Pogonomyrmex bispinosus
Spinola 1851
Atta bispinosus Spinola
in Gay, 1851: 244 (worker) (nec
queen, male). Syntypes examined: holotype (by monotypy), not located.
Pogonomyrmex bispinosus Spinola;
Mayr, 1870: 971. First combination
in Pogonomyrmex.
See also Gallardo, 1932; 130; Snelling & Hunt, 1976: 72, Figs. 24, 27, 28.
Worker
Diagnosis. Within the P. inermis-group, the combination of: (1)
superior propodeal spines present, (2) base of scape flattened, strongly compressed dorsoventrally,
(3) postpetiole wider than long in dorsal view, and
(4) body concolorous ferruginous orange to
reddish-orange uniquely characterize this species.
Measurements
– holotype (by monotypy) (n = 12). HL – (1.67-2.00); HW –
(1.75-2.05) ; MOD – (0.32-0.40); OMD – (0.36-0.45); SL
– (1.27-1.50); PNW – (1.06-1.27); HFL – (1.59-1.98); ML – (1.86-2.17); PW –
(0.46-0.54); PPW – (0.60-0.74). Indices:
SI – (67.32-79.45); CI – (97.47-105.59); OI – (15.61-20.21); HFI –
(84.13-100.00).
Description. Head subquadrate to quadrate (CI = 97.47-105.59), widest just
posterior to eyes; posterior margin flat to weakly concave in full-face
view. Longitudinal cephalic rugae prominent, wavy to irregular, in full face view
median rugae diverging slightly toward posterior
corners of head. In
side view, rugae posterior to eyes converging near
vertex; vertex rugose. Cephalic interrugal spaces strongly granulate-punctate,
dull to weakly shining. Anterior
margin of clypeus concave; lateral lobes with broad, blunt sometimes
inconspicuous tooth-like process below each antennal socket; dorsal surface
with several subparallel longitudinal rugae. Mandible with six teeth; mandibular
dorsum coarsely striate. MOD ranging from 0.16-21x HL. Eyes in profile
situated slightly anterior to middle of head, OMD = 1.00-1.30x MOD. In full-face view, eyes protruding slightly
beyond lateral margins of head.
Antennal scapes moderately long (SI = 67.32-79.79),
failing to reach vertex by length of basal funicular segment; base of scape flattened dorsoventrally, ventral
surface widened at base with moderately well-developed inferior basal flange, margin
of flange weakly carinate; entire scape
with weak longitudinal striae, moderately granulate-punctate, weakly shining.
Psammophore moderately well-developed.
Mesosomal profile weakly convex; all mesosomal surfaces with prominent irregular rugae to rugoreticulate. Dorsum of pronotum with irregular
transverse rugae to rugoreticulate,
sides of pronotum rugoreticulate
or with strongly irregular rugae traversing posteroventrally; dorsum of mesonotum
and propodeum with irregular longitudinal rugae, irregular rugae on mesopleura longitudinal or traversing posterodorsally. Interrugal spaces
on mesosoma weakly to strongly granulate, dull to weakly
shining. Superior propodeal
spines moderately well developed, length about 0.6-0.8x distance between bases. Inferior propodeal
spines poorly developed, consisting of a shallow, broadly rounded process. Propodeal spiracles narrowly ovate.
Legs weakly to moderately coriarious,
weakly shining.
Petiolar penduncle about 0.8x as long as petiole, anteroventral margin with poorly to well developed rounded
process. In side
view, petiolar node asymmetrical with anterior
surface shorter than posterior surface; apex of node broadly rounded. In dorsal view, petiole longer than wide, widest
near spatulate anterior margin. Posterior face of petiole with weak to coarse,
irregular, longitudinal, oblique, or transverse rugae
to rugoreticulate; interrugal
spaces on all surfaces weakly to moderately granulate-punctate,
weakly shining. Dorsum
of postpetiole convex in profile; in dorsal view,
widest near posterior margin, narrowing to anterior margin, maximal width greater
than length, weakly to moderately coriarious, weakly shining. Gaster moderately coriarious, weakly shining to
smooth and shining.
Erect whitish
to cream colored pilosity moderately abundant on
head, short and similar in length on dorsum, usually longer along posterior
margin; longest hairs not exceeding MOD.
Moderately abundant erect to semidecumbent
pilosity on scape; abundant
decumbent hairs on funicular segments.
Legs with moderately abundant long semidecumbent
whitish to cream colored setae. Mesosoma,
petiole, postpetiole, first gastral
tergum with moderately dense erect whitish to cream
colored setae, often similar in length, longest hairs approaching to exceeding
MOD. Body concolorous tannish-brown to
reddish-brown.
