Aphaenogaster Mayr 1853
Creators: name: Ivanov, Kaloyan
name: Hightower, Liberty
name: Dash, Shawn T.
name: Keiper, Joe B.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Formicidae
Aphaenogaster

description: Aphaenogaster Mayr
While many eastern Aphaenogaster can be readily identified based on morphological characters, a number of taxa remain difficult, or impossible, to separate based on morphology alone. This is especially true for some members of the large A. rudis clade although some progress has been recently made (DeMarco 2015, DeMarco & Cognato 2016). As our investigations were based solely on morphological characters, at present, we cannot confirm the identity of the carolinensis / rudis specimens we examined. This is reflected in our presentation below. Historical records of these two taxa have been presented as they appear in digitized records or in the literature. These records, however, should be interpreted with caution.
* ashmeadi (Emery). Virginia Beach: First Landing State Park, 36.91888° N, - 76.05336° W, 6 m, 30.viii.2017, K Ivanov leg., KI2912, Winkler litter extraction, sifted Quercus virginiana litter, maritime forest; First Landing State Park, 36.91888° N, - 76.05336° W, 6 m, 30.viii.2017, K Ivanov leg., KI2914, ground foragers, maritime forest; First Landing State Park, 36.91249° N, - 76.05002° W, 9 m, 30.viii.2017, K Ivanov leg., KI2919, Winkler litter extraction, mixed coastal forest; First Landing State Park, 36.91249° N, - 76.05002° W, 9 m, 30.viii.2017, K Ivanov leg., KI2920, ground foragers at the base of a large Quercus falcata, mixed coastal forest (VMNH).
“ carolinensis / rudis ”. Accomack, Alleghany, Amherst, Augusta, Bland, Caroline, Chesapeake, Craig, Essex, Franklin, Frederick, Giles, Halifax, Hanover, Henry, Highland, Isle of Wight, King George, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Northampton, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Prince Edward, Prince William, Roanoke, Rockingham, Scott, Shenandoah, Southampton, Suffolk, Sussex, Virginia Beach, York (RUIC, STDC, USNM, VMNH, VPISU).
There is no simple way to separate carolinensis from rudis in Virginia. The above records reflect this uncertainty and represent a composite distribution of the carolinensis / rudis complex in Virginia based on materials we have examined.
carolinensis Wheeler, W.M. Madison (JTLC). Literature records: Prince William, Spotsylvania, Virginia Beach (Guenard & Drew 2011, Mackay & Mackay 2017), “ Virginia ” (Young & Howell 1964, Smith, D.R. 1979, Guenard et al. 2012).
* floridana Smith, M.R. Suffolk: South Quay Natural Area Preserve, 36.56144° N, - 76.90837° W, 7 m, 30.ix.2017, K Ivanov leg., KI2941, foragers at pecan sandies baits, edge of successional scrub oak-pine forest, pine barrens; South Quay Natural Area Preserve, 36.56144° N, - 76.90837° W, 7 m, 30.ix.2017, K Ivanov leg., KI2942, soil nest, opening along a dirt road through successional scrub oak-pine forest, pine barrens; Sussex: Big Woods Wildlife Management Area, 30.viii.2015, N Nazdrowicz leg., along trail in mixed open pine-oak forest (STDC); Chub Sandhills Natural Area Preserve, 36.87157° N, - 77.18733° W, 24-30.ix.2017, AV Evans leg., V-shaped flight intercept trap, pine barrens (VMNH).
To our knowledge, the collection locality at Big Woods Wildlife Management Area (Sussex Co.) represents the northernmost record of this distinctive species, which prefers open sandhill areas and similar habitats in the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States.
fulva Roger. Accomack, Amherst, Augusta, Bland, Caroline, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Hanover, Henrico, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Patrick, Prince Edward, Prince William, Scott, Shenandoah, Southampton, Spotsylvania, Sussex, Tazewell, Virginia Beach, York (MCZ, MMPC, RUIC, STDC, USNM, VMNH), “ Virginia ” (INHS, NMSU, USNM). Literature records: Fairfax, Giles, Stafford (Buckley 1867, Cole 1949, Kjar 2009, Kjar & Park 2016), “ Virginia ” (Mayr 1886, Emery 1895, Smith, D.R. 1979, Peck et al. 1998, Guenard et al. 2012, DeMarco 2015, DeMarco & Cognato 2016, Mackay & Mackay 2017).
lamellidens Mayr. Accomack, Caroline, Halifax, Hampton, Hanover, Henrico, Isle of Wight, James City, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Prince Edward, Prince William, Southampton, Virginia Beach, York (CAS, MCZ, STDC, VMNH), “ Virginia ” (BMNH, NHMW). Literature records: Spotsylvania (DeMarco 2015, DeMarco & Cognato 2015, DeMarco & Cognato 2016), “ Virginia ” (Mayr 1886, Emery 1895, Guenard et al. 2012, Mackay & Mackay 2017).
mariae Forel. Nottaway (VMNH). Literature records: Spotsylvania (DeMarco 2015, DeMarco & Cognato 2015, DeMarco & Cognato 2016).
