Background Ponerine ants are almost exclusively predatory and comprise many of the largest known ... more Background Ponerine ants are almost exclusively predatory and comprise many of the largest known ant species. Within this clade, the genus Neoponera is among the most conspicuous Neotropical predators. We describe the first fossil member of this lineage: a worker preserved in Miocene-age Dominican amber from Hispaniola. Results Neoponera vejestoria sp. nov. demonstrates a clear case of local extinction—there are no known extant Neoponera species in the Greater Antilles. The species is attributable to an extant and well-defined species group in the genus, which suggests the group is older than previously estimated. Through CT scan reconstruction and linear morphometrics, we reconstruct the morphospace of extant and fossil ants to evaluate the history and evolution of predatory taxa in this island system. Conclusions The fossil attests to a shift in insular ecological community structure since the Miocene. The largest predatory taxa have undergone extinction on the island, but their e...
Invertebrates constitute the majority of animal species and are critical for ecosystem functionin... more Invertebrates constitute the majority of animal species and are critical for ecosystem functioning and services. Nonetheless, global invertebrate biodiversity patterns and their congruences with vertebrates remain largely unknown. We resolve the first high-resolution (~20-km) global diversity map for a major invertebrate clade, ants, using biodiversity informatics, range modeling, and machine learning to synthesize existing knowledge and predict the distribution of undiscovered diversity. We find that ants and different vertebrate groups have distinct features in their patterns of richness and rarity, underscoring the need to consider a diversity of taxa in conservation. However, despite their phylogenetic and physiological divergence, ant distributions are not highly anomalous relative to variation among vertebrate clades. Furthermore, our models predict that rarity centers largely overlap (78%), suggesting that general forces shape endemism patterns across taxa. This raises confid...
The Neotropical Neoponera laevigata species-group is revised. This group can be separated from ot... more The Neotropical Neoponera laevigata species-group is revised. This group can be separated from others in the genus by means of a new key to Neoponera species–groups. We propose two new species, N. gojira sp. nov., and N. mashpi sp. nov., the latter being usually confused with its putative sister species, N. laevigata (Smith). This small, termite-feeding species-group now contains five taxa. We provide comprehensive redescriptions for the known castes of the three previously known species, together with images and notes about intraspecific morphological variation, biology, and distribution of the taxa here treated. We reveal the external morphological features of the genitalia of the known males. This is the first contribution en route to a better understanding of the systematics of this charismatic ponerine genus.
The monotypic ant genus Igaponera gen. nov. is proposed to include its type species I. curiosa (M... more The monotypic ant genus Igaponera gen. nov. is proposed to include its type species I. curiosa (Mackay & Mackay, 2010). Igaponera gen. nov. is described and phylogenetically compared with other ponerine genera based on external morphology. The type species is known from a single gyne originally described in the genus Pachycondyla Smith, 1858. Igaponera curiosa is easily diagnosed by: costate sculpture on head, mesosoma, and petiole; short, robust, triangular mandibles with blunt apex; relatively large eyes set at mid-length on sides of head; lack of stridulitrum; and presence of distinct but relatively small arolia. Putative apomorphies of the new genus are: cuticular flange concealing metapleural gland opening; vertically standing hypostomal tooth with recessed base; stout mandibular shape with blunt apex; absence of stout spine-like setae on meso- and metatibial apices. Our phylogenetic results based on morphology suggest that Neoponera Emery, 1901 and Pachycondyla are the closest...
Revista Ecuatoriana de Medicina y Ciencias Biológicas, 2017
El manejo de las especies invasoras es considerado uno de los grandes desafíos que impone el Cam... more El manejo de las especies invasoras es considerado uno de los grandes desafíos que impone el Cambio Global a nuestras sociedades, junto con la deforestación y el calentamiento de la atmósfera. Se conoce muy poco sobre las hormigas invasoras en el Ecuador continental, incluso cuando se ha demostrado en el resto del mundo su agresividad, los impactos negativos en los ecosistemas y las pérdidas económicas que causan. La mayoría de registros de hormigas invasoras en el Ecuador provienen de las Islas Galápagos y no existe un inventario de ellas para el Ecuador continental. Aquàcompilamos registros de hormigas invasoras presentes en la literatura y en colecciones entomológicas locales para crear la primera lista de hormigas invasoras presentes en el Ecuador continental. Se registra la presencia de un total de 16 especies de hormigas invasoras. De estas, diez especies son extranjeras, pero invasoras en el Ecuador; y seis especies son nativas en el Ecuador e invasoras en el exterior. Prove...
