Nesting habits and colony composition of the hypogaeic army ant Dorylus (Dichthadia) laevigatus Fr. Smith

Berghoff, Stefanie M.; Weissflog, A.; Linsenmair, K. Eduard; Mohamed, Maryati; Maschwitz, U.

doi:10.1007/pl00012662

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…16 -13a of Hö lldobler & Wilson [46]), compared with approximately 60 per cent in T. lubei. Queens show a suite of characteristics restricted to legionary ants, including physogastry, where the gaster becomes swollen, distended with sclerites widely separated by a membrane, containing expanded ovaries that allow rapid production of large numbers of eggs and so extremely large colonies [42,47,48]. -Camponotus gigas (subfamily Formicinae): southeast Asian region [45,48,49].…”

Section: Discussion (A) the Status Of Formiciine Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intercontinental dispersal of giant thermophilic ants across the Arctic during early Eocene hyperthermals

et al. 2011

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Early Eocene land bridges allowed numerous plant and animal species to cross between Europe and North America via the Arctic. While many species suited to prevailing cool Arctic climates would have been able to cross throughout much of this period, others would have found dispersal opportunities only during limited intervals when their requirements for higher temperatures were met. Here, we present Titanomyrma lubei gen. et sp. nov. from Wyoming, USA, a new giant (greater than 5 cm long) formiciine ant from the early Eocene (approx. 49.5 Ma) Green River Formation. We show that the extinct ant subfamily Formiciinae is only known from localities with an estimated mean annual temperature of about 208C or greater, consistent with the tropical ranges of almost all of the largest living ant species. This is, to our knowledge, the first known formiciine of gigantic size in the Western Hemisphere and the first reported cross-Arctic dispersal by a thermophilic insect group. This implies intercontinental migration during one or more brief high-temperature episodes (hyperthermals) sometime between the latest Palaeocene establishment of intercontinental land connections and the presence of giant formiciines in Europe and North America by the early middle Eocene.

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Section: Discussion (A) the Status Of Formiciine Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intercontinental dispersal of giant thermophilic ants across the Arctic during early Eocene hyperthermals

et al. 2011

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“…However, the presence of the bait could also influence the species' foraging behavior. Although oil is probably fed to some extent to the larvae (Berghoff et al 2002b), other food, in particular proteins, is needed to rear the larvae (Weissflog et al 2000). Because of this, D. laevigatus would need to extend its foraging beyond baits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Because of this, effects of an army ant raid are most likely to be seen a few days after a raid. Arthropods were trapped 3 days after D. laevigatus, which preys on earthworms and a wide variety of arthropods including termites and broods of ground-nesting ants (Weissflog et al 2000;Berghoff et al 2002aBerghoff et al , 2002b, had entered a square. No significant differences were found in the number of arthropod orders, individuals, or juveniles collected with epigaeic or hypogaeic traps.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The five most common ground-nesting ant species were able co-occur even with more than 1,000 D. laevigatus at a bait by employing different strategies. Adding to the differences separating D. laevigatus from epigaeically raiding army ant species (Berghoff et al 2002a(Berghoff et al , 2002b, this hypogaeic ant seems by far not as fierce a predator as, e.g., the epigaeically swarm-raiding army ant D. nigricans.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of the hypogaeic army ant Dorylus (Dichthadia) laevigatus on tropical arthropod communities

2003

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The majority of army ant species forage hypogaeically. Due to the difficulties in observing these ants, their potential influence on hypogaeic and epigaeic arthropod communities has not yet been investigated. As the first hypogaeically foraging army ant studied in detail, we attracted Dorylus laevigatus to areas monitored for their arthropod diversity. Here, for the first time, the same sites were sampled before and after an army ant raid. Furthermore, interactions between D. laevigatus and the five most common ground-nesting ant species were noted and their life-history traits compared, allowing first inferences on possible mechanisms of their coexistence. The occurrence of D. laevigatus within a study plot had no evident effect on the number of arthropod taxa or individuals collected with epigaeic and hypogaeic pitfall traps. Likewise, juvenile arthropods, which are less mobile and thus are potentially easier prey for D. laevigatus, showed no differences in their collected numbers before and after the army ant had visited a plot. However, significantly fewer ant species were collected with hypogaeic traps after D. laevigatus had been within the study plots, indicating a possible predation of D. laevigatus especially on two Pseudolasius and one Pheidole species. The five most common ground-foraging ant species demonstrated their ability to avoid, kill, and even prey on the army ant. The reaction of Lophomyrmex bedoti towards D. laevigatus indicated the former to be a potential prey species, while Pachycondyla sp. 2 showed signs of "enemy specification." Odontoponera diversus and O. transversa actively preyed on D. laevigatus, while Pheidologeton affinis fought with D. laevigatus over resources. All ant species could co-occur with D. laevigatus at palm oil baits. Adding to the differences detected in previous studies between D. laevigatus and epigaeically foraging army ant species, the occurrence of this hypogaeic army ant seems to have less devastating effects on arthropod community compositions than those of epigaeically mass raiding species.

