Attaphila bergi Bolivar , 1901

Bohn, Horst, Nehring, Volker, G., Jonathan Rodriguez & Klass, Klaus-Dieter, 2021, Revision of the genus Attaphila (Blattodea: Blaberoidea), myrmecophiles living in the mushroom gardens of leaf-cutting ants, Arthropod Systematics & amp; Phylogeny 79, pp. 205-280 : 205

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/asp.79.e67569

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:5BE5330D-71CA-4F12-BB2E-C7B29A5C33B2

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/4A668C72-1AD9-5502-974F-A7553955584A

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scientific name

Attaphila bergi Bolivar , 1901
status

 

4.2. Attaphila bergi Bolivar, 1901

Figs 1E, G View Figure 1 , 2G View Figure 2 , 3C, D View Figure 3 (A–J) , 5C, D View Figure 5 , 7A-E View Figure 7 , 12B View Figure 12 , 13D View Figure 13 , 14B View Figure 14 , 15A, I, J View Figure 15 , 16A, B View Figure 16 , 17H View Figure 17 , 18C, D View Figure 18 , 19B View Figure 19 , 22C, D View Figure 22 , 24C-G View Figure 24 , S1C, S3B-D

Attaphila bergi Bolívar, 1901: 335, pl. 6; Princis 1963: 111.

Attaphila bergi var. minor Bruch, 1916: 329, fig. 17A-F.

Material.

Type material (presumably lost). Syntypes, 2♂, 6♀, Argentina (Buenos Aires?), Uruguay. - Material studied. 2♀, [ Argentina], B[ueno]s. A[ire]s (abdomen of each on one slide: Bo 1284, Bo 1440); 4L ♀, Argentina, [Prov.] B[ueno]s Aires, Castelar, M. Viana and R.Maniglia, # 41175 (together with a worker of Acromyrmex lundii on one pin); 4L ♀, same data as preceding (together with a worker of Acromyrmex lundii on one pin) (abdomen of 1L ♀ on one slide: Bo 1285) ; 3♂, 1♀, [ Argentina], [ Prov. ] Entre Ríos , Paranacito, [1931, acc. to loan form], Daguerre, # 28 994 (together with a worker of Acromyrmex lundii on one pin) (1♂ completely on two slides: Bo 1286; abdomen and tegmina of 1♂ on two slides: Bo 1443; abdomen of ♀ on one slide: Bo 1275) (M. Buenos Aires) . - 1♂, 1♀, [ Argentina, Prov. Buenos Aires], Moreno BA, 30.XI.[19]38, M.D.Jurado, # MACN-En 7781/7780 (♂ completely on two slides: Bo 1283; abdomen and part of legs of the ♀ on one slide: Bo 1282) (M. Maastricht, NHMM 007, 008); 10L, Argentina, [Prov. Buenos Aires], La Plata , VII.1918, C.Bruch (on 4 pins, each with a worker of Acromyrmex lundii ) (1L ♂ completely on two slides: Bo 1230; 1L ♀ completely on two slides: Bo 1231) (M. Maastricht) . - 1♂ [ Argentina], [ Prov. ] Entre Ríos , Paranacito, [1931, acc. to loan form], Daguerre, # 28 944 (from a pin with a worker of Acromyrmex lundii ) (completely on two slides: Bo 1274) ; 1♀, [ Argentina, Prov. Santa Fé], Rosario, Coll. Hubrich, # 15 A 16 (completely on two slides: Bo 1239); 6L ♀, [ Argentina], Rosario (?), Coll. Hubrich, # R.66, B.p.77 (together with a worker of Acromyrmex lundii on one cardboard) (1L ♀ completely on one slide: Bo 1238) (ZS Munich) .

Diagnosis.

Male Well characterised by several features unique in Attaphila : the rather inconspicuous specialisation anteromedially on T1 with a pair of areas showing strongly developed microreticulation (msa1), the bristle distribution on T6,7 with some bristles on the surface of T6 and long bristles along the posterior borders, and the specially shaped virga (with a very strong sinusoidal curvature). With A. aptera it shares the absence of long bristles on surface and borders of T1. Female: Distinguished from all other species by S7 having a continuous, uninterrupted transversal ridge.

Description.

Size Length of body (dried, type specimens after Bolívar 1901): male 2.8 mm, female 2.8 mm. Surface bristles of tergites 2-5 arranged in about two irregular transversal rows (Fig. 7A, D View Figure 7 ). Transversal ridges tr2-5 without distinct excurvations (Fig. 7A, D View Figure 7 , compare grey arrows in Fig. 11A View Figure 11 , and in Fig. 9B View Figure 9 for male tr2).

Male Tegmina (Fig. 3C, D View Figure 3 (A–J) ) widest at about 2/3 of length; overall shape more rectangular than triangular; posterior border straight or slightly concave near tegmen base (fwar), slightly converging with the apical border, soon bending into a rather tight curvation (as compared to A. aptera ), finally joining the apical border in a still tighter curvation (though less tight than in A. aptera ); apical border transversal, fairly straight; surface bristles strong (stronger than in A. aptera ). Hindwings lanceolate, with narrowly rounded apex (Fig. 1G View Figure 1 ). Glandular pores only on T1, in the area of the specialisation and some more around (Fig. 5C, D View Figure 5 ). Tergite 1 without long bristles on surface and borders (in contrast to long bristles on T2-5); medially, about at the level of the medially obsolete ridge tr1 (far anteriorly on T1-a), with an inconspicuous specialisation (msa1) consisting of a pair of small areas showing a net-like pattern produced by delicate furrows or ridges along which tiny glandular pores are sporadically arranged; area in between either unstructured or with dispersed small pores, occasionally also with few small bristles (Fig. 5C, D View Figure 5 ). Ridge tr1 interrupted by the specialisation. Tergite 2 without specialisations. Tergites 6,7: (Figs 7B View Figure 7 , 13D View Figure 13 , 15A, I View Figure 15 (larval)) Median lobe of T7 very short, but distinct; transversal ridge tr6 well developed, tr7 rather weakly developed, perhaps with gaps in lateral parts; posterior border of T6 and T7 with a row of rather long and strong bristles, almost reaching the size of those of the lateral borders; surface of T6 in the posterior half with dispersed bristles of slightly smaller size, sometimes distributed in two groups, of T7 only with few isolated and usually much smaller bristles. Subgenital lobe: (Fig. 24C, D View Figure 24 ) distal part with a deep excavation only along left side; lobe posterior to level of excavation widely tongue-shaped; with two styli, the larger left one (sll) conical, inserted at base of excavation, not reaching tip of lobe, the much smaller right one (slr, relatively larger than in A. aptera ) knob-like, situated subterminally on right flank of tip; stylus and borders of distal lobe with numerous bristles, most of them large (on average longer and stronger than in A. aptera ), some rather long and strong. Phallomeres: (Fig. 24D-G View Figure 24 ) Sclerotised part of hook (h) from the long, wide base (b) very gradually narrowing into a slender, very short neck (n; shorter than in A. aptera ) which is evenly curved into the slightly wider claw part (cl; neck thus hardly set off from both the base and the claw part). Endophallic apodeme (ea) not narrowed at base (forking site of sclerite). Relative to the axis of the endophallic apodeme (ea), the virga (vi) shows a distinct, deep sinusoidal curvature to the left, the apical part being very strongly and tightly curved (back into the ea -axis), and gradually narrowed to a rather acute tip ending shortly after the termination of the recurvation, hence hook-like (presence of a groove on the virga unclear). Paraprocts: Both lacking a sclerotised projection (Fig. 7C View Figure 7 ).

Female Tergites 6,7: (Figs 7E View Figure 7 , 12B View Figure 12 , 14B View Figure 14 , 15J View Figure 15 (larval)) Median lobe of T7 rather long; transversal ridges tr6 and tr7 complete, tr6 sublaterally with a distinct bend; surface bristles numerous and rather long and strong (in length comparable to those of A. aptera , but less strong), strongly focused to central part of surface area. Subgenital plate (Figs 16A, B View Figure 16 , 18C, D View Figure 18 ) rounded-rectangular, with parallel lateral borders; lateral parts of transversal ridge (sr7-l) almost straight; median part (sr7-m) complete, slightly (Fig. 16A View Figure 16 ) to strongly (Fig. 16B View Figure 16 ) bisinuate. Genitalia: Spermathecal plate sp rather small, pouch gcp rather small (Fig. 19B View Figure 19 ). In laterosternal shelf sclerite (Fig. 22C, D View Figure 22 ) central part (c) moderately long and posteriorly transversally cut, arms (a) very narrow (narrower than in A. aptera ), wing parts (w) moderately wide, their base reaching far into anterior half of tubes (blue arrowhead); tubes (lst) straight, of fairly uniform width throughout, anterior end widely rounded. Mesal gonangulum sclerites (gg-m) distinct, lateral ones absent (Fig. 19B View Figure 19 ).

Host species.

Acromyrmex lundii ( Guérin-Méneville, 1838) ; host species of var. Acromyrmex lundii minor according to Bruch (1916) Acr. lobicornis (Emery, 1888), and Amoimyrmex silvestrii (Emery, 1905).

Distribution.

Argentina: Prov. Buenos Aires (Castelar, La Plata, Moreno), Prov. Entre Rios (Paranacito), Prov. Santa Fé (Rosario). The Attaphila bergi var. minor is reported from the Provinces San Luis and Catamarca; the report of A. bergi from Córdoba ( Bruch 1929) most likely is a mistake and refers to the occurrence of Attaphila bergi var. minor in San Luis, not mentioned in this paper; Uruguay.

Remarks.

The loss of the type specimens of A. bergi and the insufficient original description of the species prevent an unequivocal identification. But for several reasons the determination of the available Argentine specimens as A. bergi is most probably correct: They have the same host ant species, Acromyrmex lundii ; no other species of Attaphila has so far been found in nests of this ant. The specimens studied are from at least 5 different localities in rather close distance, not very far from the localities of the type specimens (Argentina: Buenos Aires?, Uruguay), without showing remarkable differences among each other.

Bruch (1916) described a Acromyrmex silvestrii var. minor occurring in nests of Amoimyrmex silvestrii (Prov. San Luis) and Acromyrmex lobicornis (Prov. Catamarca; belonging to Amoimyrmex or Acromyrmex clade not yet phylogenetically tested), of smaller size and paler colour than the nominate form. This characterisation and the missing of males raise the suspicion that the type specimens were larvae, possibly of normal A. bergi . On the other hand, the complete or partial association with Amoimyrmex hosts, which form the sister taxon of Acromyrmex + Atta and are thus phylogenetically far remote from Acromyrmex lundii ( Cristiano et al. 2020) raises doubt on Acromyrmex lundii var. minor being conspecific with A. bergi . The type specimens of Acromyrmex bergi var. minor , formerly deposited in the Museo de La Plata, are no longer present there and presumably lost.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Blattodea

Family

Ectobiidae

Genus

Attaphila

Loc

Attaphila bergi Bolivar , 1901

Bohn, Horst, Nehring, Volker, G., Jonathan Rodriguez & Klass, Klaus-Dieter 2021
2021
Loc

Attaphila bergi

Bolivar 1901
1901