Current View: All Antweb

Cite this page

View in AntCat

See Also:

Eurhopalothrix gravis_nr

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2017)

Distribution:

(based on species list records)
Neotropical Region: Alajuela, Americas, Aragua, Atlántida, Belize, Brazil, Cayo, Central America, Chiapas, Chocó, Colombia, Comayagua, Costa Rica, Cotopaxi, Dominica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Heredia, Honduras, Limón, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Puntarenas, San José, Santa Catarina, South America, Venezuela

Distribution Notes:

Southern Mexico to Costa Rica. Doubtful record from Santa Catarina State, Brazil.

Biology:

This species occurs in mature to second growth wet forest habitats. It is a lowland species, occurring from sea level to 1100 m in Central America. Many specimens are from Berlese and Winkler samples of sifted litter and rotten wood from the forest floor, but unlike many other species, specimens have also been found by direct search, usually isolated workers under loose bark of rotten wood. An alate queen was collected in a flight intercept trap in Belize, 19–28 August 2007 (P. W. Kovarik). Where it has been collected it is typically low density, occurring in less than 1% of Winkler samples, but one exception was a site at 1100 m elevation on the Barva Transect in Costa Rica, where it occurred in 8% of samples.

Identification:

A relatively large species (HW 0.83-0.94mm); mandible with double tooth row; face with full complement of 18 erect setae; promesonotum with 3 pairs erect setae.

Comments:

Eurhopalothrix reichenspergeri, based on a single worker from Santa Catarina State, Brazil, was synonymized under E. gravis by Brown and Kempf (1960). Brown and Kempf's concept of E. gravis was considerably broader than the concept adopted by Longino (2013). The synonymy of E. reichenspergeri under E. gravis and thus the occurrence of E. gravis in southern Brazil should be considered suspect until the South American fauna is better sampled and understood.

References:

Brown, W. L., Jr., Kempf, W. W. 1960. A world revision of the ant tribe Basicerotini. Stud. Entomol. (n.s.) 3:161-250.

Hoelldobler, B., Wilson, E. O. 1986. Soil-binding pilosity and camouflage in ants of the tribes Basicerotini and Stegomyrmecini (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Zoomorphology (Berl.) 106:12-20.

Mann, W. M. 1922. Ants from Honduras and Guatemala. Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus. 61:1-54.

Menozzi, C. 1936. Due nuovi Dacetini di Costa Rica e descrizione della larva di uno di essi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Arb. Morphol. Taxon. Entomol. Berl.-Dahl. 3:81-85.

Santschi, F. 1923. Descriptions de quelques nouvelles fourmis du Bresil. Rev. Mus. Paul. 13:1255-1264.

Wilson, E. O. 1956. Feeding behavior in the ant Rhopalothrix biroi Szabo. Psyche (Camb.) 63:21-23.

Wilson, E. O., Brown, W. L., Jr. 1985 ("1984"). Behavior of the cryptobiotic predaceous ant Eurhopalothrix heliscata, n. sp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Basicerotini). Insectes Soc. 31:408-428.

Specimen Habitat Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 24 times found in montane wet forest, 6 times found in mature wet forest, 3 times found in tropical rainforest, with big trees, probably primary, 1 times found in rainforest, 2 times found in tropical rainforest, 1 times found in forest, 1 times found in SSE, 2 times found in tropical wet forest, 3 times found in ridgetop cloud forest, isolated peak with oak trees, 1 times found in mature cloud forest, ...

Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 20 times ex sifted leaf litter, 15 times Hojarasca, 1 times ex rotten log, 2 times Cerca del Refugio Cascante, 2 times suelo, 1 times on dead wood, 1 times ex sifted litter, 1 times ex rotten wood, 1 times Raices Euterpe muerto., 1 times mixed primary forest litter, 1 times madera podrida suspendida, ...

Collected most commonly using these methods: 11 times miniWinkler, 12 times Berlese, 13 times Mini Winkler, 7 times maxiWinkler, 6 times search, 2 times Winkler, 1 times Davis sifter, 2 times flight intercept trap, 1 times Transecto Tatamá, TAT 203, 1 times FIT.

Elevations: collected from 35 - 2000 meters, 700 meters average

Type specimens: syntype of Eurhopalothrix gravis: casent0900928; syntype of Rhopalothrix reichenspergeri: casent0912537

See something amiss? Send us an email.

AntWeb is hosted and supported by the California Academy of Sciences.