Dinoponera longipes Emery, 1901

Dias, Amanda Martins & Lattke, John Edwin, 2021, Large ants are not easy - the taxonomy of Dinoponera Roger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 784 (1), pp. 1-66 : 36-38

Dinoponera longipes Emery, 1901

Figs 20 , 29A

Dinoponera grandis longipes Emery, 1901: 48 (☿).

Dinoponera longipes – Kempf 1971: 375 (raised to species). — Lenhart, Dash & Mackay 2013: 143, figs 1a, b, 3, 4c, h, m, 5e, 8, 9e, 10e, 11e (redescription, male description, key).

Diagnosis

Female

Anteroventral corner of pronotum in lateral view unarmed, forming obtuse angle. Petiolar node in lateral view with anterodorsal corner clearly higher than posterodorsal corner. Abdominal tergite III smooth and with bluish iridescence; covered with sparse golden pubescence. Body covered with flexible golden hairs.

Material examined

Holotype PERU – Cumbase • 1 ☿; examined by images; MCSN.

Non-type specimens (15 ☿☿)

BRAZIL – Acre • 1 ☿; Cruzeiro do Sul ; Dec. 1963; P.L. Herbst leg. MZSP • 1 ☿; same collection data as for preceding; Coleção Diniz; DZUP • 2 ☿☿; Marechal Thaumaturgo, Vila Taumaturgo ; Feb.1962; Pe.L. Herbst leg.; MZSP • 1 ☿; Porto Acre, Humaita ; 15 Jun.–2 Jul. 1992; Gorayeb, Pena Henriques and Edmar leg.; MPEG • 1 ☿; Rio Branco , mata terra firme; 25 Oct.–8 Nov. 1991; F. Ramos, A. Henrique, I. Gorayeb and N. Bittencourt leg.; MPEG .

COLOMBIA – Amazonas • 1 ☿; Letícia , 7 km via Tarapacá; 4 Dec. 1971; S. Franky leg.; CPDC. – Caquetá • 1 ☿; Florencia ; alt. 266 m; 10–20 Oct. 1990; G. Medina and C. Rodriguez leg.; ICN 078906 ; ICNC.

PERU – Amazonas • 2 ☿☿; Montenegro, Rio Marañon ; 16 Apr. 1960; alt. 350 m; V. Weyrauch leg.; MZSP. – Leoncio Prado • 1 ☿; Tingo Maria, Rio Huallaga ; 26 Jul. 1955; alt. 670 m; Weyrauch leg.; 212; MZSP • 1 ☿; Upper Rio Huallaga ; 1 Nov. 1930; F6123; MZSP . – San Martin • 2 ☿☿; Taroporto ; A. Velásquez leg.; MZSP. – Tocache • 1 ☿; Uchiza, Palmas del Espino ; 19 Aug. 1987; G. Couturier leg.; DZUP 549808 .

Redescription

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Non-types (n = 6): HL 5.54–6.07; HW 5.22–5.73; MDL 4.22–4.97; SL 5.92–6.17; MSL 8.1–8.9; HFL 8.08–8.8; HBL 7–7.6; PL 2.32–2.69; PH 2.97–3.4; PW 1.55–1.82; ATS 7.8–8.5; BL 28.31–31.02 (mm); CI 0,91–0,98; SI 1,04–1,18; DPI 0,63–0,67.

HEAD. Malar area with weak longitudinal to oblique striae that do not reach anterior eye margin. Gena weakly microareolate with bluish iridescence, usually without rugulae. Golden appressed pubescence present between eye and frontal lobe, extending posteriorly to frons. Frons smooth and with bluish iridescence; with flexuous, golden and decumbent to suberect hairs, longer than scape diameter; pubescence densest laterally. Occipital corner smooth and with bluish iridescence. Antennal scape weakly microareolate and silky; antenna with decumbent to suberect and long hairs, except for 4–5 apical segments. Ventral surface of head smooth, with silky sheen; longitudinal strigulae mostly absent or, if present, only near hypostomal tooth. Labrum without median longitudinal sulcus, transverse rugulae absent. Mandibular dorsum weakly longitudinally strigulate on inner base, sculpture gradually fading apicad.

MESOSOMA. Dorsal margin of pronotum broadly convex in lateral view, usually with no pronounced dorsoposterior swelling; anteroventral corner of pronotum forming obtuse angle, never toothed. Pronotal dorsum smooth, with bluish iridescence. Metapleural-propodeal suture well-marked and slightly sinuous, with at least one curve ventral to position of propodeal spiracle.

METASOMA. Petiolar node in lateral view elongate (DPI <0.8); anterodorsal corner higher than posterodorsal corner; anterior margin slightly concave, forming blunt angle with dorsal margin; dorsal and posterior margins broadly convex, forming rounded angle. Node lateral face smooth with bluish iridescence. Node anterior margin in dorsal view strongly convex, posterior margin straight to broadly convex, lateral margins broadly convex and converging anterodorsally. Abdominal tergite III smooth with bluish iridescence; punctulae in variable density, evenly distributed laterally and dorsally; covered by flexuous, golden suberect hairs and appressed pubescence evenly distributed on dorsal and lateral surfaces, ranging from dense to sparse.

Male

Not examined.

Remarks

Dinoponera longipes may occur in sympatry with D. gigantea , but the females are easily separated by the microareolate and opaque integument and anteroventral pronotal tooth of D. gigantea . Females of D. mutica and D. nicinha sp. nov. are the most similar to D. longipes as both have a shining integument and a toothless anteroventral pronotal margin in lateral view. However, the node shape of D. longipes separates it from these two species. Dinoponera quadriceps may have a similar node shape, but differs by having abdominal tergite III microareolate and opaque with brownish, not golden, hairs.

Images of the holotype (AntWeb, CASENT 0903861) were examined. The original description includes some characters that are at odds for all the examined specimens, such as the length of the legs and the antennae being longer in comparison with other Dinoponera . Despite this, the node shape and golden pilosity were considered sufficient to maintain the validity of this species. The density of the pilosity and pubescence on abdominal tergite III varies greatly. A specimen from Rio Branco, Acre State, has the body completely covered by dense long and appressed pubescence, but specimens from Colombia have sparse pubescence. The availability in Brazil of D. longipes in collections is meagre and several female specimens identified as D. longipes actually belong to D. nicinha sp. nov.

The male was described by Lenhart et al. (2013) based on 2 specimens from Tingo María, Peru. According to these authors, D. longipes can be separated from other species by the thick decumbent antennal setae and by the shape of abdominal tergite VIII, which is shorter than in D. gigantea and D. quadriceps and longer than in D. grandis and D. snellingi . Comparing the description and illustrations of D. longipes with the males of D. lucida , it seems that they are similar, but the shape of the penisvalva is very different, not forming a rounded ventral lobe in D. longipes .

Biology

Dinoponera longipes occurs in regions with dense tropical rainforests, but Morgan (1993) found most nests in areas with sparse understory vegetation. Each nest can have one to thirty entrances with soil particles forming mounds around each ( Morgan 1993). Most nests are close to roots or in areas shaded by vegetation and the distance between them averages 35 m ( Morgan 1993). In two nests observed by Morgan (1993), the number of workers was seven in a young colony and 120 in a mature colony.

The diet is predominantly carnivorous and foraging is solitary and mainly nocturnal ( Morgan 1993). The ants interact, displaying agonistic behaviors similar to those described in other species, such as immobilization and antennal beating ( Morgan 1993; Monnin et al. 2003).

Distribution ( Fig. 29A )

Dinoponera longipes is present in Brazil, Colombia and Peru. Lenhart et al. (2013) also examined specimens from Ecuador. In this study, the northernmost record is from Florencia, Caquetá, Colombia, and the southernmost record is from Porto Acre, Acre State. This species has not been collected in Brazil in over 25 years.

Figures

Fig. 20. Dinoponera longipes Emery, 1901, ☿ (specimen from Uchiza, Peru; DZUP 549808). A. Fullface view. B. Full body in lateral view. C. Full body in dorsal view.

Fig. 29. Distribution maps for species of Dinoponera Roger, 1861. Red symbols indicate type specimens examined here. A. D. longipes Emery, 1901 and D. lucida Emery, 1901. B. D. nicinha sp. nov. and D. quadriceps Kempf, 1971.