Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius, 1804)

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. Long. 1,6 mm. Jaune tesface et mat, appendices et gastre d'un jaune plus clair, lisses et luisants. Tete et thorax tres finement reticules. Sur le dessus de la tete qui est submat, les reticulations ont une tendance nettement longitudinale avec une " assez grosse ponctuation pilifere espacee ( M. Pharaonis est plus grossierement et plus regulierement ponctue-reticule). Une fine pilosite inclinee assez abondante sur la tete, les antennes et le gastre, plus rare ailleurs.

 

Tete rectangulaire, d'un cinquieme au moins plus longue que large, les cotes et le bord posterieur faiblement arques. Yeux en avant du milieu des cotes et assez convexes. Les scapes n'atteignent pas le bord posterieur (ils le depassent chez M. Pharaonis ). Articles 3 a 8 du funicule plus epais que longs, les articles 9 et 10 un peu plus longs qu'epais (beaucoup plus longs, chez M. Pharaonis ). Cretes frontales plus rapprochees que chez M. Pharaonis . Carenes de l'epistome mousses et un peu divergentes, le bord anterieur de celui-ci faiblement echancre au milieu. Mandibules striolees, de 3 dents (4?). Promesonotum d'un quart plus long que large, sans sutures dorsales et assez peu convexe. Face basale de l'epinotum un peu plus basse, droite, plane, plus longue que large, presque le double plus longue que la face declive, qui est subverticale et vers laquelle elle passe par un angle arrondi. Premier n oe ud du pedicule aussi haut que long, plus brievement petiole en avant que chez M. Pharaonis . Deuxieme article un peu plus large que le premier; devant du gastre faiblement echancre. Tres voisin de M. Pharaonis , bien que different par ses antennes, sa taille et sa sculpture.

 

Afrique Orientale anglaise: Bura

 

(Gh. Alluaud et R. Jeahnel), 1 .

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Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius HNS 1804).

Literature records: Cordillera, “Paraguay” (s. loc.) (Emery 1906, Forel 1906, Forel 1908b, Forel 1909).

Solenopsis geminata HNS is native from southern North Americs to northern South America (Trager 1991); records probably refer to S. saevissima HNS or S. macdonaghi HNS .

  • Wild, A. L. (2007): A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 1622, 1-55: 42-42, URL:http://www.antbase.org/ants/publications/21367/21367.pdf
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— . . Gabon (F. Faure) . Liberia. — Probablement importee d'Amerique sur les cotes africaines, cette espece, tres guerriere, risque fort d'avoir une grande extension en Afrique. Sur certaines Antilles, elle s'est substituee aux especes locales.

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Diagnosis of worker among Antkey species. Worker caste polymorphic. Total length > 2 mm. Head ovoid (minors) to rectangular (majors). Antenna 10-segmented. Antennal club 2-segmented. Antennal scapes not conspicuously short; easily extended beyond eye level. Antennal insertions at least partly covered by frontal lobes; not surrounded by a raised sharp-edged ridge. Antennal scrobe lacking. Posterolateral corners of head unarmed, without spines. Eyes medium to large (greater than 5 facets); distinctly less than half length."" class=""lexicon-term"">head length. Frontal lobes do not obscure face outline between mandible and eye. Anterior margin of clypeus with two lateral teeth but lacking median tooth. Mandibles triangular. Pronotal spines absent. Propodeum lacking spines or teeth. Petiole with peduncle; "" class=""lexicon-term"">subpetiolar process not developed as a flange or lobe. Shiny yellowish to brownish red.

Solenopsis geminata is easily separated from S. papuana by the polymorphic worker caste, the greater size (TL > 2.0 mm), and by the larger eye (> 5 facets). It is most reliably separated from S. invicta and S. richteri by the absence of a median tooth between the two lateral teeth on the anterior margin of the clypeus. This character is often difficult to see, and it is best to examine a moderate sample of specimens of different sizes before a confident determination can be made. Solenopsis geminata is most easily distinguished from the North American native, S. xyloni, by the lack of a well-developed subpetiolar process that forms a flange or lobe.

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Rights holder/AuthorEli Sarnat, Antkey
Sourcehttp://antkey.org/content/solenopsis-geminata-2

- Colombo.

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Solenopsis invicta, Solenopsis richteri, Solenopsis xyloni

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Rights holder/AuthorEli Sarnat, Antkey
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(No. 48 a a 48 m). . Espece cosmopolite des tropiques.

