Myrmecophytes offer plant-ants a nesting place in exchange for protection from their enemies, particularly defoliators. These obligate ant-plant mutualisms are common model systems for studying factors that allow horizontally transmitted mutualisms to persist since parasites of ant-myrmecophyte mutualisms exploit the rewards provided by host plants whilst providing no protection in return. In pioneer formations in French Guiana, Azteca alfari and Azteca ovaticeps are known to be mutualists of myrmecophytic Cecropia (Cecropia ants). Here, we show that Azteca andreae, whose colonies build carton nests on myrmecophytic Cecropia, is not a parasite of Azteca-Cecropia mutualisms nor is it a temporary social parasite of A. alfari; it is, however, a temporary social parasite of A. ovaticeps. Contrarily to the two mutualistic Azteca species that are only occasional predators feeding mostly on hemipteran honeydew and food bodies provided by the host trees, A. andreae workers, which also attend hemipterans, do not exploit the food bodies. Rather, they employ an effective hunting technique where the leaf margins are fringed with ambushing workers, waiting for insects to alight. As a result, the host trees' fitness is not affected as A. andreae colonies protect their foliage better than do mutualistic Azteca species resulting in greater fruit production. Yet, contrarily to mutualistic Azteca, when host tree development does not keep pace with colony growth, A. andreae workers forage on surrounding plants; the colonies can even move to a non-Cecropia tree.
This paper revises the taxonomy of Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius, 1793) as follows: T. melanocephalum = Tapinoma luffae (Kuriam, 1955) syn. nov., = Tapinoma melanocephalum coronatum Forel, 1908 syn. nov., = Tapinoma melanocephalum malesianum Forel, 1913 syn. nov. A neotype of Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius, 1793) is designed here. Lectotypes of Tapinoma melanocephalum coronatum Forel, 1908 and T. melanocephalum malesianum Forel, 1913 are designated. Formica wallacei is proposed as a replacement name for Formica familiaris (= T. melanocephalum senior synonym). The worker, queen and male are redescribed and diagnosed. The morphological variability of populations is discussed. All castes are included in full color images.
Colombia es un país con alta diversidad de hormigas, sin embargo, nuevos taxones se siguen registrando para el país. Cuarenta y siete nuevos registros se relacionan aquí, todos dentro de la subfamilia Myrmicinae: Uno para los géneros Adelomyrmex, Allomerus, Kempfidris, Megalomyrmex, Octostruma y Tranopelta; dos para Rogeria; cinco para Myrmicocrypta; seis para Procryptocerus; siete para Cephalotes; diez para Pheidole y once para Strumigenys. Tres de esos nuevos registros corresponden a especies invasoras, Pheidole indica, Strumigenys emmae y Strumigenys membranifera. Tres especies se citan por primera vez para América del Sur: Pheidole sicaria, Procryptocerus tortuguero y Strumigenys manis. El género Kempfidris se registra por primera vez para Colombia. Se ofrecen comentarios para todas las especies. La diversidad de hormigas en Colombia comprende 104 géneros y casi 1.100 especies.
Forelius damiani sp. nov. is described from the dry forest of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, and additional collections from Costa Rica and Texas (USA). This new species is separated from the other rounded spiracles Forelius by the number of erect pronotal hairs, size and coloration. Comments and hypotheses about the biogeography of the genus are provided. Forelius pruinosus is recorded for the first time for Colombia.
Se presenta una base de datos de acceso público a través del Sistema de Información de Biodiversidad en Colombia (SIB), de las hormigas asociadas a fragmentos de bosque seco y ambientes urbanos de Santa Marta, Colombia. Los métodos de captura incluyeron la instalación de trampas de caída, cebos de proteína y carbohidratos, extracción por el método Winkler de las hormigas asociadas a la hojarasca y la recolección manual de aquellas que forrajeaban sobre la vegetación arbórea. El conjunto de datos contiene 54 323 registros, distribuidos en siete subfamilias, 42 géneros, 88 especies y nueve morfoespecies. El presente listado es una herramienta para incentivar el estudio y conservación de las hormigas en áreas urbanas.
The species of Linepithema Mayr in Colombia are reviewed from collection material. The genus Linepithema comprises 20 species, of which the following are reported in Colombia: L. angulatum (Emery), L. dispertitum (Forel), L. gallardoi (Brèthes), L. humile (Mayr), L. iniquum (Mayr), L. neotropicum Wild, L. piliferum (Mayr), L. tsachila Wild, and a new species, Linepithema hirsutum sp. nov. Linepithema dispertitum is a new record for Colombia and South America. A taxonomic key (English and Spanish) and distribution maps to the species of Linepithema in Colombia are provided.
Se revisa por primera vez el género Tapinoma en Colombia, a partir de material depositado en colecciones biológicas y de recolecciones esporádicas en el territorio nacional. Se registran cuatro especies, tres de ellas T. litorale, T. melanocephalum y T. ramulorum, y una cuarta sin describir. También se provee una clave taxonómica basada en las obreras, así como imágenes y mapas de las especies presentes en el país.
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