Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius, 1793)
EOL Text
urban areas, uncommon
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Pheidole megacephala is a species of ant in the family Formicidae. It is commonly known as the bigheaded ant in the USA and the coastal brown ant in Australia. It is a very successful invasive species and is considered a danger to native ants in Australia [2] and other places. It has been nominated as one of the hundred "World's Worst" invaders.[1]
Distribution[edit]
Pheidole megacephala was described from a specimen from the island of Mauritius by the entomologist, Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793, although a previous record exists for Egypt 18 years earlier (see Synonyms). Regardless of its original distribution, bigheaded ants have since spread to many tropical and subtropical parts of the world.[3]
Description[edit]
Dorsal view of soldier bigheaded ant
There are two types of worker ant, the major or soldier ant and the minor worker. The common name of bigheaded ant derives from the soldier's disproportionately large head. This has large mandibles which may be used to crush seeds. The soldiers are about four millimetres in length, twice as long as the minor workers. The colour of both types varies from yellowish-brown or reddish-brown to nearly black. The rear half of the head is smooth and glossy and the front half sculptured. The twelve-segmented antennae are curved and have club-like tips. The waist or petiole is two-segmented with the node immediately behind conspicuously swollen. There are a pair of short, upward-facing spines on the waist. The body has sparse, long hairs.[3]
Biology[edit]
Minor and major workers feeding on a crumb, indoors
Bigheaded ants nest in colonies underground. Colonies can have several queens [4] and super-colonies can be formed by budding, when a queen and workers leave the original nest and set up a new colony nearby without swarming.[5] In Florida, nuptial flights of winged ants take place during the winter and spring and afterwards, fertilized queens shed their wings and find a suitable site to found a new colony where they start laying eggs.[3] Each queen lays up to 290 eggs per month. The eggs hatch after two to four weeks and the legless white larvae, which are fed by the workers, pupate about a month later. The adult workers emerge ten to twenty days after that.[6]
The bigheaded ants feed on dead insects, small invertebrates and honeydew excreted by insects such as aphids, soft scale insects, mealybugs, whiteflies and planthoppers. These sap-sucking bugs thrive in the presence of bigheaded ants, being more abundant on plants patrolled by ants than on those not so patrolled.[7]Green scale, Coccus viridis, flourished when bigheaded ants protected their food source by removing predators such as lady beetle larvae and lepidopteran larvae.[8] The minor workers are much more numerous than the soldiers. Trails of ants lead up trunks, along branches and into the canopies of trees and debris-covered foraging tunnels with numerous entrances are created on the surface of the ground. These may be confused with similar tubes built by subterranean termites. Foraging ants will alert others to new food sources. Honeydew is ingested but other foodstuffs are carried back to the nest by both major and minor workers who may transfer items of food between themselves. Anything too big to be moved may be dissected before being brought back to the nest.[3]
P. megacephala can also live indoors.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Global Invasive Species Database
- ^ An invasion revisited: the African big-headed ant (Pheidole megacephala) in northern Australia
- ^ a b c d Featured Creatures
- ^ Wilson EO. 2003. Pheidole in the New World, a Dominant, Hyperdiverse Ant Genus. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, MA. 794 pp.
- ^ The Pest Ants of Florida
- ^ Hoffman B. 2006. Pheidole megacephala (insect). CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
- ^ Impact of Pheidole megacephala (F.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on the Biological Control of Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell) (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae)
- ^ Direct and indirect interactions between ants (Pheidole megacephala), scales (Coccus viridis) and plants (Pluchea indica)
- ^ http://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/entomo/ants/pest%20ants%20of%20fl/big_headed_ant.htm
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Figs. 15a-g
Formica megacephala Fabricius , 1793: 36. Roger 1863b: 30 (combination in Pheidole ). Syntype(s): major, no locality given, not examined.
Myrmica trinodis Losana , 1834: 327. Roger 1863b: 30 (junior synonym of megacephala ). Syntype(s): "worker", Italy, not examined.
Formica edax Forskal , 1775: 84. Emery 1892: 160 (junior synonym of megacephala ), Dalla Torre 1892: 90 (same). Syntype(s): "worker", Egypt, not examined.
Oecophthora perniciosa Gerstacker , 1859: 263. Roger 1863b: 31 (combination in Pheidole ), Emery, 1915c: 235 (junior synonym of megacephala ). Syntype(s): "worker", Mozambique, not examined.
