Species: Liometopum occidentale

Current Valid Name:

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2023)

Liometopum microcephalum var. occidentale Emery, 1895d PDF: 330 (w.m.) U.S.A. (California). Nearctic. Primary type information: Primary type material: syntype workers (number not stated), 1 syntype male. Primary type locality: workers U.S.A.: California, San Jacinto (no collector’s name) (by restriction of Creighton, 1950a PDF: 339). Primary type depositories: MCZC, MSNG. Type notes: 1) Creighton, 1950a PDF: 339, records that part of the type series is in MCZC, which Shattuck, 1994 PDF: 130, cites as 1 worker, 1 queen; the queen is not mentioned in the original description. 2) Other original syntype locality: male California, Mariposa (no collector’s name). AntCat AntWiki HOL

Taxonomic history

Wheeler, 1917a PDF: 522 (q.)

Subspecies of Liometopum microcephalum: Santschi, 1911d PDF: 7; Ruzsky, 1925b PDF: 45.

Subspecies of Liometopum apiculatum: Wheeler, 1905h PDF: 324; Wheeler, 1910a PDF: 568; Emery, 1913a PDF: 20.

Status as species: Wheeler, 1917a PDF: 521; Creighton, 1950a PDF: 339; Smith, 1951c PDF: 835; Smith, 1958c PDF: 140; Smith, 1979: 1417; Snelling & George, 1979: 158; Allred, 1982: 486; Wheeler & Wheeler, 1986g PDF: 55 (in key); Shattuck, 1994 PDF: 130; Bolton, 1995b: 247; Ward, 2005 PDF: 27; Del Toro et al., 2009 PDF: 330 (redescription).

Taxon Page Images:

Liometopum occidentale velvety tree ant workers tending larvae of the copper butterfly Lycaena xanthoides. The caterpillars produce a substance attractive to the ants, and the ants provide protection from predators and parasites. Kern County, California, USA.
Image © Alex Wild. // Distribution

Distribution:

  Geographic regions (According to curated Geolocale/Taxon lists):
    Americas: Mexico, United States
  Biogeographic regions (According to curated Bioregion/Taxon lists):
    Nearctic

Distribution Notes:

Biology:

Typically associated with deciduous trees (not conifers), often oaks (Quercus spp.).

Identification:

In the North American fauna, L. occidentale may be recognized by its bicolored pattern, abundantly hairy gastral dorsum, and distribution (see map).

Taxonomic Treatment (provided by Plazi)

Treatment Citation: Ward, P. S., 2005, A synoptic review of the ants of California (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)., Zootaxa 936, pp. 1-68

Liometopum occidentale EmeryHNS 1895d

Specimen Habitat Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 48 times found in oak woodland, 38 times found in riparian woodland, 12 times found in chaparral, 12 times found in valley riparian woodland, 8 times found in gully riparian woodland, 5 times found in Quercus-Pinus-Pseudotsuga forest, 4 times found in riparian vegetation, 3 times found in Quercus-Pinus-Pseudotsuga, 1 times found in chaparral/oak woods, 1 times found in open, grassy area, ...

Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 25 times ground forager(s), 25 times sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood), 12 times on tree trunk, 6 times on Arctostaphylos, 6 times on low vegetation, 3 times on trunk of valley oak, 4 times pitfall trap, 3 times ex rotten log, 4 times under rock, 1 times column on base of oak tree, 3 times foraging on trunk of oak, ...

Collected most commonly using these methods: 25 times tunafish bait, 15 times hand collecting, 14 times pitfall trap, 7 times Bay Area Ant Survey (BAAS), 4 times direct collection, 4 times search, 4 times malaise trap, 3 times Winkler sifter, 3 times light trap collecting, 2 times 6L sifted litter, extracted in Winkler sack over 48 hours, 2 times at light, ...

Elevations: collected from 2 - 3114 meters, 483 meters average

Collect Date Range: collected between 1905-05-02 00:00:00.0 and 2022-03-20 00:00:00.0

Type specimens: Lectotype of Liometopum microcephalum occidentale: casent0905042

See something amiss? Send us an email.

Citing AntWeb

Species: Liometopum occidentale Emery, 1895

Download Specimen Data