Queen
Diagnosis. As in worker diagnosis, but with
caste-specific morphology of the mesosoma related to
wing-bearing, presence of small ocelli on the head,
and as illustrated in Fig. x. This caste
is diagnosed by: (1) superior propodeal spines well
developed, length greater than 0.6x distance between bases, (2) inferior spines
well developed, wider than tall, broadly rounded, (3) petiole globular in
dorsal view, (4) postpetiole notably wider than long
in dorsal view, and (5) body mostly concolorous orangish to reddish-brown.
Measurements
– (n = 2). HL 2.27-2.29; HW 2.43-2.57;
MOD 0.38-0.46; OMD 0.54-0.55; SL 1.61-1.61; PNW 1.40-1.52; HFL 2.06-2.08; ML 2.85-2.83;
PW 0.77-0.79; PPW 1.06-1.09. Indices: SI
62.65-62.65; CI 106.11-113.22; OI 14.79-18.93; HFI 80.93-84.77.
Description. As in
worker diagnosis, but with caste-specific morphology of the mesosoma
related to wing-bearing, presence of small ocelli on
head, and as illustrated in Figure xx.
In full face view, head quadrate to slightly wider to wider than long (CI
= 106.11-113.22), widest just posterior to eyes, posterior margin weakly
concave. Longitudinal cephalic rugae prominent, wavy to irregular; in full-face view
median rugae diverging slightly toward posterior
corners; vertex weakly to moderately rugose; interrugal spaces and head and vertex weakly to moderately granulate-punctate, weakly shining.
Mandible with six teeth, dorsal surface coarsely rugose. Psammophore moderately
well-developed.
All mesosomal surfaces with subparallel,
regular, wavy, or irregular rugae; interrugal spaces weakly to moderately granulate-punctate, weakly shining; propodeum
with well developed superior and inferior spines; inferior spines wider than
tall, broadly rounded. Petiolar peduncle about 0.8x as
long as petiole, anteroventral margin with very weak
process. In side view, petiolar node asymmetrical with anterior surface notably
shorter than posterior surface, apex of node subangulate
to rounded. In dorsal view, petiole
globular, posterior surface with irregular rugae, interrugal spaces weakly to moderately granulate-punctate, weakly shining.
In dorsal view, postpetiole
wider than long; dorsum with faint to very weak irregular rugae,
moderately granulate-punctate, weakly shining. Gastral terga weakly coriarious,
weakly shining to smooth and shining.
Most body surfaces with moderately abundant suberect
to erect, medium-length, white to yellowish setae. Body concolorous
orangish to reddish-brown.
Male.
Diagnosis. This caste is diagnosed by: (1) in dorsal
view, medial anterior surface of petiolar node and
usually petiolar node weakly to moderately concave,
(2) dorsum of postpetiole with weak longitudinal rugae, (3) superior propodeal
spines consisting of small blunt teeth, and (4) transverse rugae
often present between frontal carinae.
Measurements
- (n = 6). HL 1.37-1.63; HW 1.41-1.71;
MOD 0.46-0.55; OMD 0.20-0.27; SL 0.41-0.51; HFL 1.82-2.13; ML 2.41-2.71; PW
0.50-0.65; PPW 0.69-0.86. Indices: SI
26.28-32.00; CI 102.92-107.24; OI 31.58-34.67; HFI 114.47-132.62.
Description. Mandible
with four to five teeth on suboblique cutting margin;
mandibular dorsum with very weak longitudinal rugae, strongly coriarious, dull. Anterior margin of clypeus
broadly and shallowly concave, dorsal surface mostly smooth, weakly shining to
shining. Antennal scapes with weak longitudinal striae,
dull. Cephalic rugae
longitudinal, irregular to rugoreticulate, interrugae moderately coriarious,
weakly shining; several transverse rugae present
between frontal carinae.
In profile, anterior face of mesonotum
forming a mostly straight line with pronotum, about
one-half to one-third as long as dorsal surface. In side view, juncture between propodeum and propodeal declivity
angulate.
Sides of pronotal collar rugoreticulate
to vermiculate; mesopleura with longitudinal rugae, weakly shining to shining. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum rugose, notauli moderately impressed. Dorsum and sides of propodeum
with longitudinal rugae, those on dorsum more widely
spaced. Superior propodeal spines consisting of small blunt teeth, inferior propodeal spines forming a broadly enlarged process. Ventral margin of peduncle
flat. In side view, petiolar node broadly rounded. In profile, anterior surface of petiole
slightly longer than posterior surface, anterior surface forming a nearly
straight, continuous to very weakly curved margin with peduncle. Sides and posterior surface
of petiole coarsely rugoreticulate to vermiculate, interrugae moderately coriarious,
weakly shining. Postpetiole wider
than long, dorsum with weak longitudinal rugae, interrugae moderately granulate-punctate,
weakly shining. Head, mesosoma, petiole, postpetiole with moderately abundant flexuous
yellowish-brown hairs, length often approaching MOD; hairs mostly lacking on gastral terga. First gastral
tergum weakly to moderately coriarious,
weakly shining. Head and mesosoma black, rest of body
dark ferruginous orange to brownish-orange (Figure x).
Additional
material examined*. CHILE: Metropolitan (Santiago): El Coipo, Jan. 12, 1968 (LACM); Río Maipo, El Peumo, Nov. 1951 (LACM);
Quebrada el Peumo, Nov. 21, 1966 (LACM); Cajon el
Maipo, no date (LACM); El Manzano, Dec. 1966 (LACM);
El Canelo, Jan. 9, 1967 (LACM): Fundo Santa Laura, near
Cuesta de la Dormida, Dec. 2, 1972 (LACM). Valparaíso
(Aconcagua): 10 km E Papudo, Nov. 28, 1950 (CASC); 3 km N Zapallar, Oct. 28, 1972 (LACM). Valparaíso (Valparaíso): Viña del Mar, no date (MSNG). Valparaíso; Laguna Verde, Dec. 13, 2001 (RAJC: UCDC). Region Unknown: no loc., no date (USNM).
*The primary administrative
division in
Etymology. The naming
of this species apparently refers to the two well developed superior propodeal spines, which Spinola
described as two dorsal spines, straight and equally vertical, slightly in
front of posterior border.
Discussion. Spinola (1851) described P. bispinosus from
one worker that was collected at Santa Rosa, Chile, and from sexuals (queens and males) taken during their mating flight
at Tucapel, Chile.
Emery (1906) believed the worker and sexuals consisted of different species, assigning the name P. bispinosus var. spinolae
to the sexuals.
This action automatically resulted in making the worker the type, and it
restricted the type locality to Santa Rosa (see Snelling
& Hunt, 1975). Problematically, the type locality remains unclear
given that Spinola listed it as only Santa Rosa, but
there are several Santa Rosas in Chile. Goetsch and Menozzi (1935) indicated the type locality
as Valparaíso Province, while Kempf (1970) and Snelling & Hunt (1975) indicated it to be Aconagua Province (currently Valparaíso Region); Snelling
and Hunt (1975) indicated Santa Rosa to be
Santa Rosa de los Andes, which I presume to be the type locality until (if) more
information becomes available. Based on
this information, the type locality for the sexuals
(= P. bispinosus var. spinolae) (Tucapel, Biobío Region), is approximately 500 km to the
south.
The holotype (by monotypy) of P. bispinosus
was not located during this study, but salient features of the present species
correspond with the description by Spinola (1851): (1) entirely ferruginous
red, (2) dorsum of postpetiole strongly punctate (lacking transverse rugae),
and (3) the first gastral tergum
smooth and shining. In combination,
these characters uniquely characterize P.
bispinosus
from all congeners in
material examined
during this study was from the Metropolitan and Valparaíso Regions, which meet
the geographical criteria for P. bispinosus.
Snelling & Hunt (1975) also identified these same workers
as P. bispinosus,
listing diagnostic characters as: (1) dorsum of postpetiole
punctate and lacking transverse striae,
and (2) basally thickened scape.
I concur
with Emery (1906) that queens and males in
the species description of P. bispinosus described by Spinola
are not conspecific to the worker described by Spinola (1851) (see discussion under P. spinolae). However, sexuals
were examined during this study (two dealate queens,
six males) that I refer to P. bispinosus, as did Snelling & Hunt (1975) because the queens
correspond with workers in several respects - they are: (1) concolorous
dark ferruginous red-orange, (2) the first gastral terga is smooth and shining, (3) the dorsum of the postpetiole lacks transverse rugae,
and, (4) they were collected geographically proximate to workers. Males were collected with queens at one site;
these males are undoubtedly those of P. bispinosus given their large size and smooth and
shining first gastral tergum. Thusfar, workers
have not been collected with queens or males.
Pogonomyrmex bispinosus is a
distinct species that is restricted to Chile, such that it does not co-occur
with any P. inermis-group
species. This species is distinguished
from congeners in Chile by: (1) well developed psammophore,
(2) first gastral tergum
lacks striae, (2) body concolorous
ferruginous red-orange, and (4) dorsum of postpetiole lacks transverse striae. Smaller Chilean congeners have a poorly
developed psammophore (angustus, laevigatus, odoratus),
while larger congeners have: (1) a well-developed psammophore,
(2) tranverse rugae on
dorsum of postpetiole, and (3) striae
usually present on first gastral tergum.
REFERENCES
Goetsch, W.
& Menozzi, C. (1935) Die ameisen Chiles. Konowia, 14, 94-102.
Kempf, W.W.
(1970) Catálogo das formigas do Chile. Papéis
Avulsos de Zoologia, 23, 17-43.