Brachymyrmex patagonicus

Dark rover ants are small brown ants that are typically less than 2.5 millimeters in length. Worker ants in this species range from 1.0mm to 2.0mm, whereas queens are around 3.0mm.{{Cite journal |last=Tamayo |first=David |date=2011 |title=Dark rover ant: Brachymyrmex patagonicus Mayr |journal=Florida Cooperative Extension Service Document |volume=EENY-498}} Males are around 1.0mm in length. The antennae of the worker ants contain nine segments which is common among all species of Brachymyrmex.{{Cite web |date=2008-05-27 |title=Rover Ants (Brachymyrmex patagonicus), an emerging pest species |url=https://myrmecos.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/rover-ants-brachymyrmex-patagonicus-an-emerging-pest-species/ |access-date=2023-03-22 |website=Myrmecos Blog |language=en}} B. patagonicus have long hairs along the mesosoma and relatively large eyes compared to the other species in the Brachymyrmex genus. On the dorsal surface of the gaster, the distribution of appressed hairs is sparse.

These three subspecies belong to the species Brachymyrmex patagonicus:

• Brachymyrmex patagonicus atratulus Santschi, 1923 ^{i c g}
• Brachymyrmex patagonicus cordemoyi ^g
• Brachymyrmex patagonicus patagonicus Mayr, 1868 ^{i c g}

Data sources: i = ITIS, c = Catalogue of Life, g = GBIF, b = Bugguide.net

Few studies have been conducted on the diet of B. patagonicus but it has been observed in nature that this species visits extrafloral nectaries for nectar.{{Cite journal |last1=Robbins |first1=Meredith |last2=Miller |first2=Tom E. X. |date=June 2009 |title=Patterns of Ant Activity onOpuntia stricta(Cactaceae), a Native Host-Plant of the Invasive Cactus Moth,Cactoblastis cactorum(Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1653/024.092.0231 |journal=Florida Entomologist |volume=92 |issue=2 |pages=391–393 |doi=10.1653/024.092.0231 |s2cid=85642097 |issn=0015-4040|doi-access=free }} Another theory suggests that a major part of their diet is honeydew from hemipterans. In Laboratory settings, an artificial diet containing 30% honey solution, liquid tuna mixture, and caterpillar pieces was observed to support B. patagonicus.{{Cite journal |last1=Miguelena |first1=Javier G |last2=Baker |first2=Paul B |date=2019-06-15 |title=Effects of Urbanization on the Diversity, Abundance, and Composition of Ant Assemblages in an Arid City |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvz069 |journal=Environmental Entomology |volume=48 |issue=4 |pages=836–846 |doi=10.1093/ee/nvz069 |pmid=31201775 |issn=0046-225X|hdl=10150/636275 |hdl-access=free }}

Most invasive ant species display polygyne tendencies, dispersal by budding, and development of supercolonies that contain hundreds of reproductive queens each. The colony structure of Brachymyrmex patagonicus differs from most invasive ant species in that they are multicolonial and monodomous. This means that each colony consists of a single nest that is genetically different from others around it. In 80% of nests, a single queen heads the colony. In the remaining 20%, there is no queen present. In about 50% of nests headed by a single queen, the queen is only mated by one male.

B. patagonicus is native to South America, and more specifically Argentina and Paraguay. It has been introduced in multiple parts of the world including the United states, Asia, and parts of Europe.{{Cite journal |last=Guenard |first=Benoit |date=2018-12-31 |title=First record of the emerging global pest Brachymyrmex patagonicus Mayr 1868 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from continental Asia |url=http://www.asian-myrmecology.org/doi/10.20362/am.010012.html |journal=Asian Myrmecology |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=1–6 |doi=10.20362/am.010012}} In less than 50 years after the introduction of the species into the United States, members of B. patagonicus are now commonly found in 14 states ranging from North Carolina to California.{{Cite journal |last=Hill |first=Jovonn G. |date=June 2017 |title=First Report of the Dark Rover Ant, Brachymyrmex patagonicus Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), from Tennessee |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.3157/061.143.0218 |journal=Transactions of the American Entomological Society |volume=143 |issue=2 |pages=517–520 |doi=10.3157/061.143.0218 |s2cid=90600970 |issn=0002-8320|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last1=Macgown |first1=Joe A. |last2=Booher |first2=Doug |last3=Richter |first3=Heath |last4=Wetterer |first4=James K. |last5=Hill |first5=Jovonn G. |date=2021-12-31 |title=An Updated List of Ants of Alabama (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with New State Records |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.3157/061.147.0409 |journal=Transactions of the American Entomological Society |volume=147 |issue=4 |doi=10.3157/061.147.0409 |s2cid=245814186 |issn=0002-8320|url-access=subscription }}