The year 2007 saw the publication of what is one of the most inadequate papers that has ever been... more The year 2007 saw the publication of what is one of the most inadequate papers that has ever been produced in ant taxonomy. The paper, by Makhan (2007), claims to describe six new species of the ant genus Pyramica Roger, from Suriname.
Leafcutter ants propagate co-evolving fungi for food. The nearly 50 species of leafcutter ants (A... more Leafcutter ants propagate co-evolving fungi for food. The nearly 50 species of leafcutter ants (Atta, Acromyrmex) range from Argentina to the USA, with the greatest species diversity in southern South America. We elucidate the biogeography of fungi cultivated by leafcutter ants using DNA-sequence and microsatellite-marker analyses of 474 cultivars collected across the leafcutter range. Fungal cultivars belong to two clades (Clade-A, Clade-B). The dominant and widespread Clade-A cultivars form three genotype-clusters, with their relative prevalence corresponding to southern South America, northern South America, and Central & North America. Admixture between Clade-A populations support genetic exchange within a single species, Leucocoprinus gongylophorus. Some leafcutter species that cut grass as fungicultural substrate are specialized to cultivate Clade-B fungi, whereas leafcutters preferring dicot plants appear specialized on Clade-A fungi. Cultivar sharing between sympatric leafcu...
What forces structure ecological assemblages? A key limitation to general insights about assembla... more What forces structure ecological assemblages? A key limitation to general insights about assemblage structure is the availability of data that are collected at a small spatial grain (local assemblages) and a large spatial extent (global coverage). Here, we present published and unpublished data from 51,388 ant abundance and occurrence records of more than 2693 species and 7953 morphospecies from local assemblages collected at 4212 locations around the world. Ants were selected because they are diverse and abundant globally, comprise a large fraction of animal biomass in most terrestrial communities, and are key contributors to a range of ecosystem functions. Data were collected between 1949 and 2014, and include, for each geo-referenced sampling site, both the identity of the ants collected and details of sampling design, habitat type and degree of disturbance. The aim of compiling this dataset was to provide comprehensive species abundance data in order to test relationships betwee...
Two dry forests of southwestern Ecuador separated 43 km from each other, one situated at 460 m ab... more Two dry forests of southwestern Ecuador separated 43 km from each other, one situated at 460 m above sea level and the other at 680 m, are surveyed for ants giving a total of 28 species collected manually and from pitfall traps. Eleven species are shared between the sites whilst four are exclusive to one site and 13 to other. Differences in humidity, rainfall seasonality, and disturbance regimes may account for at least part of the differences observed between the ant communities of the two sites. Dorymyrmex pyramicus peruvianum Wheeler, 1919 andPseudomyrmex kuenckeli (Emery, 1890) are reported from Ecuador for the first time. Cardiocondyla emeryi Forel, 1881 and Camponotus conspicuus zonatus Emery, 1894are reported from mainland Ecuador for the first time. The genus Dorymyrmex Mayr, 1866 is recorded from Ecuador for the first time.
Recently a new species of bombyliid fly, Marleyimyia xylocopae, was described by Marshall & Evenh... more Recently a new species of bombyliid fly, Marleyimyia xylocopae, was described by Marshall & Evenhuis (2015) based on two photographs taken during fieldwork in the Republic of South Africa. This species has no preserved holotype. The paper generated some buzz, especially among dipterists, because in most cases photographs taken in the field provide insufficient information for properly diagnosing and documenting species of Diptera.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2015
Many studies have focused on the impacts of climate change on biological assemblages, yet little ... more Many studies have focused on the impacts of climate change on biological assemblages, yet little is known about how climate interacts with other major anthropogenic influences on biodiversity, such as habitat disturbance. Using a unique global database of 1128 local ant assemblages, we examined whether climate mediates the effects of habitat disturbance on assemblage structure at a global scale. Species richness and evenness were associated positively with temperature, and negatively with disturbance. However, the interaction among temperature, precipitation and disturbance shaped species richness and evenness. The effect was manifested through a failure of species richness to increase substantially with temperature in transformed habitats at low precipitation. At low precipitation levels, evenness increased with temperature in undisturbed sites, peaked at medium temperatures in disturbed sites and remained low in transformed sites. In warmer climates with lower rainfall, the effect...
