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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Camponotus maculatus

Here is a Camponotus species that jumps, not high just around half an inch. Camponotus maculatus pallidus has five morphological expressions in the worker's caste. There two major worker caste, one median and two minor. This species is of the Camponotus arrogans type of Camponotus.

This species is very similar to Camponotus variegatus and is either probably a synonym or variant (species group).


The smallest worker is far left while the largest is far right, the larger minor workers (center), median workers (top left), smaller major workers (top right)

The major worker of a Camponotus maculatus pallidus
The major worker of a Camponotus maculatus pallidus.

The major worker of a Camponotus maculatus pallidus.

Major worker of a Camponotus species
The major worker of a Camponotus maculatus pallidus.

The minor worker of Camponotus maculatus pallidus.

The minor worker of a Camponotus maculatus pallidus
The minor worker od Camponotus maculatus pallidus.

Minor worker of Camponotus maculatus pallidus
The minor worker od Camponotus maculatus pallidus.

The median worker.

Top view of the major worker of Camponotus maculatus pallidus.

Major worker and minor worker of Camponotus maculatus pallidus
Size comparison between the two morphological expression of Camponotus maculatus pallidus.

Shield bugs protected and milked by Camponotus maculatus.


See also:
Camponotus genus
Camponotus bedoti
Camponotus parius
Camponotus gigas
Camponotus gilviceps
Camponotus sp (colobopsis group)
Camponotus sp(10)
Camponotus suandersi (Colobopsis group)



Taxonomy:
Top Node: cellular organisms 131567
SuperKingdom: Eukaryota 2759
No Rank: Opisthokonta 33154
Kingdom: Metazoa 33208
No Rank: Eumetazoa 6072
No Rank: Bilateria 33213
No Rank: Coelomata 33316
No Rank: Protostomia 33317
No Rank: Panarthropoda 88770
Phylum: Arthropoda 6656
No Rank: Mandibulata 197563
No Rank: Pancrustacea 197562
Superclass: Hexapoda 6960
Class: Insecta 50557
No Rank: Dicondylia 85512
No Rank: Pterygota 7496
Subclass: Neoptera 33340
Infraclass: Endopterygota 33392
Order: Hymenoptera 7399
No Rank: Apocrita 7400
Suborder: Aculeata 7434
Superfamily: Vespoidea 34725
Family: Formicidae 36668
Subfamily: Formicinae 7479
Tribe: Camponotini 72773
Genus: Camponotus 13390
Species: maculatus pallidus

Last Updated: 2019 04 05
First Posted: 2011 07 27
© 2011 – 2019 Quah. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Gnamptogenys

Gnamptogenys is another mostly subterranean ant found in forest and heavily wooded areas. Quite a few species of this genus routinely hunts termites though not on a scale as some Pachycondyla species do. Gnamptogenys are monomorphic and polygynous.


Two workers of a bicolor species of Gnamptogenys carrying the soldier of a small Odontotermes termite.



A 10 millimeter Gnamptogenys species
This first species of Gnamptogenys ant worker is 9  to 10 millimeters long the largest of the the species documented here.
Above image shows this Gnamptogenys species with a millimeter tape for size comparison.


Gyne of Gnamptogenys.
Gyne of Gnamptogenys
Gyne of Gnamptogenys.
Gyne of Gnamptogenys
 Queen of Gnamptogenys.
Queen of Gnamptogenys
Queen of Gnamptogenys.
Queen of Gnamptogenys


Gnamptogenys Sp2.

This species looks quite similar to the one above but at 6  millimeters in total length is only around half the size.
A 6 millimeters Gnamptogenys species
Gnamptogenys sp2 against a millimeter tape.
 Gnamptogensy ant carrying some termites.
Gnamptogenys ant feeding on a morsel of chicken meat.

Gnamptogenys ant feeding on a morsel of chicken meat.

Queen of Gnamptogenys.
A queen of Gnamptogenys

 Queens of Gnamptogenys.
Queens of Gnamptogenys

Nest of Gnamptogenys.
Nest of Gnamptogenys

Nest of Gnamptogenys.

Nest of Gnamptogenys.



Gnamptogenys costata.
Gnamptogenys costata worker
This brown species of Gnamptogenys costata is 7 millimeters.
Gnamptogenys costata worker.

Gnamptogenys costata worker.

Gnamptogenys costata worker
Gnamptogenys costata worker.




Taxonomy
(no rank) Root 1
(Top Node) Cellular organism 131567
Superkingdom: Eukaryota 2759 [Domain]
(no rank) Opisthokonta 33154
Kingdom: Metazoa 33208
(no rank) Eumetazoa 6072
(no rank) Bilateria 33213
(no rank) Coelomata 33316
(no rank) Protosomia 33317
(no rank) Panarthropoda 88770
Phylum: Arthropoda 6656
(no rank) Mandibulata 197563
(no rank) Pancrustacea 197562
Superclass: Hexapoda 6960
Class: Insecta 50557
(no rank) Dicondylia 85512
(no rank) Pterygota 7496
Subclass: Neoptera 33340
Infraclass: Endopterygota 33392
Order: Hymenoptera 7399
(no rank) Apocrita 7400
Suborder: Aculeata 7434
Superfamily: Vespoidea 34725
Family: Formicidae 36668
Subfamily: Ectatomminae 141710
Tribe: Ectatommini 292194
Genus: Gnamptogenys 121879


Last Updated: 2013\ 11 08
First Posted: 2011 07 12
© 2011 - 2013 Quah. All rights reserved.

Saturday, July 02, 2011

Amitermes Dentatus

Amitermes dentatus is another species of wood eating termites. The soldiers are equipped with mandibles that has a tooth in the middle similar to the Globitermes genus. Typically termite soldiers mandibles comes in four main designs - the slash (includes the clasp feature against large enemies) the weapon of choice the Macrotermitinae subfamily aside from others; the bite and cling or grasp/clasp common among the smaller size termites (aka snapping termites); the flick (either cross flick or open flick) deployed by all the Termes group; and then cross tunnel and passage way block deployed as the only defense by drywood Cryptotermes but not exclusively. Scherdorhinotermes is quite unique in that the major soldiers deploy a different mandible design (grasp and clasp) from the minor soldiers (slash or nip). Of course then there are the termites that use mandible-less, the syringed or ‘nozzled’, defense.

I have noted that among all those termites (that I have encountered) with slashing andor clasping mandibles the left mandible tip overlay over the right. And among the flicking mandible termites the left mandible overlay below the right when the mandibles are not deployed but deployed with the right crossing over the top of the left. Of course not all termites (i.e. the more primitive species) with slashing andor clasping mandibles have their left mandible tip overlay the right, species (not from this location, example: Hodotermes) may have the left on top instead. This might suggest that termites with these two mandibles design types split in the genetic lineage before the greater species diversification among these two lineage began. Doing a back ward trace might reveal those species that separated from these two lineage in the evolutionary tree.

Termites that do not have a soldier caste deploy other strategies of nest defense. One such species deploy the poison dung defense. The soldierless termite workers release a drop of opaque liquid from its abdomen that repulse and kills ants. The workers themselves are also poisonous when eaten, killing any ant that eats it.


Workers and soldiers of the termite species Amitermes dentatus
Workers and soldiers of the termite species Amitermes dentatus.
A close up view of the soldier of Amitermes dentatus.
Top view of a soldier and worker of Amitermes dentatus
Top view of a soldier and worker of Amitermes dentatus.

Lateral view of of a soldier and worker of Amitermes dentatus
Lateral view of of a soldier and worker of Amitermes dentatus.


Amitermes dentatus soldier viewed from top.
Lateral view of a soldier and worker of Amitermes dentatus



Last Updated: 2015 12 02
First Posted: 2011 07 02
© 2011 – 2015 Quah. All rights reserved.