B. patagonicus commonly form their colonies in the soil, at bases of trees, in leaf litter, piles of wood, and trash piles. In southern areas of the United states, colonies are found in both natural and disturbed areas but are more prevalent in areas near human activity. In landscaped areas, they are commonly found in mulch and man made structures. Laboratory studies have shown that B. patagonicus have a preference for moist environments{{Cite journal |last1=Miguelena |first1=Javier |last2=Baker |first2=Paul |date=2014-11-04 |title=Evaluation of Liquid and Bait Insecticides against the Dark Rover Ant (Brachymyrmex patagonicus) |journal=Insects |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=832–848 |doi=10.3390/insects5040832 |pmid=26462943 |issn=2075-4450 |doi-access=free |pmc=4592605 }}

B. patagonicus are found to coexist with many native and introduced species including those typically intolerant to other ant species such as Solenopsis invicta and Solenopsis xyloni. It is hypothesized that B. patagonicus may play an important role in the regulation of the populations of the invasive cactus moth (Cactoblastic cactorum). This theory is currently under investigation.

{{Reflist|refs=

{{Cite web| title=Brachymyrmex patagonicus Report

| url=https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=575574

| website=Integrated Taxonomic Information System

| accessdate=2018-04-28

}}

{{Cite web| title=Brachymyrmex patagonicus species details

| url=http://www.catalogueoflife.org/col/details/species/id/b6c9eecc6a17f9e8ed978e3aba6a1968

| website=Catalogue of Life

| accessdate=2018-04-28

}}

{{Cite web| title=Brachymyrmex patagonicus

| url=https://www.gbif.org/species/1317320

| website=GBIF

| accessdate=2018-04-28

}}

{{Cite web| title=Brachymyrmex patagonicus Species Information

| url=https://bugguide.net/node/view/604415

| website=BugGuide.net

| accessdate=2018-04-28

}}

{{Cite journal

| last1 = Ward | first1 = Philip S.

| last2 = Blaimer | first2 = Bonnie B.

| last3 = Fisher | first3 = Brian L.

| date = 2016

| title = A revised phylogenetic classification of the ant subfamily Formicinae(Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with resurrection of the genera Colobopsis and Dinomyrmex

| journal = Zootaxa

| publisher = Magnolia Press

| volume = 4072

| issue = 3

| pages = 343–57

| doi = 10.11646/zootaxa.4072.3.4

| pmid = 27395929

| doi-access = free

}}

{{Cite journal

| last1 = Christopher M. Wilson | last2 = Autumn Smith-Herron | date = 2016

| title = Morphology of the male genitalia of Brachymyrmex and their implications in the Formicinae phylogeny

| journal = Journal of Hymenoptera Research

| publisher = Pensoft Publishers

| volume = 50

| pages = 81–95

| issn = 1070-9428

| doi = 10.3897/JHR.50.8697

| doi-access = free

}}

{{Cite web

| accessdate = 2018-04-28

| title = AntWeb

| url = https://www.antweb.org

| publisher = California Academy of Sciences

}}

}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{Cite web

| accessdate = 2019-07-02

| title = Catalogue of the Ants of the World

| date = 2016

| last1 = Bolton | first1 = B.

| publisher = unpublished communication

| url = http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/images/3/31/NGC_May_2016.pdf

}}

{{refend}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{Commons category-inline|Brachymyrmex patagonicus}}

{{refend}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q9663177}}

Category:Formicinae

Category:Articles created by Qbugbot

Category:Insects described in 1868