Acropyga oreithauma

Acropyga oreithauma
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Plagiolepidini
Genus:	Acropyga
Species group:	smithii
Species:	A. oreithauma
Binomial name
	Acropyga oreithauma; LaPolla, Williams & Fan, 2017

Acropyga oreithauma was collected together with several individuals of the mealybug Neochavesia caldasiae (Balachowsky, 1957). This mealybug species has also been found in trophobiotic relationships with Acropyga exsanguis and Acropyga fuhrmanni (Williams, 1998; Schneider and LaPolla, 2011; LaPolla, Williams & Fan, 2017).

Identification

LaPolla & Schneider (2023) - A member of the Acropyga smithii species group.

LaPolla, et al. (2017) - Distinctly large among the New World Acropyga (TL: 3.66-4.02); medially clypeal margin extends in a short shelf-like manner; 8 segmented antennae.

This is by far the largest species of Acropyga in the New World. There are several New World species such as Acropyga ayanganna, Acropyga decedens, Acropyga fuhrmanni, and Acropyga guianensis where workers can be as large as 2.6 mm in total length, but A. oreithauma surpasses 3.5 mm in total length and some workers were greater than 4 mm. Its overall size will easily separate it from other New World species.

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 9.24533° to 9.24533°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Panama (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Biology

Collected with A. oreithauma were several individuals of the mealybug Neochavesia caldasiae (Balachowsky, 1957). This mealybug species has also been found in trophobiotic relationships with A. exsanguis (Wheeler, 1909) and A. fuhrmanni (Williams, 1998; Schneider and LaPolla, 2011).

Castes

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

oreithauma. Acropyga oreithauma LaPolla, Williams & Fan, 2017: 2, figs. 1-4 (w.) PANAMA.
- Type-material: holotype worker, 7 paratype workers.
- Type-locality: holotype Panama: Panama, Cerro Azul, 9.24533, -79.40209, 840 m., 24.i.2015, #9168 (J. Longino); paratypes with same data.
- Type-depositories: USNM (holotype); MCZC, USNM (paratypes).
- Distribution: Panama.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

(n= 8) TL: 3.66-4.02; HW: 0.97-1.06; HL: 0.87-0.95; SL: 0.73-0.83; WL: 1.17-1.38; GL: 1.5-1.76; CI: 109-112; SI: 82-89.

Head: yellow to darker yellow from midpoint of posterior margin toward torulae and also darker along mandibular margins; covered in a dense layer of pubescence; head slightly wider than long; posterior margin distinctly concave medially; 3-4 erect macrosetae found on either side of the posterior margin concavity; eyes small, laterally placed about 0.25 mm from anterior margin of head; 8 segmented, incrassate antennae; scape surpasses posterior margin by about ½ length of pedicel; scapes with erect macrosetae scattered across surface and covered with a dense layer of pubescence; clypeus covered in a dense layer of pubescence, with longer macrosetae along clypeal margin; medially clypeal margin convex; mandible with 4 distinct teeth, a smaller tooth sometimes present between the 3rd and 4th tooth (counted from apical tooth back to most proximal (basal) tooth) in which case the mandible effectively has 5 teeth; when a smaller tooth not present, a diastema is present between 3rd and 4th teeth; a gap exists between the inner mandibular margin and anterior clypeal margin. Mesosoma: yellow, slightly darker along segmental margins; nota covered in a layer of pubescence, with many long erect macrosetae scattered across mesosomal dorsum; in lateral view pronotum rises steeply toward mesonotum; in lateral view, mesonotum much higher than propodeum; dorsal face of propodeum flat, with declivitous face steep and as about as long as dorsal face. Petiole and Gaster: petiole thick and erect reaching to slightly surpassing dorsal face of the propodeum; gaster yellow; covered in thick layer of pubescence, with scattered erect macrosetae throughout.

Type Material

Holotype worker — Panama: Panamá: Cerro Azul; 9.24533, -79.40209; 840 m; 24 Jan 2015; montane wet forest; under stone; J. Longino #9168 (National Museum of Natural History). 7 paratype workers with same locality information as holotype (4 paratypes in USNM; 3 paratypes in Museum of Comparative Zoology).

Etymology

Greek; combining form of oros (mountain) and thauma (wonder). Noun in apposition, invariant.

References