Leptogenys falcigera Roger 1861

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Biology:

  Little is known about the biology of L. falcigera. It occurs mainly in low elevation sites on Hawaii (Reimer, 1994), and the average elevation for specimen collections included in Antweb (mostly from Madagascar) is 59 m. Colonies are mostly limited to fewer than 50 workers (Reimer, 1994). Like most of its congeners the queens of L. falcigera are ergatoid and wingless, and males are relatively uncommon. Specimen records from Palau and Madagascar indicate the species nests in rotting logs and cavities both on and above ground, and mostly solitary workers forage on both strata as well. Many collections were made from sifted leaf litter. Kirschenbaum & Grace (2008)report the species fed mainly on live isopods (which is true for many Leptogenys) and also took 25% sucrose solution. Their study demonstrated that L. falcigera is not an aggressive species, and has a strong capacity for surviving encounters with more dominant ants. In Hawaii, the species is thought to exert little impact on native species on account of its small colony sizes and uncommonness in habitats frequented by native invertebrates.

 

 

  On Juan de Nova island in the Mozambique Canal, a colony was found nesting in a rot pocket.  Here is a picture of the nest. 

 

许可证http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/
权利人/作者AntWeb
源http://www.antweb.org/description.do?genus=leptogenys&name=falcigera&rank=species

Distribution:

  Native range. Afrotropics?
  Introduced range. Madagascar, Aldabra Is., Sri Lanka, Hawaian Islands (Kaho'olawe, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai and Maui), Kiribati (Teraina), Palau, Cook Is. (Aitutaki).

 

许可证http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/
权利人/作者AntWeb
源http://www.antweb.org/description.do?genus=leptogenys&name=falcigera&rank=species

Statistics of barcoding coverage: Leptogenys falcigera:

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 0
Specimens with Barcodes: 32
Species With Barcodes: 1

许可证http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
权利人/作者Sujeevan Ratnasingham, Paul D.N. Hebert, Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)
源http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=179982

Overview:

  Leptogenys falcigera is a large (7.0–7.8 mm), dull black ant with large eyes, a projecting triangular clypeus, and long, edentate and falcate mandibles. The combination of the clypeus shape and curved mandibles give the ant a distinctly ‘smiling’ appearance. The native range of L. falcigera is somewhat of a mystery. Although generally considered to be of African origin, the species has not been recorded from the continent. Although common across Madagascar’s coastal habitats and surrounding islands, the species does not penetrate into the interior. Otherwise L. falcigera is only known from Sri Lanka and Pacific islands. Leptogenys falcigera is the type species for the genus, and was first described from Sri Lanka (Roger, 1861). The Hawaiian population was originally described in the late 1879 as a new species under the name L. insularis Smith, F., which was later synonymized with L. falcigera by Wilson & Taylor (1967). The maxillosa group, to which L. falcigera belongs, includes several other species which are also tropical tramps and likely rely on human commerce for transportation (Bolton, 1975). Although the species is associated with disturbed habitats, it is not considered a significant pest (Reimer, 1994).

 

许可证http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/
权利人/作者AntWeb
源http://www.antweb.org/description.do?genus=leptogenys&name=falcigera&rank=species

1. LEPTOGENYS FALCIGERA HNS , Roger.

(Pl. III, fig. 10.)

Leptogenys falcigera, Roger HNS , Berliner entomologische Zeitschrift (1861).

. Longueur 7,5 à 8 mill. Le bord antérieur du dessous de la tête (et non de l'épistome , comme le prétend Roger) a de chaque côté , àl'intérieur des articulations des mandibules, une assez large dent un peu courbée . Tête beaucoup plus large devant que derrière et plus large que longue. Yeux situés au quart antérieur des côtés de la tête . Mandibules trèsétroites , très longues, avec une petite dent étroiteà leur bord interne, près de l'extrémité ; cette dent est souvent absente ou tombée . Vers leur base, les mandibules sont très brusquement et fortement courbées . Epistome avec une carèneaiguë ; les deux côtés de la carène sont lisses et luisants. Dos du thorax continu, faiblement convexe d'avant en arrière , sans étranglement , mais avec les sutures fortement marquées . Méso- notum très court, mais aussi large que le métanotum . Face déclive de ce dernier en talus ou en biseau, assez courte, subbordéelatéralement , arrondie en haut. N œ ud du pédicule plus large derrière que devant, aussi large que le métathorax , à peine plus haut que long, aussi large que long, arrondi en dessus et sur les côtés , aplati devant et derrière , portant dessous et devant une dent lamelliforme longitudinale. Abdomen allongé avec une petite dent obtuse àl'extrémitéantérieureinférieure de sonp remier segment. La partie libre de la lame dorsale du second segment abdominal est échancrée devant. La portion articulaire de cette lame dorsale, devant l'échancrure , n'est pas toujours entièrementcachée par le premier segment et porte au milieu une élévation de couleur brun clair qui forme un cône en relief et dont la pointe est située en arrière et n'atteint pas tout à fait le fond de l'échancrure de la partie libre. Ce cône en relief, qui paraît lisse et luisant à la loupe, montre à un grossissement microscopique suffisant une striation transversale extraordinairement fine et régulière . C'est probablement un instrument de stridulation. Aiguillon très long.