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“…The best studied species include the Afrotropical species that forage above ground (Raignier and Boven 1955, Raignier 1972, Gotwald 1995), but one subterranean species, Dorylus laevigatus has been the subject of some work (Berghoff et al 2002a, b, 2003a, b, Weissflog et al 2000). Good overviews of Dorylus biology can be found in Raignier and Boven (1955) and Gotwald (1995).…”

Section: Taxonomic Treatment Of the Genera Of Dorylinaementioning

confidence: 99%

Generic revision of the ant subfamily Dorylinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Borowiec

2016

106

105

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The generic classification of the ant subfamily Dorylinae is revised, with the aim of facilitating identification of easily-diagnosable monophyletic genera. The new classification is based on recent molecular phylogenetic evidence and a critical reappraisal of doryline morphology. New keys and diagnoses based on workers and males are provided, along with reviews of natural history and phylogenetic relationships, distribution maps, and a list of valid species for each lineage. Twenty-eight genera (27 extant and 1 extinct) are recognized within the subfamily, an increase from 20 in the previous classification scheme. Species classified in the polyphyletic Cerapachys and Sphinctomyrmex prior to this publication are here distributed among 9 and 3 different genera, respectively. Amyrmex and Asphinctanilloides are synonymized under Leptanilloides and the currently recognized subgenera are synonymized for Dorylus. No tribal classification is proposed for the subfamily, but several apparently monophyletic genus-groups are discussed. Valid generic names recognized here include: Acanthostichus (= Ctenopyga), Aenictogiton, Aenictus (= Paraenictus, Typhlatta), Cerapachys (= Ceratopachys), Cheliomyrmex, Chrysapace gen. rev., Cylindromyrmex (= Holcoponera, Hypocylindromyrmex, Metacylindromyrmex), Dorylus (= Alaopone syn. n., Anomma syn. n., Cosmaecetes, Dichthadia syn. n., Rhogmus syn. n., Shuckardia, Sphecomyrmex, Sphegomyrmex, Typhlopone syn. n.), Eburopone gen. n., Eciton (= Camptognatha, Holopone, Mayromyrmex), Eusphinctus gen. rev., Labidus (= Nycteresia, Pseudodichthadia), Leptanilloides (= Amyrmex syn. n., Asphinctanilloides syn. n.), Lioponera gen. rev. (= Neophyracaces syn. n., Phyracaces syn. n.), Lividopone, Neivamyrmex (= Acamatus, Woitkowskia), Neocerapachys gen. n., Nomamyrmex, Ooceraea gen. rev. (= Cysias syn. n.), Parasyscia gen. rev., †Procerapachys, Simopone, Sphinctomyrmex, Syscia gen. rev., Tanipone, Vicinopone, Yunodorylus gen. rev., Zasphinctus gen. rev. (= Aethiopopone syn. n., Nothosphinctus syn. n.).

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Nesting habits and colony composition of the hypogaeic army ant Dorylus (Dichthadia) laevigatus Fr. Smith

Cited by 14 publications

References 24 publications

Intercontinental dispersal of giant thermophilic ants across the Arctic during early Eocene hyperthermals

Intercontinental dispersal of giant thermophilic ants across the Arctic during early Eocene hyperthermals

Influence of the hypogaeic army ant Dorylus (Dichthadia) laevigatus on tropical arthropod communities

Generic revision of the ant subfamily Dorylinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

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