 

(48). Common, especially in open places below 1500 ft. The communities are large, often ten or twelve thousand individuals, I should think. The formicary proper is commonly excavated under sod or loose soil, advantage being often taken of the shelter afforded by a large stone, or by vines, a bush, & c; it is never far below the surface. In the centre is a large irregular chamber, or several small ones connected by very short passages; this central portion may occupy a space six inches square. From it a network of tunnels extends in all directions, but always near the surface; connected with these there may be other small chambers for larvae, food, & c. The longer tunnels may extend for many yards, commonly ending under stones, where other chambers are constructed; and to these distant parts of the formicarium the larvae are often carried. No matter how large the community is, there appears to be but one gravid female, though several winged females may be found. These ants are very pugnacious, especially when their central nest is disturbed. The sting is unpleasant, but not very painful. The largest-headed workers are. few in number, and keep to the inner passages of the formicarium. The other workers are frequently found about houses, on foliage, flowers, & c, and prowling over the ground in open places. They seem to live principally, if not entirely, on vegetable matter; they are especially fond of sweet substances. I have found considerable quantities of grass-seeds stored in small chambers in their nests. In their movements the smallheaded workers are moderately active; the large-headed ones move slowly, and in a staggering way. The females are sluggish.

 

(48 a). Near Wallibou (leeward); seashore thickets; sandy soil. Oct, 8 th. The main nest was under a large stone.

 

(48 b). Fitz-Hugh Valley (leeward), 500 ft.; open place near stream. A large nest under sod and vines on a rock.

 

(48 d). Fitz-Hugh Valley (leeward), 500 ft. Nov. 4 th. Open place. A female found alone in a small cavity of rotten wood.

 

(48 e). Golden Grove (leeward), 300 ft. June. Workers found about the house.

 

(48 f).. Workers from various localities on the leeward side and southern end of the island, below 1500 ft.; open places. Some found at the ends of their tunnels, under stones; others on foliage, on the flowers of Croton, & c.

 

(48 g). Southern end of the island; Villa Estate, near the seashore; dry hill-side; at the end of a tunnel under a stone. Oct. 14 th.

 

(48 h). Near Palmyra Estate (leeward), 1000 ft. Nov. 4 th. Open hill-side. A formicary or end of a tunnel, partly under a stone. The ants had formed a small mound at the side of the stone, with the earth brought up. I could find no female; and probably this was not the main nest, though the ants and larvae were numerous.

 

(48 i). Wallilobo (leeward), near sea-level; open valley. Nov. 8 th. From extensive passages under sod and stones.

 

(48 j). Camden Park Estate (leeward, near Kingstown), Nov. 19 th; seashore, at the root of a tree. A large colony. The ants had passages on the tree-trunk, following the lines of crevices, and formed roughly of bits of wood-fibre.

 

The tunnels of these ants are made very near the surface of the ground, and are generally partly open, either because the surface has fallen in, or because the passage is not necessarily a covered one; hence these passages can easily be traced.

 

(48 k). Nov. 23 rd. Golden Grove (leeward), 300 ft. Many thousands appeared in the upper room of the house, near sunset, in a corner near a window. They had at least a hundred males, which they let loose near the window. It was curious to see the workers drag the males to the window, which, however, was closed - a failure of instinct. Very few workers major appeared.

 

I killed thousands of the ants with carbolic acid. Notwithstanding this, and the fact that the window was an effectual barrier to swarming, the ants appeared again in a few days after, in the same place, with other males.

 

(481). Hermitage Estate, Cumberland Valley, 1000 ft.; open place. Dec. 2 nd. At roots of plants on a rock. A large nest.

 

(48 m). Windward coast of Robocca. Jan. 2 nd. Dooryard, under stones. (The species is common on the windward side).

 

N. B. - Mons. H. H. Smith a encore rapporte plusieurs et appartenant au genre Solenopsis , mais indeter- minables, parce que les correspondantes manquent.

 

II se peut qu'ils appartiennent a des deja decrites, et c'est un devoir de ne pas encombrer la synonymie de ce genre deja si difficile. Ces individus sont les numeros (10 h) , (11 a) et , quatre especes de pris au vol et sans numeros, enfin le No. 10 a. La et l'ouvriere du No. 10 a appartiennent a deux especes differentes, mais l'ouvriere unique, fort rapprochee de la S. Castor n'est pas assez caracteristique, ni assez bien conservee pour qu'il soit permis de la decrire.

 

(11). Perhaps referable to No. 9.

 

(11 a). Open place near sea-level; Cumberland Valley (leeward). Oct. 8 th. Flying. Copulated (about 8 a. m.).

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. Zent, cote Atlantique, Costa Rica (Biolley), tres grandes major; Ile de Coco (Alfaro), probablement importee.

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Known prey organisms:

Solenopsis geminata preys on:
Anaides
Coilodes castanea
Deltochilum lobipes
Eurysternus caribaeus
Eurysternus caludicans
Eurysternus plebejus
Onthophagus praecellens
toad carrion

Based on studies in:
Costa Rica: de Osa (Carrion substrate)

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

  • B. W. Cornaby, 1974. Carrion reduction by animals in contrasting tropical habitats. Biotropica 6:51-63, from pp. 54, 59-62.
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Rights holder/AuthorCynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE
Sourcehttp://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/

Statistics of barcoding coverage: Solenopsis geminata:

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 29
Specimens with Barcodes: 100
Species With Barcodes: 1

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Rights holder/AuthorSujeevan Ratnasingham, Paul D.N. Hebert, Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)
Sourcehttp://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=52694
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith