Plectroctena

Plectroctena is an Afrotropical genus of ants, with most species occurring in the rainforest zones of West and Central Africa.[2] Some species are cryptic or subterranean foragers,[2] while others forage in open grassland terrain. The workers forage singly[3] or in groups of 2 to 3.[4] They nest in the earth at varying depths, or in collapsed logs. They prey mainly on millipedes, including their young or eggs.[2]

Plectroctena
Two workers in Tanzania
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Hymenoptera
Family:
Formicidae
Subfamily:
Ponerinae
Tribe:
Ponerini
Genus:
Plectroctena

F.Smith, 1858
Type species
Plectroctena mandibularis
F.Smith, 1858
Diversity[1]
17 species
Synonyms

Cacopone Santschi, 1914

P. mandibularis

Colony structure

A colony of P. lygaria (a small species of the mandibularis-group) may number in excess of 300 adults. An excavated colony in the Ivory Coast consisted of 277 workers, 8 alate queens, and 42 alate males. Consequently 15% of their number was allocated to reproductives at the specific time.[2] The colony size of P. mandibularis however, seldom exceeds 50 individuals.[2][3]

Nests

In a colony of P. lygaria, the nest chambers are located at shallow depth, in moist soil under dense leaf litter. The deepest chamber may be located about 7 cm below the surface, with each chamber up to 1 cm in height.[2] The chambers are specialized to house either brood or prey items. Nests of the widespread species P. mandibularis however, are composed of chambers typically located 2 feet or more below the surface, with entrances that are usually marked by large piles of earth.[3][2]

Diet

It is believed that millipede eggs may at times constitute the exclusive diet of P. lygaria,[2] while newly emerged millipede young may be an additional food source for the smaller Plectroctena species. Larger species like P. conjugata, P. mandibularis and P. minor specialize on adult millipedes.[2]

Species
  • Plectroctena anops Bolton, 1974
  • Plectroctena conjugata Santschi, 1914
  • Plectroctena cristata Emery, 1899
  • Plectroctena cryptica Bolton, 1974
  • Plectroctena dentata Santschi, 1912
  • Plectroctena gabonensis Santschi, 1919
  • Plectroctena gestroi Menozzi, 1922
  • Plectroctena hastifera (Santschi, 1914)
  • Plectroctena laevior Stitz, 1924
  • Plectroctena latinodis Santschi, 1924
  • Plectroctena lygaria Bolton, Gotwald & Leroux, 1979
  • Plectroctena macgeei Bolton, 1974
  • Plectroctena mandibularis F.Smith, 1858
  • Plectroctena minor Emery, 1892
  • Plectroctena strigosa Emery, 1899
  • Plectroctena subterranea Arnold, 1915
  • Plectroctena thaui Fisher, 2006
  • Plectroctena ugandensis Menozzi, 1933
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References
  1. Bolton, B. (2014). "Plectroctena". AntCat. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  2. Bolton, B.; Gotwald, W. H.; Leroux, J-M (1976). "A new West African ant of the genus Plectroctena with ecological notes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)" (PDF). Annales de l'Université d'Abidjan, serié E (Ecologie). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  3. Arnold, G. (1915). "A monograph of the Formicidae in South Africa. Part I.". Annals of the South African Museum. 14: 1–159.
  4. Bolton, B. (1974). "A revision of the Ponerine ant genus Plectroctena F. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Bulletin of the British Museum. 30: 309–338.
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