Background Ponerine ants are almost exclusively predatory and comprise many of the largest known ... more Background Ponerine ants are almost exclusively predatory and comprise many of the largest known ant species. Within this clade, the genus Neoponera is among the most conspicuous Neotropical predators. We describe the first fossil member of this lineage: a worker preserved in Miocene-age Dominican amber from Hispaniola. Results Neoponera vejestoria sp. nov. demonstrates a clear case of local extinction—there are no known extant Neoponera species in the Greater Antilles. The species is attributable to an extant and well-defined species group in the genus, which suggests the group is older than previously estimated. Through CT scan reconstruction and linear morphometrics, we reconstruct the morphospace of extant and fossil ants to evaluate the history and evolution of predatory taxa in this island system. Conclusions The fossil attests to a shift in insular ecological community structure since the Miocene. The largest predatory taxa have undergone extinction on the island, but their e...
Invertebrates constitute the majority of animal species and are critical for ecosystem functionin... more Invertebrates constitute the majority of animal species and are critical for ecosystem functioning and services. Nonetheless, global invertebrate biodiversity patterns and their congruences with vertebrates remain largely unknown. We resolve the first high-resolution (~20-km) global diversity map for a major invertebrate clade, ants, using biodiversity informatics, range modeling, and machine learning to synthesize existing knowledge and predict the distribution of undiscovered diversity. We find that ants and different vertebrate groups have distinct features in their patterns of richness and rarity, underscoring the need to consider a diversity of taxa in conservation. However, despite their phylogenetic and physiological divergence, ant distributions are not highly anomalous relative to variation among vertebrate clades. Furthermore, our models predict that rarity centers largely overlap (78%), suggesting that general forces shape endemism patterns across taxa. This raises confid...
The Neotropical Neoponera laevigata species-group is revised. This group can be separated from ot... more The Neotropical Neoponera laevigata species-group is revised. This group can be separated from others in the genus by means of a new key to Neoponera species–groups. We propose two new species, N. gojira sp. nov., and N. mashpi sp. nov., the latter being usually confused with its putative sister species, N. laevigata (Smith). This small, termite-feeding species-group now contains five taxa. We provide comprehensive redescriptions for the known castes of the three previously known species, together with images and notes about intraspecific morphological variation, biology, and distribution of the taxa here treated. We reveal the external morphological features of the genitalia of the known males. This is the first contribution en route to a better understanding of the systematics of this charismatic ponerine genus.
The monotypic ant genus Igaponera gen. nov. is proposed to include its type species I. curiosa (M... more The monotypic ant genus Igaponera gen. nov. is proposed to include its type species I. curiosa (Mackay & Mackay, 2010). Igaponera gen. nov. is described and phylogenetically compared with other ponerine genera based on external morphology. The type species is known from a single gyne originally described in the genus Pachycondyla Smith, 1858. Igaponera curiosa is easily diagnosed by: costate sculpture on head, mesosoma, and petiole; short, robust, triangular mandibles with blunt apex; relatively large eyes set at mid-length on sides of head; lack of stridulitrum; and presence of distinct but relatively small arolia. Putative apomorphies of the new genus are: cuticular flange concealing metapleural gland opening; vertically standing hypostomal tooth with recessed base; stout mandibular shape with blunt apex; absence of stout spine-like setae on meso- and metatibial apices. Our phylogenetic results based on morphology suggest that Neoponera Emery, 1901 and Pachycondyla are the closest...
Revista Ecuatoriana de Medicina y Ciencias Biológicas, 2017
El manejo de las especies invasoras es considerado uno de los grandes desafíos que impone el Cam... more El manejo de las especies invasoras es considerado uno de los grandes desafíos que impone el Cambio Global a nuestras sociedades, junto con la deforestación y el calentamiento de la atmósfera. Se conoce muy poco sobre las hormigas invasoras en el Ecuador continental, incluso cuando se ha demostrado en el resto del mundo su agresividad, los impactos negativos en los ecosistemas y las pérdidas económicas que causan. La mayoría de registros de hormigas invasoras en el Ecuador provienen de las Islas Galápagos y no existe un inventario de ellas para el Ecuador continental. Aquàcompilamos registros de hormigas invasoras presentes en la literatura y en colecciones entomológicas locales para crear la primera lista de hormigas invasoras presentes en el Ecuador continental. Se registra la presencia de un total de 16 especies de hormigas invasoras. De estas, diez especies son extranjeras, pero invasoras en el Ecuador; y seis especies son nativas en el Ecuador e invasoras en el exterior. Prove...