Oecophthora pusilla Heer , 1852: 15. F. Smith 1858: 173 (combination in Pheidole ), Roger 1859: 259 (senior synonym of laevigata Fr. Smith , 1855: 130), Mayr 1870: 981 (senior synonym of laevigata Mayr , 1862: 747), Mayr 1886: 360 (senior synonym of janus ), Emery 1915: 235 (subspecies of megacephala ), Wheeler 1922: 812 (junior synonym of megacephala ). Syntypes: major, minor, queen & male, Madeira, not examined.
Myrmica agilis F. Smith , 1857: 71. Donisthorpe 1932: 449 (combination in Pheidole ). Syn.n. Syntypes: 3 minors, "MALAC" [= Malacca, S. Malay Peninsula], OXUM TYPE HYM: 988 1-3/3, examined.
Myrmica suspiciosa F. Smith , 1859: 148. Donisthorpe 1932: 455 (junior synonym of megacephala ). Syntype (s): "worker", Aru I. (Indonesia), not examined.
Atta testacea F. Smith , 1858: 168. Mayr 1886: 360 (combination in Pheidole ), Brown, 1981: 530 (junior synonym of megacephala ). Syntypes: major & minor, Brazil, not examined.
Subspecies enumerated in Bolton, 1995: nominal plus costauriensis Santschi , 1914: 443, syntype(s): major, Ghana, not examined; duplex Santschi , 1937a: 220, syntypes: major, minor & queen, Angola, not examined; ilgi Forel , 1907: 82, syntypes: major & minor, Ethiopia, not examined.; impressifrons Wasmann , 1905: 110 (replacement name for impressiceps Wasmann , 1904: 72), syntypes: major, minor & queen, South Africa, not examined; melancholica Santschi , 1912: 164, syntypes: major & minor, Ivory Coast, not examined; nkomoana Forel , 1916: 415, syntypes: major, minor, queen & male, Zaire, not examined; rotundata Forel , 1894: 92, syntypes: major & minor, Mozambique, not examined; scabrior Forel , 1891: 178, syntypes: major & minor, Madagascar, not examined; speculifrons Stitz , 1911: 386, syntypes: major & minor, Tanzania, not examined; talpa Gerstacker , 1871: 356, syntypes: "worker" & queen, Kenya, not examined. For these forms type material not examined.
Other material examined: S. China: Hong Kong: Victoria Park, Hong Kong I. [K. Eguchi]; Macau: Mong Ha [K. Eguchi]. N. Vietnam: Ha Noi: Hanoi Agric. Univ. (Gia Lam) [K. Ogata: 15-min TUS #2]; Quang Ninh: Hoanh Bo [K. Eguchi]. S. Vietnam: Vinh Long (misspelled as "Vinlong"): Vinh Long (10°15'N, 105°58'N) [S. Kawaguchi]. Thailand: Trang: Khao Chong Waterfall [Eg01-VN-761]. W. Malaysia: Penang: beside a building of Univ. Sains Malaysia [C.Y. Lee]. E. Malaysia: Sabah: Kota Kinabalu [Eg97-BOR-376], Tambunan Village [H. Okido], Danam Valley [Eg96-BOR-108]. Indonesia: Kalimantan Timur: Tandjung Isuy [Seyfert & Graindl]; Irian Jaya: Wamena, 1600 m alt. [Eg98-IRI-674, -675, -676, -703]. Australia: Queensland: S. Mission Beach near Tully [AU01-SKY-12]. Tonga: Tongatapu: Vaini [J.K. Wetterer].
Worker measurements & indices: Major (n=5). - HL 1.28-1.45 mm; HW 1.25-1.45 mm; CI 98-100; SL 0.71-0.76 mm; SI 52-57; FL 0.94-0.98 mm; FI 68-77.
Minor (n=5). - HL 0.62-0.72 mm; HW 0.55-0.65 mm; CI 88-91; SL 0.67-0.73 mm; SI 111-121; FL 0.68-0.77 mm; FI 118-123. Worker description
Major. - Head in lateral view roundly convex dorsally, not impressed on vertex, in full-face view shallowly concave posteriorly; frons longitudinally rugose (or rarely almost smooth, only sparsely with short interrupted longitudinal rugulae); vertex and dorsum of vertexal lobe smooth and shining or shagreened; frontal carina absent or present just as weak rugula(e); antennal scrobe absent; median longitudinal carina of clypeus weak or absent; hypostoma at most with a pair of very small or inconspicuous submedian processes in addition to a pair of conspicuous lateral processes; antenna with a 3-segmented club; maximal diameter of eye almost as long as or longer than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome in dorsal view smooth and shining or shagreened, sometimes with several weak transverse rugulae, in lateral view at most with an inconspicuous mound on its posterior slope; humerus not or weakly produced laterad; the dome at the humeri narrower than at the bottom; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum weakly or very weakly punctured. Petiole a little longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole not massive; its anteroventral part weakly swollen. First gastral tergite smooth and shining entirely, or very weakly punctured around its articulation with postpetiole and smooth or shagreened in the remainder.
