts
Type locality: Myanmar
Distribution: Burma, Philippines (Mindanao), Borneo, Sumatra, West Malaysia, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia (Sulawesi, Sumatra, Java), Singapore, Thailand
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| Gnamptogenys costatus |
Gnamptogenys costatus is a species that nests in dead logs.
1 Dec 2013
Ants of Kent Ridge: Part I (the ants)
An Informal List of the Ants of Kent Ridge (and adjacent green areas)
Kent Ridge has a myriad of ant species that forage about on the ground. These are ant species obtained by baiting with honey, tuna and peanut butter. The ants are also given a size "score" based on total length: tiny (<=3mm), medium (>3mm), large (>9mm).
Subfamilies represented: Myrmicinae, Ponerinae, Dolichoderinae, Formicinae
Photographs by Eunice S.
If there are any misidentifications you feel strongly about, please feel free to comment on this blog and I will review it. As much as possible, I've tried to use the available taxonomic keys to identify them.
Anoplolepis gracilipes (Smith 1857) Yellow Crazy Ant
Size: Medium
Nesting habit: in cracks, in the ground (opportunistic)
Camponotus cf. auriventris Emery 1889
Size: Medium
Nesting habit: excavates and nest in soil
+sp.+3+IMG_2290.jpg)
Camponotus sp. 2 [cf. maculatus-group]
Size: Large
Nesting habit: Unsure
Camponotus sp. 3 [cf. albosparsus]
Size: Medium
Nesting habit: Nests in the ground.
[Camponotus sp. 4 is part of another inventory]
Camponotus sp. 5
Size: Large
Nesting habit: Likely arboreal.
Plagiolepis cf. exigua Forel 1894
Size: small
Nesting habit: In the ground.
+sp.1+IMG_2355.jpg)
Crematogaster (Orthocrema) biroi bandarensis Mayr, 1897 [ID by Shingo Hosoishi, Crematogaster expert]
Size: Medium
Nesting habit: Very likely to be in the ground (known from the subgenus)
Crematogaster (Physocrema) sewardi Forel 1901 [ID by Shingo Hosoishi, Crematogaster expert]
http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Crematogaster_sewardi
Size: Medium
Nesting habit: Likely arboreal but not fully ascertained.
Philidris sp. 1
Size: Medium
Nesting habit: Arboreal
Dolichoderus thoracicus (Smith 1860)
Size: Medium
Nesting habit: Arboreal, lives in hollow branches
Meranoplus bicolor (Guerin-Meneville 1844)
Size: Medium
Nesting habit: In the ground. Excavates its own nest.
Monomorium monomorium Bolton 1987
Size: Small
Nesting habit: Uncertain. Likely in the ground.
Oecophylla smaragdina smaragdina (Fabricius 1775)
Size: Large
Nesting habit: Uses leaves to make nest arboreally.
Nylandaria sp.