The year 2007 saw the publication of what is one of the most inadequate papers that has ever been... more The year 2007 saw the publication of what is one of the most inadequate papers that has ever been produced in ant taxonomy. The paper, by Makhan (2007), claims to describe six new species of the ant genus Pyramica Roger, from Suriname.
Leafcutter ants propagate co-evolving fungi for food. The nearly 50 species of leafcutter ants (A... more Leafcutter ants propagate co-evolving fungi for food. The nearly 50 species of leafcutter ants (Atta, Acromyrmex) range from Argentina to the USA, with the greatest species diversity in southern South America. We elucidate the biogeography of fungi cultivated by leafcutter ants using DNA-sequence and microsatellite-marker analyses of 474 cultivars collected across the leafcutter range. Fungal cultivars belong to two clades (Clade-A, Clade-B). The dominant and widespread Clade-A cultivars form three genotype-clusters, with their relative prevalence corresponding to southern South America, northern South America, and Central & North America. Admixture between Clade-A populations support genetic exchange within a single species, Leucocoprinus gongylophorus. Some leafcutter species that cut grass as fungicultural substrate are specialized to cultivate Clade-B fungi, whereas leafcutters preferring dicot plants appear specialized on Clade-A fungi. Cultivar sharing between sympatric leafcu...
What forces structure ecological assemblages? A key limitation to general insights about assembla... more What forces structure ecological assemblages? A key limitation to general insights about assemblage structure is the availability of data that are collected at a small spatial grain (local assemblages) and a large spatial extent (global coverage). Here, we present published and unpublished data from 51,388 ant abundance and occurrence records of more than 2693 species and 7953 morphospecies from local assemblages collected at 4212 locations around the world. Ants were selected because they are diverse and abundant globally, comprise a large fraction of animal biomass in most terrestrial communities, and are key contributors to a range of ecosystem functions. Data were collected between 1949 and 2014, and include, for each geo-referenced sampling site, both the identity of the ants collected and details of sampling design, habitat type and degree of disturbance. The aim of compiling this dataset was to provide comprehensive species abundance data in order to test relationships betwee...
Two dry forests of southwestern Ecuador separated 43 km from each other, one situated at 460 m ab... more Two dry forests of southwestern Ecuador separated 43 km from each other, one situated at 460 m above sea level and the other at 680 m, are surveyed for ants giving a total of 28 species collected manually and from pitfall traps. Eleven species are shared between the sites whilst four are exclusive to one site and 13 to other. Differences in humidity, rainfall seasonality, and disturbance regimes may account for at least part of the differences observed between the ant communities of the two sites. Dorymyrmex pyramicus peruvianum Wheeler, 1919 andPseudomyrmex kuenckeli (Emery, 1890) are reported from Ecuador for the first time. Cardiocondyla emeryi Forel, 1881 and Camponotus conspicuus zonatus Emery, 1894are reported from mainland Ecuador for the first time. The genus Dorymyrmex Mayr, 1866 is recorded from Ecuador for the first time.
Recently a new species of bombyliid fly, Marleyimyia xylocopae, was described by Marshall & Evenh... more Recently a new species of bombyliid fly, Marleyimyia xylocopae, was described by Marshall & Evenhuis (2015) based on two photographs taken during fieldwork in the Republic of South Africa. This species has no preserved holotype. The paper generated some buzz, especially among dipterists, because in most cases photographs taken in the field provide insufficient information for properly diagnosing and documenting species of Diptera.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2015
Many studies have focused on the impacts of climate change on biological assemblages, yet little ... more Many studies have focused on the impacts of climate change on biological assemblages, yet little is known about how climate interacts with other major anthropogenic influences on biodiversity, such as habitat disturbance. Using a unique global database of 1128 local ant assemblages, we examined whether climate mediates the effects of habitat disturbance on assemblage structure at a global scale. Species richness and evenness were associated positively with temperature, and negatively with disturbance. However, the interaction among temperature, precipitation and disturbance shaped species richness and evenness. The effect was manifested through a failure of species richness to increase substantially with temperature in transformed habitats at low precipitation. At low precipitation levels, evenness increased with temperature in undisturbed sites, peaked at medium temperatures in disturbed sites and remained low in transformed sites. In warmer climates with lower rainfall, the effect...
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Papers by John Lattke