Minor. - Head smooth and shining; preoccipital carina weak but present dorsally and laterally; median part of clypeus smooth and shining, without a median longitudinal carina; antenna with a 3-segmented club; scape extending beyond posterolateral margin of head by the double length of antennal segment II or more; maximal diameter of eye almost as long as, or sometimes a little shorter than antennal segment X. Promesonotal dome smooth and shining, in lateral view lacking a mound on its posterior slope; humerus in dorso-oblique view not or hardly produced; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum punctured weakly; metanotal groove inconspicuous. Petiole almost as long as or a little longer than postpetiole (excluding helcium); postpetiole relatively long but not massive; its anteroventral part weakly swollen.
Recognition: The syntype minors of " Myrmica agilis " agree well with minors of Bornean populations (e.g., Eg96-BOR-108) of P megacephala . I conclude that P agilis is a juninor synonym of P megacephala .
P. megacephala is well distinguished from Indo-Chinese species by the combination of the following characteristics: in the major head in full-face view only shallowly concave posteriorly; in the major dorsum of vertexal lobe smooth and shining or shagreened; in the major hypostoma in the middle at most with a pair of very small or inconspicuous submedian processes; in the minor preoccipital carina weak but present dorsally and laterally; posterior slope of promesonotal dome at most with an inconspicuous mound in the major, and without any mound in the minor; in the major and minor anteroventral part of postpetiole weakly swollen.
Distribution & bionomics: Widely distributed in the world tropics and subtropics. For detailed information on biology and ecological and economic impacts of this species see Reimer et al. (1993), Campbell (1994), Hoffmann (1998), Wetterer (1998), Hoffmann et al. (1999), Vanderwoude et al. (2000), etc.
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http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/ants/bigheaded_ant.htm
Founded in 1996 by Thomas Fasulo, Featured Creatures provides in-depth profiles of insects, nematodes, arachnids and other organisms.
The Featured Creatures site is a cooperative venture of the University of Florida's Entomology and Nematology Department and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Division of Plant Industry.
Visit Featured Creatures at http://entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/
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5. Pheidole megacephala, Fabr HNS .
. Coetivy; Amirantes; Farquhar; He Desroches. Espece cosmopolite.
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Pheidole megacephala HNS Forel (vera),
☿. Fundnotiz: Mayotte und Anjou an (Comoren).
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Ph. megacephala F. HNS , 1793 ( Formica HNS ).
? Oecophthora perniciosa HNS Gerst., 1858 (1).
? Formica edax Forsk HNS ., 1775.
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PHEIDOLE MEGACEPHALA HNS , Fab. (p. 176).
Var. punctulata, Mayr. HNS
Imerina (M. Sikora). Chez les variétéspunctulata HNS , spinosa, scabrior el picata, la face basale du métanotum est plus ou moins bicarénée et sillonnée au milieu. La var. punctulata HNS se distingue par les gros points enfoncésdispersés sur le derrière de la tête , lequel du reste est lisse.
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Pheidole megacephala F. HNS
Costa Rica (Biolley).
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3. PHEIDOLE MEGACEPHALA HNS , Fabricius.
Formica megacephala, Fabricius HNS , Entomologia systematica (1792-1794).
Oecophthora pusilla, Heer HNS , Hausameise Madeiras, Zurich (nec ).
Myrmica trinodis, Losana HNS , Mem. dell. R. Accad. delle Scienze di Torino (1834).
Myrmica laevigata, Smith HNS , Trans. of the Entomological Society of London (1854).
Pheidole pusilla, Mayr HNS , European Formiciden (1861).
Pheidole megacephala, Roger HNS , Verz. in Berliner entomolog. Zeitschrift (1863).
Pheidole laevigata, Mayr HNS , Verh. Zool. und Bot. Gesellschaft zu Wien (1862).
. Longueur 3,7 à 4,5 mill. Mandibules avec deux dents devant. Tête plus ou moins fortement échancréederrière en abricot; les côtés sont plus ou moins convexes, en général assez convexes; la tête est plus ou moins courte ou longue et assez ou pas élargiederrière . Les scapes ne dépassent pas le tiers postérieur de la tête . Pas de rainure distincte pour les scapes. Pronotum large, avec deux tubercules obtus, formant une seule bosse avec le mésonotum qui n'a aucune trace d'impression transversale. Face déclive du métanotum un peu plus longue que la face basale. Les épinesmétanotales varient beaucoup de longueur, etc.; chez une variété de Madagascar, elles sont à peu près verticales, longues, plus longues que le double de la largeur de leurs bases, mais moins longues que l'intervalle de leurs bases. Premier n œ ud médiocrementpétiole , échancré en haut. Second n œ ud presque aussi long que large au milieu, à conules latérauxtrès larges et très obtus, confondus avec le bord latéral . Epistome échan-cré devant, au milieu.
