Pacific Islands: Fiji > Formicidae > Formicinae > Paratrechina > Paratrechina longicornis
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Species: Paratrechina longicornis

Name Status: Valid Name

Taxonomic Hierarchy:

Subfamily: Formicinae Genus: Paratrechina

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2013)

Formica longicornis Latreille, 1802a: 113 (w.) SENEGAL. AntCat AntWiki

Taxonomic history

Jerdon, 1851 PDF: 124 (q.); André, 1881c PDF: 60 (m.); Hung, Imai & Kubota, 1972 PDF: 1024 (k.); Wheeler & Wheeler, 1986d PDF: 336 (l.); Fox, et al. 2007: 3 (l.).

Combination in Prenolepis: Roger, 1863b PDF: 10; in Paratrechina (Nylanderia): Emery, 1910a PDF: 129; in Paratrechina: Wheeler, 1921e PDF: 112.

Senior synonym of Paratrechina currens: Emery, 1892c PDF: 166; of Paratrechina gracilescens: Roger, 1863b PDF: 10; of Paratrechina vagans: Dalla Torre, 1893: 179.

Senior synonym of Paratrechina hagemanni: LaPolla, Brady & Shattuck, 2010A PDF: 128.

See also: Mayr, 1865: 50; Forel, 1891c PDF: 81; Forel, 1894c PDF: 406; Emery, 1910a PDF: 129; Trager, 1984b PDF: 153.

Distribution:

Reference for Kenya if not type: Arabuko Sukoke

Biology:

Natural History:

This species is a pantropical tramp that is easily dispersed by human activity. They are a common pest ant in houses and seem peculiarly adapted to the interior and immediate vicinity of human habitations (Fig. 1). In Costa Rica I have collected them in the town squares of Liberia and Sierpe, city parks in San JosŽ, around the buildings at Finca La Pacifica, beach margins of Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and in the dining hall of La Selva Biological Station. At La Selva, where intensive surveys of the ant fauna have been carried out, I have never collected P. longicornis beyond the confines of the dining hall.

The workers are very generalized scavengers, very quickly recruiting to food scraps in houses.

On two occasions, once at Discovery Bay Marine Lab in Jamaica and once on the steps of the La Selva dining hall, I have seen massive emergences of P. longicornis colonies (Fig. 2). I do not know what caused these evacuations, but the visual effect was stunning. In each case many square meters were covered with a coruscating layer of workers. The workers formed a closely spaced monolayer. Many of the workers were carrying brood, and many dealate queens were scattered amongst the workers. When undisturbed the ants were more or less stationary, but shining a light on them or blowing on them caused ripples and waves of movement.

There is a large literature on the biology of P. longicornis. A search for "Paratrechina longicornis" in the 2001 version of Formis, a database of ant literature, yielded 271 references.

Comments:

Introduced species

Notes:

(Dutch vernacular name: superlangsprietmier)

Taxon Page Author History

Taxonomic Treatment (provided by Plazi)

Espadaler, X., 2007:
(*) (14, w; 20, w; 34, w q; 37, w; 41, w; 42, w; 44, w). This lowland species is found only in urban parks or suburban dirty habitats.

Ward, P. S., 2005:
I [introduced species]

Wild, A. L., 2007:
Central, Concepción (ALWC, INBP). [* = species not native to Paraguay]

Specimen Data Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 99 times found in urban/garden, 27 times found in coastal scrub, 17 times found in urban garden, 17 times found in 2º lowland rainforest, 6 times found in dry forest, 1 times found in road side, 3 times found in degraded dry forest, 9 times found in tropical dry forest, 3 times found in savannah shrubland, 5 times found in coastal roadside, ...

Collected most commonly using these methods or in the following microhabitats: 21 times search, 14 times Beating, 5 times water traps, 16 times Baiting, 13 times aspirating; PB & maple syrup bait, 10 times aspirating; PB bait, 15 times MiniWinkler, 3 times Malaise trap, 1 trap, 9 times MW 50 sample transect, 5m, 3 times Pitfall trap, 2 times 9 MaxiWinks, mixed samples, ...

Elevations: collected from 1 - 1560 meters, 141 meters average