A comparison of ants in Australia and southern Africa, part 1

I have examined, in other Posts, the possibility of evolutionary convergence (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convergent_evolution) between Australia and southern Africa, in

• mammals (see https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/62378-no-evolutionary-convergence-in-mammal-communities-in-southwestern-australia-and-the-southwestern-cape-of-south-africa-part-1#),
• snakes and legless lizards (see https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/62510-no-evolutionary-convergence-between-australia-and-southern-africa-in-snakes-and-legless-lizards-part-1#),
• amphibians (https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/62666-evolutionary-convergence-in-amphibians-between-australia-and-southern-africa-depends-on-predatory-regimes-rather-than-just-climates-and-soils#), and
• vertebrate-eating birds (https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/62646-no-evolutionary-convergence-in-the-vertebrate-eating-birds-of-australia-and-southern-africa#).

Having covered the above groups, I now turn to ants (Formicidae).

To make intercontinental comparison as rigorous as possible, I have chosen study areas carefully matched in climates, landforms and soils: Fitzgerald River National Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitzgerald_River_National_Park) and its environs in Western Australia and Agulhas National Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agulhas_National_Park) and its environs in South Africa.

I collected ants by means of pitfall-trapping. All study sites had mature vegetation, not in a process of regeneration after wildfire. All individuals trapped were counted and identified by John Penniket (Australia) and Andre J Prins (South Africa).

For relevant information see https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA00128789_2792 and https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02541858.1988.11448100.

The results:

The ant faunas of the study areas are largely different phylogenetically. Dolichoderinae, Ectatomminae and Myrmeciinae are indigenous to the Australian but not to the southern African study area.

Ants are at least three-fold more abundant in the Australian than in the southern African study area, based on my pitfall-trapping.

Although the genus Crematogaster occurs in both study areas, it is far more abundant and visible in the southern African than in the Australian study area.

Rhytidoponera inornata and Meranoplus eat elaiosomes in the Australian study area. Rhytidoponera does not tend sap-sucking insects.

Overall, the following are the apparent ecological differences in ants between the Australian and the southern African study areas.

Ants are in general more abundant and diverse in the Australian than in the southern African study area.

Ants tending aphids and coccids are more diverse in the southern African (Crematogaster, Pheidole, Anoplolepis, Lepisiota, Camponotus) than in the Australian (Iridomyrmex, Camponotus) study area.

Ants eating seeds, elaiosomes (i.e. small food-bodies attached to seeds), or nectar are more diverse in the Australian (e.g. Rhytidoponera, Iridomyrmex) than in the southern African study area.

'Stick-nests', of dead plant material accumulated in a partly buried dome, are built by ants in the Australian (Iridomyrmex conifer) but not the southern African study area, while the reverse is true for spherical nests of carton, built in shrubs (Crematogaster peringueyi).

Both Iridomyrmex conifer (Australian study area, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37650344) and Crematogaster peringueyi (southern African study area, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36998457) build above-ground nests from detritus. However, the structures are different: a pile of fine litter on the ground (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/26170448) vs an aggregate of chambers of carton on shrubs (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/19371790).

An intriguing difference between Australia and southern Africa is that Dorylus - the genus containing the largest-bodied of all ants - occurs only in the latter. The species reaching the southern tip of Africa, namely D. helvolus, does not behave as an army ant at these latitudes, instead remaining underground with a diet consisting partly of tubers. Dorylus has no counterpart anywhere in Australia.

FITZGERALD RIVER NATIONAL PARK and environs, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
*including Hopetoun winter
+including Hopetoun summer

Amblyoponinae
*Amblyopone australis

Cerapachyinae
+Cerapachys sp. JDM 203 possibly specialised on a diet of other ants (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerapachys and https://www.jstor.org/stable/25129989?seq=1)

Dolichoderinae
*Bothriomyrmex sp. JDM 374 (why is this genus not even mentioned by Hendrick 2009?)
*+Iridomyrmex conifer https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/896426-Iridomyrmex-conifer
Iridomyrmex purpureus https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/202000-Iridomyrmex-purpureus
*Iridomyrmex sp. 19 ANIC
*+Iridomyrmex sp. 21 ANIC
*Iridomyrmex sp. JDM 550
*Ochetellus glaber https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/367056-Ochetellus-glaber and https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Ochetellus_glaber
*+Tapinoma sp. JDM 134 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapinoma

Ectatomminae
*+Rhytidoponera inornata (see https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/201975-Rhytidoponera-metallica and https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/793519-Rhytidoponera-mayri)
+Rhytidoponera sp. JDM 67

Formicinae
Campomyrma https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/984967-Campomyrma
Camponotus https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/62781-Camponotus
Camponotus sp. JDM 26
Camponotus sp. JDM 68
*+Camponotus sp. JDM 199
*+Camponotus sp. JDM 223
Camponotus sp. JDM
+Melophorus sp. JDM 28
+Melophorus sp. JDM 530
+Melophorus? sp.
Notoncus hickmani https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1075222-Notoncus-hickmani
Notostigma sanguinea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notostigma
Polyrhachis sp. JDM 118 https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=6827&taxon_id=122321&view=species
+Polyrhachis sp. JDM 529
*Prolasius sp. JDM 551
*+Stigmacros sp. JDM 375 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigmacros

Myrmicinae
+Adlerzia froggatti https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adlerzia
*Chelaner sp. JDM 61
+Chelaner? spp.
Crematogaster https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47342-Crematogaster
*Crematogaster sp. JDM 33
*+Crematogaster sp. JDM 120
Crematogaster sp. 6 ANIC
*Crematogaster sp. 'b' ANIC
*Meranoplus rugosa https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/120591-Meranoplus
*+Meranoplus sp. 11 ANIC
+Meranoplus sp. 12 ANIC
*+Monomorium sp. 2 ANIC
*+Pheidole sp. JDM 399
+Tetramorium sp. 5 ANIC

Myrmeciinae
Myrmecia analis https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/905318-Myrmecia-analis
+Myrmecia chasei
Myrmecia clarki https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/895764-Myrmecia-clarki
Myrmecia mandibularis https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/803014-Myrmecia-mandibularis
Myrmecia michaelseni https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/826466-Myrmecia-michaelseni
Myrmecia swalei https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/636527-Myrmecia-swalei
Myrmecia vindex https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/878184-Myrmecia-vindex
Myrmecia rubripes https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1244779-Myrmecia-rubripes
+Myrmecia sp. JDM 528
Myrmecia sp. JDM 586

Ponerinae
+Pachycondyla (Brachyponera) lutea https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/967177-Brachyponera-lutea and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachyponera
+Pachycondyla (Trachymesopus) rufonigra = clarki (see https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Austroponera_rufonigra)

AGULHAS NATIONAL PARK and environs, SOUTH AFRICA

Dolichoderinae
Technomyrmex albipes non-indigenous

Dorylinae
Dorylus helvolus https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/426277-Dorylus-helvolus

Formicinae
Anoplolepis custodiens https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/426275-Anoplolepis-custodiens
Anoplolepis rufescens https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/604051-Anoplolepis-rufescens
Anoplolepis steingroeveri https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/428219-Anoplolepis-steingroeveri
Camponotus angusticeps https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/575027-Camponotus-angusticeps
Camponotus dicksoni https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/655173-Camponotus-dicksoni
Camponotus maculatus https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/426243-Camponotus-maculatus
Camponotus mystaceus https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/697075-Camponotus-mystaceus
Camponotus niveosetosus https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/426182-Camponotus-niveosetosus
Camponotus werthi https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/426244-Camponotus-werthi
Camponotus sp.
Lepisiota capensis https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/428267-Lepisiota-capensis

Myrmicinae
Crematogaster peringueyi https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/426236-Crematogaster-peringueyi and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105731068 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105550974 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/30977263 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5046503 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/10806698
Meranoplus peringueyi https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/568779-Meranoplus-peringueyi
Messor capensis https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/426213-Messor-capensis
Ocymyrmex barbiger https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/428183-Ocymyrmex-barbiger
Pheidole capensis https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/428233-Pheidole-capensis
Pheidole foreli https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/697643-Pheidole-foreli
Solenopsis punctaticeps https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/426250-Solenopsis-punctaticeps
Tetramorium frigidum https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/692992-Tetramorium-frigidum
Tetramorium sericeiventre https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/451545-Tetramorium-sericeiventre
Tetramorium quadrispinosum http://antsofafrica.org/ant_species_2012/tetramorium/tetramorium_quadrispinosum/tetramorium_quadrispinosum.htm
Tetramorium sp.

Ponerinae
Bothroponera strigulosa https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Bothroponera_strigulosa

...to be continued

Publicado el marzo 19, 2022 11:35 MAÑANA por milewski