Moitiéantérieure de la têtegrossièrementstriée en long (stries assez éloi-gnées les unes des autres). Face basale du métanotum finement réticulée ou ridée . Côtés du mésosternum et du métasternumridés . Tout le reste plus ou moins lisse et luisant.
Pilositédresséemédiocre , jaunâtre , oblique sur les tibias et les scapes. Pubescence trèséparse .
La couleur varie d'un jaune rougeâtreà un brun de poix avec les mandibules, les antennes et les pattes d'un brun rougeâtre .
. Longueur 2 à 2,8 mill. Tête ovale ou ovale-rectangulaire, peu ou pas rétréciederrière . Les scapes dépassent un peu le bord postérieur de la tête . Thorax comme chez le soldat, mais le métanotum n'a que deux petites dents pointues (deux petites épines verticales chez la variétédéjàmentionnée chez le soldat). Second n œ ud du pédicule bien plus large que le premier, plus ou moins pyriforme.
Joues ridées ; métathorax et côtés du mésothorax plus ou moins réti-culés-ponctués et subopaques; tout le reste lisse et luisant.
Pilosité et couleur comme chez le soldat.
. Longueur 6,5 à 8,5 mill. Une dent sous le deuxième article du pé- dicule. Métanotumarmé de deux longues dents pointues (de deux assez fortes épines chez la variétémentionnée ). Dessus de la tête , sauf l'occiput, fortement strié-ridé en long; pronotum, métathorax , côtés du thorax et pédicule plus ou moins rugueux; le reste du corps lisse et luisant (parfois quelques stries sur le mésonotum ). D'un brun marron foncé ; pattes, antennes, mandibules, devant de la tête , souvent aussi le scutellum, le métanotum et le pétiole d'un rouge plus ou moins brunâtre . Bord posté- rieur des segments de l'abdomen d'un jaune roussâtre , ailes un peu teintées de jaune roussâtre . Du reste comme le .
. Longueur 4 à 5,2 mill. D'un jaune testacé un peu brunâtrepâle ou rougeâtre ou brun foncé , avec les mandibules, les antennes, les pattes et souvent le pédicule plus clairs. Ailes faiblement teintées de jaunâtre . Mésonotumponctué et un peu strié ; têterugueuse-striée , de couleur plus foncée .
Madagascar, partout; Nosibé ; île de la Réunion , etc. Le Rév . PèreCamboué l'a observée cultivant des pucerons sur des Anthocleista.
Cette espèce cosmopolite dans toutes les régions tropicales et subtropicales a étédécrite par Fabricius sur un soldat provenant de Madagascar. On dirait vraiment que Madagascar est aussi son berceau, car nulle part elle ne me paraîtprésenter autant de variétés , ni êtrerépandue aussi généralementàl'intérieur des terres; cependant elle va trèsàl'intérieur aussi, au Cap et dans l'Amérique du Sud. Les formes extrêmes de Madagascar me paraissent être : 10 var. spinosa HNS , nov. var. , grande variété jaunerouge à longues épines verticales ( mentionnée dans la description), àcôtés de la tête peu convexes et àtêteplutôtallongée chez le soldat (Antananarivo, Fianarantsoa); 2° var. picata HNS , nov. var. , petite variété d'un brun foncéàcôtés de la têtetrès convexes et àépines du métanotumplutôt courtes, provenant d'Antananarivô (vue àcôté de la variété 1, cette petite variété a l'air d'une autre espèce ); 3° var. scabrior HNS , nov. var. , bien distincte de toutes les autres parce que le vertex et l'occiput du sont réticulés-ponctués , subopaques, et que même quelques rides du devant de la tête se prolongent très en arrière ; le thorax est aussi plus rugueux; chez l'ouvrière , les côtés de l'occiput sont aussi réticulés-ponctués , ainsi que quelques parties du pronotum et du mésonotum .
A mon avis, la Ph. punctulata, Mayr HNS , et peut-êtremême la Ph. capensis, Mayr HNS , sont de simples variétés ou races de la Ph. megacephala HNS .
Le Rév , PèreCamboué a trouvé des de Ph. megacephala HNS cultivant des pucerons sur les feuilles de l'Haronga madagascariensis à Ambobipo. prèsd'Antananarivô .
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