* cf. miamiana Wheeler, W. M. Virginia Beach: Camp Pendleton Annex, between Regulus Rd. and Lovetts Marsh, 36.80476° N, - 75.96780° W, 13.ii.-19.iii.2008, AV Evans & ME Dougherty leg., pitfall traps, maritime swamp forest (VMNH).
This species is difficult to separate from other members of the rudis clade (i.e., carolinensis and rudis; but see DeMarco 2015 and Mackay & Mackay 2017). A single worker in VMNH’s collection possesses morphological features including long, incurved propodeal spines and pronounced sculpturing on the head and especially the mesosoma unlike those of any of the rudis / carolinensis specimens we have examined. In addition, the coastal swamp forest where the specimen was collected is similar to the habitats where miamiana occurs in Florida (Deyrup 2016). We have provisionally placed this specimen under miamiana, but we are aware of the shortcomings of identifications based solely on morphology. Recently DeMarco (2015) has reported this species from North Carolina; as such, this species is likely to occur in the Coastal Plain of southeastern Virginia. To our knowledge, the collection locality reported here represents the northernmost record of this species.
picea (Wheeler, W. M.). Alleghany, Bland, Craig, Floyd, Fauquier, Floyd, Giles, Greene, Highland, Lee, Madison, Montgomery, Patrick, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Tazewell, Wythe, (FMNH, JTLC, MMPC, RUIC, USNPS, VMNH). Literature records: Giles, Spotsylvania (Cole 1949, DeMarco 2015, DeMarco & Cognato 2016), “ Virginia ” (Guenard et al. 2012, Mackay & Mackay 2017).
rudis Enzmann. Albemarle, Chesterfield, Fairfax, Giles, Louisa, Mecklenburg, Norfolk, Northampton, Prince William, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Stafford (CAS, FMNH, JTLC, MCZ, MMPC, UAIC). Literature records: Albemarle, Augusta, Fairfax, James City, Roanoke, Spotsylvania (Umphrey 1996, Wang et al. 2000, Kjar & Barrows 2004, Kjar 2009, DeMarco 2015, DeMarco & Cognato 2016, Kjar & Park 2016), “ Virginia ” (Emery 1895, Creighton 1950, Gregg 1963, Peck et al. 1998, Revis & Waller 2004, Guenard et al. 2012, Mackay & Mackay 2017).
The only definitive Virginia records of A. rudis are those of Umphrey (1996), DeMarco (2015), and DeMarco & Cognato (2016) which are based on genetic and morphological data.
tennesseensis (Mayr). Bath, Caroline, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Greene, Henry, Madison, Mecklenburg,
Montgomery, Nelson, Prince William, Rockingham, Scott, Shenandoah, Washington (FMNH, JTLC,
MMPC, RUIC, STDC, UCM, USNM, USNPS, VMNH). Literature records: Albemarle, Fairfax, Stafford
(Buckley 1867, Kjar 2009, DeMarco 2015, DeMarco & Cognato 2015, DeMarco & Cognato 2016, Kjar &
Park 2016), “ Virginia ” (Mayr 1886, Emery 1895, Guenard et al. 2012, Mackay & Mackay 2017). treatae Forel. Fairfax, Grayson, Halifax, Henry, Isle of Wight, Mecklenburg, Virginia Beach (UCM, VMNH),
“ Virginia ” (INHS). Literature records: “ Virginia ” (Mayr 1886, Emery 1895, Peck et al. 1998, Guenard et al.
2012, DeMarco 2015, Mackay & Mackay 2017).
description: Published as part of Ivanov, Kaloyan, Hightower, Liberty, Dash, Shawn T. & Keiper, Joe B., 2019, 150 years in the making: first comprehensive list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Virginia, USA, pp. 532-560 in Zootaxa 4554 (2) on pages 550-552, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4554.2.8, http://zenodo.org/record/2623956