[corrected by James Trager, Myrmecologists Facebook forum]
Size: Medium
Nesting habit: unknown
Pheidole cf. parva Mayr 1865
Size: Small - Medium
Nesting habit: in the ground
[No photographs for Pheidole sp. 2 and Pheidole sp. 3]
Pheidole sp. 4
Size: Small - Medium
Nesting habit: in the ground
Pheidole sp. 5
Size: Medium
Nesting habit: unknown, probably in the ground
Pheidologeton (or Carebara sensu Fisher 2014) diversus (Jerdon 1851)
Size: Medium - Large
Nesting habit: in the ground and on the surface (but covered with sand)
Polyrhachis cf. proxima Bingham 1903
[not really sure if illaudata or proxima, but compared images on AntWeb and seem closer to proxima]
http://www.antweb.org/description.do?rank=species&name=proxima&genus=polyrhachis
Size: Large
Nesting habit: in the ground
Polyrhachis cf. abdominalis Emery 1896 [as suggested by Gordon Yong]
http://www.antweb.org/description.do?rank=species&name=abdominalis&genus=polyrhachis
Size: Large
Nesting habit: in bamboo
Tapinoma cf. melanocephalum Forel 1895
[corrected by Jim Wetterer, Myrmecologists Facebook forum]
Size: Medium
Nesting habit: in cracks of the ground (opportunistic)
+sp.2+IMG_2339.jpg)
Tetramorium (tortosum species-group) sp. 1
Size: Medium
Nesting habit: in the ground
Diacamma cf. rugosum (Le Guillou, 1842)
Size: Large
Nesting habit: in the ground, excavates its own nest
Odontomachus rixosus Smith 1857
Size: Large
Nesting habit: in the ground
Note: not present in Kent Ridge, for comparison purposes
Odontomachus simillimus Smith 1858
Size: Large
Nesting habit: in the ground, usually at the base of trees
Odontoponera denticulata (Smith 1857)
[ID suggested by Wendy Wang, pers. comm. but haven't had the chance to examine the specimen properly; the antennal scape is quite short, dark integument seems to suggest it is denticulata but its rugae is fine, suggesting its transversa, have to check eye size, incision at petiole and propodeal denticles; also I do think both species (transversa and denticulata) exist in Singapore as I've gotten reddish forms found in forests and this darker form, found in urban areas]
Size: Large
Nesting habit: in the ground, excavates its own tunnel in the soil
18 Jun 2013
Ants of Singapore #08 - Strumigenys (cf. koningsbergi)
Strumigenys
Species accounts
Strumigenys cf. koningsbergi
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| Strumigenys c.f. koningsbergeri |
They are pretty numerous in the leaf litter and also nest in the crevices of dead logs. They are move slowly most of the time, unless when disturbed.
It is said that some species are specialist predators of springtails (Coembolla, which are arthropods with six legs but do not have wings [Entognatha]). Perhaps that is why they require trap-jaw like mandibles as well, to 'capture' these fast moving Coembollas!
17 Jun 2013
Ants of Singapore #07 - Cerapachys (undet.)
Cerapachys
Species accounts
sp. 1
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| Old World Army Ants Cerapachys sp. |
The Old World Army Ants, Cerapachys are a diverse group of ants. Some of these ants are blind (i.e. they have no eye facets), while others are not. The one as shown above has only one eye facet (look at picture below), suggesting a subterranean or nocturnal lifestyle. It was actually seen attacking an earthworm at night, though no photographs to document that.
Cerapachys biroi, one of the species within the genus, is said to be very widespread and is considered a tramp ant [1] and was first described in Singapore by Forel in 1907, suggesting its origins in Asia as well. They are said to practice parthenogenesis [2] because workers can produce diploid eggs. They are also entirely subterranean which also suggests dispersal by exported soil perhaps. This might be an interesting article for those who wish to read more.
Alright, good day ahead.
References
[1] Wetterer et al.. 2012. Worldwide spread of Cerapachys biroi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Cerpachyinae). Myrmecological News 17: 1-4.
[2] Kronaeur et al.. 2012. Asexual reproduction in introduced and native populations of Cerapachys biroi. Molecular Ecology 21(21): 5221-5225.
15 Jun 2013
Ants of Singapore #06 - Pheidologeton (diversus)
Pheidologeton
Species accounts
Pheidologeton diversus
Recently Pheidologeton was synonymised under Carebara (Fisher, 2014). I will still recognize Pheidologeton for the sake of this blog.
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| Pheidologeton diversus, otherwise known as the Maurauder Ant. |
These ants are commonly seen, in the day and in the night, where there is a dead carcass. They are quick to recruit, and are the dominant insects at a particular dead carcass, often excluding other competitors. Maybe that's why they're relatively common insects.
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| Dominating at a carcass |
They are polymorphic (come in various sizes), and sometimes the minor ants can be seen to be riding on the major ants, a behaviour similar to the leaf cutter ants whose minors ride on the leaves carried by the major workers. Not many are sure why this behaviour is so, but it has been hypothesized that perhaps it prevents phorid flies from laying eggs on their head.
They look similar to the Pheidole ant, another genus but can be distinguished based on the number of antennal clubs (Pheidologeton has 2, Pheidole has 3).
Ants of Singapore #05 - Camponotus (gigas)
Camponotus
Species accounts
Camponotus gigas
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| Camponotus gigas Latreille, 1802, the Giant Forest Ant in Singapore |
The ant above, is none other than the famous Giant Forest Ant (Camponotus gigas), one of the largest species of ants possibly in the world. The Camponotus genus ("Carpenter Ants"), is also a hyperdiverse genus, meaning that there are many species within the genera. Fortunately, these Giant Forest Ants are easily distinguished from the other Camponotus species by their (large) size and red gaster.
They are polymorphic and have majors which are generally larger with a head which is more heart-shaped rather than ovate. They are said to have intraspecific territorial fights at night. They also nest in the base of trees.
Generally though, these ants are docile and they cannot sting (they have no stinging apparatus). It is personally therapeutic to look at them forage ;)
[As a side note, there are many other Camponotus species in Singapore, but am likely to be highlighting only this one for now. It would be interesting to study the temporal niche differentiation for certain species, because some are observed in the night, while others are observed foraging in the day.]
Giant Forest Ant Camponotus gigas female alate in Singapore.
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| C. gigas worker, found at Kubah National Park, Sarawak with slight variation in the legs (yellow) as compared to the ones in Singapore. |
14 Jun 2013
Ants of Singapore #04 - Oecophylla (smaragdina)
Oecophylla
Species accounts
Oecophylla smaragdina
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| The Weaver Ant, Oecophylla smaragdina |
In the Singaporean context, the Asian Weaver Ant Oecophylla smaragdina Fabricius 1775 (subfamily Formicinae) is one of the more conspicuous ants around. These ants are able to bite and inflict some pain on one, if you step on their tiny "toes". Further, the formic acid they spray exacerbates that pain.
They are found mainly in the Indo-Australian region. The subspecies we have in Singapore is orange in colour but there is a green subspecies present in Australia, too. This is what makes their biogeography interesting as well (species independent of the Wallace and Weber lines).
These Weaver ants weave nests with leaves, using their larvae to produce silk thread. They are so adapatable, they can use almost any kind of leaves to build their nests -- even long, palm leaves. I have never witnessed the nest construction but it is said that they form chains extending to the next leaves. A satellite nests can be found in the vicinity of the 'main' nest, which houses the queen.
They are probably scavengers and food-generalists. In addition, they are seen to have an association with honey-dew producing insects, such as treehoppers, planthoppers and even some caterpillars. Perhaps their generalistic behaviour allows them to thrive in various conditions, at forest fringes and even at urban areas. They are able to utilize metal bars as passage ways.
In certain cultures (such as the Thai culture), people eat the Weaver Ants and their larvae fried with egg. It is said to be very delicious!
There are only two extant species, Oecophylla smaragdina and Oecophylla longinoda that are currently extant, with other species that are currently extinct.
I think I can go on and on about them because they are rather well-studied. A good read here.
The Weaver ant is not to be confused with the Yellow Crazy Ant. Here is a photograph of an alate Weaver Ant, with a couple of Yellow Crazy Ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes).
13 Jun 2013
Ants of Singapore #03 - Anoplolepis (gracilipes)
Anoplolepis
Species accounts
Anoplolepis gracilipes
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| Yellow Crazy Ants, Anoplolepis gracilipes with some planthoppers. |
The Yellow Crazy Ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes Smith 1857 (subfamily Formicinae) is considered to be a tramp ant. A tramp ant is one which is very widespread because of its life history characteristics. One example would be that it is polydomous, where ants from different nests can intermingle, thus allowing high densities of ants to live together.
These ants are able to occupy niches within the humid, tropical areas, these ants are pretty conspicuous. Their common name, the Yellow Crazy Ant is indicative of its quick and fast movements when disturbed. On certain islands, these ants are known to dominate and cause certain native species to be affected. One such example is on Christmas Islands, possibly fuelled by biotic interactions with planthoppers.
It is likely that these ants originated from Asia or Africa, its origins are unclear at the moment.
Just as a note: there are only nine species within the genera Anoplolepis.
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