Paratrechina
| Paratrechina | |
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| Paratrechina longicornis (longhorn crazy ant) worker | |
| Scientific classification | |
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| Genus: | Paratrechina Motschulsky, 1863
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| Type species | |
| Paratrechina currens Motschoulsky, 1863
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| Diversity[1] | |
| 6 species | |
Paratrechina is one of seven ant genera (alongside Euprenolepis, Nylanderia, Paraparatrechina, Prenolepis, Pseudolasius, and Zatania) in the Prenolepis genus-group from the subfamily Formicinae (tribe Lasiini). Six species are included in Paratrechina; one of which, the longhorn crazy ant (Paratrechina longicornis), is a widespread, pantropical pest.[2]
Species
- Paratrechina ankarana LaPolla & Fisher, 2014
- Paratrechina antsingy LaPolla & Fisher, 2014
- Paratrechina kohli (Forel, 1916)
- Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille, 1802)
- Paratrechina umbra (Zhou & Zheng, 1998)
- Paratrechina zanjensis LaPolla, Hawkes & Fisher, 2013
Distribution
Most Paratrechina species are native to Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar,[3] but one species, Paratrechina umbra, has only been found in southern China and is native to Southeast Asia.[4] The only species found outside of these regions is Paratrechina longicornis, which has been introduced by humans to tropical areas across the globe.[5] The native range of Paratrechina longicornis is currently unknown, but it is thought to be of either African or Asian origin. Although Paratrechina longicornis has been found in undisturbed habitats in Southeast Asia,[5] the Afrotropics are the center of Paratrechina diversity.[3] Paratrechina zanjensis, the purported sister species to Paratrechina longicornis, is found specifically in miombo woodlands across central and eastern Africa (including Angola, Zambia, Tanzania, and Mozambique), and Paratrechina longicornis is also considered a woodland specialist.[6]
Taxonomy
In 2010, the genus Paratrechina (broad sense) was found to be paraphyletic, with all but one species being transferred to the revived genera Nylanderia and Paraparatrechina. The sole remaining species within Paratrechina was Paratrechina longicornis. The discovery of Paratrechina (broad sense) paraphyly was not particularly surprising, because Paratrechina longicornis possesses a morphology that had long been noted as being different from other members of the genus with especially elongated scapes, head and tibiae, coupled with a distinctly shaped mesosoma and unusual mesosomal setal pattern.[7]
Mutualism
See also: Myrmecophily
Some species of Paratrechina have been found to be in mutualistic association with caterpillars of E. elvina, a metalmark butterfly. The ants are attracted to the tentacle nectary organ of the caterpillars, which produces exudates rich in sugar and amino acids. The ants are thought to provide protection to the caterpillars against enemies in return for this source of nutrition.[8]
See also
References
- ^ Bolton, B. (2014). "Paratrechina". AntCat. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- ^ LaPolla, John S.; Hawkes, Peter; Fisher, Jonathan N. (2013-10-25). "Taxonomic review of the ant genus Paratrechina, with a description of a new species from Africa". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 35: 71–82. doi:10.3897/jhr.35.5628. ISSN 1314-2607.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ a b LaPolla, John S.; Fisher, Brian (2014-06-30). "Then there were five: a reexamination of the ant genus Paratrechina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)". ZooKeys. 422: 35–48. doi:10.3897/zookeys.422.7779. ISSN 1313-2970.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Williams, Jason L.; LaPolla, John S. (2016-11-29). "Taxonomic revision and phylogeny of the ant genus Prenolepis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Zootaxa. 4200 (2): 201–258. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4200.2.1. ISSN 1175-5334.
- ^ a b Wetterer, James K. (2008). "Worldwide spread of the longhorn crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)" (PDF). Myrmecological News. 11: 137–149.
- ^ LaPolla, John S.; Hawkes, Peter; Fisher, Jonathan N. (2013-10-25). "Taxonomic review of the ant genus Paratrechina, with a description of a new species from Africa". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 35: 71–82. doi:10.3897/jhr.35.5628. ISSN 1314-2607.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Lapolla, J.; Hawkes, P.; n. Fisher, J. (2013). "Taxonomic review of the ant genus Paratrechina, with a description of a new species from Africa". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 35: 71. doi:10.3897/JHR.35.5628.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Horvitz, Carol C.; Turnbull, Christine; Harvey, Donald J. (1987-07-01). "Biology of Immature Eurybia elvina (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae), a Myrmecophilous Metalmark Butterfly". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 80 (4): 513–519. doi:10.1093/aesa/80.4.513. ISSN 0013-8746.
This article incorporates text from a scholarly publication published under a copyright license that allows anyone to reuse, revise, remix and redistribute the materials in any form for any purpose: Lapolla, J.; Hawkes, P.; n. Fisher, J. (2013). "Taxonomic review of the ant genus Paratrechina, with a description of a new species from Africa". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 35: 71. doi:10.3897/JHR.35.5628.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) Please check the source for the exact licensing terms.
External links
Data related to Paratrechina at Wikispecies