Mandibules lisses et luisantes. Tout le reste du corps, les pattes et les antennes trèsdensément , un peu irrégulièrement et finement ponctués et mats avec un aspect pruineux trèsmarqué . En outre, une ponctuation superposéegrossière , régulièrementespacée , superficielle, assez effacée sur l'abdomen, distincte ailleurs. Tout le corps (sauf les mandibules), les pattes et les antennes couverts d'une très fine pubescence d'un gris jaunâtre , tout à fait appliquée , trop peu serrée pour cacher la ponctuation avec laquelle elle produit l'aspect pruineux. Pilositédressée presque nulle; seulement quelques poils jaunâtres sous le corps et à ses deux extremites.

Entièrement noire ou plutôt d'un gris pruineux. Extrémité de l'abdomen et lisièreextrême de chaque segment, tarses, genoux, anneaux fémoraux , funicules, extrémité des mandibules roussâtres ; scapes et pattes brunâtres . Lisièreantérieure de l'épistome d'un jaune pâle , transparent.

. Longueur 6 mill. Mandibules assez courtes, faiblement coudéesprès de leur base. Leur base est plus ou moins cylindrique; la partie qui suit le coude est aplatie en lame àcôtésparallèles et àextrémité arrondie comme un couteau de table. Labre avancé , bilobé . Arêtes frontales presque nulles; aire frontale triangulaire; sillon frontal distinct. Méso- notum avec deux forts sillons convergents. Une petite arête entre la face basale et la face déclive du métanotum . Une petite dent sous le premier segment de l'abdomen. (Les caractères qui précèdent sont probablement génériques .) N œ ud du pédicule arrondi, plus large que long. Densémentponctué et subopaque; sur le métanotum qui est subbordélatéralement , le pédicule et l'abdomen, une ponctuation superposéeespacée plus grossiere et très distincte. Le mésonotum a de petites stries rompues çà et là au lieu de points. Quelques rides transversales derrière le métanotum . Pilositédressée nulle, sauf vers la bouche et àl'extrémité de l'abdomen où elle est assez abondante. Pubescence comme chez la . Noirâtre avec les pattes, les antennes et les mandibules brunâtres ; l'extrémité de l'abdomen et des tarses, ainsi que la bouche, testacés . Ailes teintées de brunâtre . Tache marginale grande et brune.

Bois situés sur les bords de l'Ivondronâ , près de Tamatave (Dr Conrad Keller); environs de Tamatave ( Rév . PèreCamboué ). Reçue de Madagascar par M. André . Ceylan; Sumatra. C'est par erreur que j'avais signalé , dans un précédent travail, les Leptogenys HNS récoltées par le Dr C. Keller sous le nom de L. maxillosa HNS ; ce sont des L. falcigera HNS .

  • Forel, A. (1891): Histoire naturelle des Hymenopteres. Deuxieme partie: Les Formicides. In: Grandidier, A. (Ed): Histoire Physique, Naturelle et Politique de Madagascar. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale, 1-231: 109-111, DOI:10.5281/zenodo.9896
许可证Public Domain
权利人/作者No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
源http://treatment.plazi.org/id/326E8C2C5DF943200208923D87ADBB6C

Little is known about the biology of L. falcigera. It occurs mainly in low elevation sites on Hawaii (Reimer, 1994), and the average elevation for specimen collections included in Antweb (mostly from Madagascar) is 59 m. Colonies are mostly limited to fewer than 50 workers (Reimer, 1994). Like most of its congeners the queens of L. falcigera are ergatoid and wingless, and males are relatively uncommon. Specimen records from Palau and Madagascar indicate the species nests in rotting logs and cavities both on and above ground, and mostly solitary workers forage on both strata as well. Many collections were made from sifted leaf litter. Kirschenbaum & Grace (2008)report the species fed mainly on live isopods (which is true for many Leptogenys) and also took 25% sucrose solution. Their study demonstrated that L. falcigera is not an aggressive species, and has a strong capacity for surviving encounters with more dominant ants. In Hawaii, the species is thought to exert little impact on native species on account of its small colony sizes and uncommonness in habitats frequented by native invertebrates.

许可证http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
权利人/作者Eli Sarnat, Antkey
源http://antkey.org/content/leptogenys-falcigera-2

Native range. Afrotropics?
Introduced range. Madagascar, Aldabra Is., Sri Lanka, Hawaiian Islands (Kahoolawe, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai and Maui), Kiribati (Teraina), Palau, Cook Is. (Aitutaki).

许可证http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
权利人/作者Eli Sarnat, Antkey
源http://antkey.org/content/leptogenys-falcigera-2

Diagnosis of worker among Antkey species. Antenna 12-segmented. Eyes medium to large (greater than 6 facets); situated distinctly below midline of head. Frontal lobes present. Clypeus distinctly triangular and projects anteriorly well beyond the base of the mandibles; anterior margin of clypeus not denticulate. Mandibles linear; inserted towards lateral corners of the of the anterior head margin; edentate and lacking apical fork. Hind coxae lacking dorsal spine. Pretarsal claws pectinate. Waist 1-segmented. Petiole upright; conspicuous posterior face; narrowly attached to gaster. Gaster armed with sting. First gastral tergite (abdominal segment 4) lacking deep longitudinal furrows. Distinct constriction between abdominal segments 3+4. Color dull black. 

Among Antkey species, L. falcigera is immediately recognizable by the triangular clypeus and long falcate mandibles. The only other ponerine genera in this class that might be confused with Leptogenys are Anochetus and Odontomachus, both of which also have linear mandibles. However, Leptogenys can be easily distinguished by from these two genera by the mandibles which are inserted laterally (versus medially) into the clypeus, the triangular and anteriorly projecting clypeus, and the pectinate (versus simple) pretarsal claws. Leptogenys maxillosa is a very closely related species that is also a tropical tramp and has been introduced into Cuba and Brazil. Leptogenys falcigera can be separated from L. maxillosa by the petiolar node, which in dorsal view is at least as long as broad and usually distinctly longer than broad (Bolton, 1975).

许可证http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
权利人/作者Eli Sarnat, Antkey
源http://antkey.org/content/leptogenys-falcigera-2

Identification:

 

  Diagnosis among workers of introduced and commonly intercepted ants in the United States. Antenna 12-segmented. Eyes medium to large (greater than 5 facets); situated distinctly below midline of head. Frontal lobes present. Clypeus distinctly triangular and projects anteriorly well beyond the base of the mandibles; anterior margin of clypeus not denticulate. Mandibles linear; inserted towards lateral corners of the of the anterior head margin; edentate and lacking apical fork. Hind coxae lacking dorsal spine. Pretarsal claws pectinate. Waist 1-segmented. Petiole upright; conspicuous posterior face; narrowly attached to gaster. Gaster armed with sting. First gastral tergite (abdominal segment 4) lacking deep longitudinal furrows. Distinct constriction between abdominal segments 3+4. Color dull black. 

  

  Among introduced and commonly intercepted ants of the United States, L. falcigera is immediately recognizable by the triangular clypeus and long falcate mandibles. The only other ponerine genera in this class that might be confused with Leptogenys are Anochetus and Odontomachus, both of which also have linear mandibles. However, Leptogenyus can be easily distinguished by from these two genera by the mandibles which are inserted laterally (versus medially) into the clypeus, the triangular and anteriorly projecting clypeus, and the pectinate (versus simple) pretarsal claws. Leptogenys maxillosa is a very closely related species that is also a tropical tramp and has been introduced into Cuba and Brazil. Leptogenys falcigera can be separated from L. maxillosa by the petiolar node, which in dorsal view is at least as long as broad and usually distinctly longer than broad (Bolton, 1975).

 

许可证http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/
权利人/作者AntWeb
源http://www.antweb.org/description.do?genus=leptogenys&name=falcigera&rank=species

Leptogenys maxillosa

许可证http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
权利人/作者Eli Sarnat, Antkey
源http://antkey.org/content/leptogenys-falcigera-2
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith