| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Ulyssea, Monica A.
;
Farder-Gomes, Cliver F.
;
Prado, Livia P.
Total Authors: 3
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | MYRMECOLOGICAL NEWS; v. 34, p. 20-pg., 2024-01-01. |
| Abstract | |
Natural history discoveries have contributed to broad applications in the fields of taxonomy, ecology, evolution, and conservation of the species. Knowledge on the biology of species of the Neotropical ant genus Hylomyrma FOREL, 1912 remains incipient despite the substantial data reported during its last taxonomic revision. Here, based on fieldwork carried out in an area of Campo Rupestre (Rupestrian Field) in Minas Gerais, Brazil, we present the first biological data of the recently described species Hylomyrma primavesi ULYSS & Eacute;A, 2021, including the descriptions of the ergatoid queen, male, larva, female reproductive tract, nest architecture, and feeding behavior. Hylomyrma primavesi forage solitarily and prefer very small insects (Collembola and larvae, pupae, and imagos of Diptera and Coleoptera). Its nests are found in sandy soil and are not deep. One straight tunnel connects the tube entrance to a final chamber. The colonies comprised approximately 7 - 65 workers and intercaste specimens and one ergatoid queen per colony. The structure of the female reproductive tract of H. primavesi is similar to that in other Myrmicinae. Workers and intercaste specimens have one pair of ovarioles and lack the spermatheca, while the ergatoid queen has three pairs of ovarioles and spermatheca. Most remarkably, it is the only Hylomyrma species that has only ergatoid queens. Lastly, we comment on the evolution of new castes in Hylomyrma from the perspective of the hourglass model and the standard model. The findings reported here fill gaps in the understanding of the natural history of cryptobiotic species and shed light on the caste development and evolution in Hylomyrma . (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 19/24810-8 - Phylogenomic species delimitation and mosaic evolution in the genus Hylomyrma Forel, 1912: revealing species and understanding morphological novelties from museum collections material using ultraconserved elements |
| Grantee: | Mônica Antunes Ulysséa |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor |
| FAPESP's process: | 21/09996-8 - Pesticides effects on stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Meliponini) imune system |
| Grantee: | Cliver Fernandes Farder Gomes |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral |
| FAPESP's process: | 18/11453-0 - Ants of São Paulo: State of the art and establishment of priority areas for research and conservation actions |
| Grantee: | Mônica Antunes Ulysséa |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral |
| FAPESP's process: | 22/01974-8 - Filling knowledge gaps of Hymenoptera species from the Neotropics |
| Grantee: | Lívia Pires do Prado |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral |
| FAPESP's process: | 17/21097-3 - Bee-agriculture interactions: perspectives to sustainable use |
| Grantee: | Osmar Malaspina |
| Support Opportunities: | BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants |