Liometopum
| Liometopum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Liometopum occidentale worker | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dolichoderinae |
| Tribe: | Tapinomini |
| Genus: | Liometopum Mayr, 1861 |
| Type species | |
| Formica microcephala Panzer, 1798 | |
| Diversity[1] | |
| 26 species | |
| Synonyms | |
|
†Poneropsis Heer, 1867 | |
Liometopum is a genus of ants that belongs to the subfamily Dolichoderinae.[2] The genus is regionally distributed across North America, Europe and Asia.[3]
In Mexico, colonies of Liometopum have been used as a food resource by people in rural areas for centuries. The immature stages of the reproductive caste, known as "escamoles" are consumed and are a high-quality source of protein, carbohydrates, and lipids. Adult reproductives may also be consumed by humans during swarming, and worker brood is consumed when other stages are scarce.[4]
Caterpillars of certain butterfly species have a symbiotic relationship with Liometopum ants. They produce secretions that the ants will feed on, similar to the Iridomyrmex genus of ants.
Species
- Liometopum apiculatum Mayr, 1870
- †Liometopum bogdassarovi (Nazaraw, Bagdasaraw & Uriew, 1994)
- †Liometopum brunascens (Heer, 1867)
- †Liometopum crassinervis Heer, 1849
- †Liometopum croaticum (Heer, 1849)
- †Liometopum eremicum Zhang, 1989
- †Liometopum escheri (Heer, 1867)
- †Liometopum globosum (Heer, 1849)
- †Liometopum imhoffii (Heer, 1849)
- Liometopum lindgreeni Forel, 1902
- †Liometopum longaevum (Heer, 1849)
- †Liometopum lubricum Zhang, Sun & Zhang, 1994
- Liometopum luctuosum Wheeler, 1905 – the pine tree ant
- Liometopum microcephalum (Panzer, 1798)
- †Liometopum miocenicum Carpenter, 1930
- Liometopum occidentale Emery, 1895 – the velvety tree ant
- †Liometopum oligocenicum Wheeler, 1915
- Liometopum orientale Karavaiev, 1927
- †Liometopum pallidum (Heer, 1867)
- †Liometopum potamophilum Zhang, 1989
- †Liometopum rhenana (Meunier, 1917)
- †Liometopum scudderi Carpenter, 1930
- Liometopum sinense Wheeler, 1921
- †Liometopum stygium (Heer, 1867)
- †Liometopum venerarium (Heer, 1864)
- †Liometopum ventrosum (Heer, 1849)
References
- ↑ Bolton, B. (2014). "Liometopum". AntCat. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
- ↑ "Genus: Liometopum". antweb.org. AntWeb. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
- ↑ Hoey-Chamberlain, Rust & Klotz 2013, p. 1
- ↑ Hoey-Chamberlain, Rust & Klotz 2013, p. 2
- Hoey-Chamberlain, R; Rust, MK; Klotz, JH (2013), "A Review of the Biology, Ecology and Behavior of Velvety Tree Ants of North America", Sociobiology 60 (1): 1–10, doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v60i1.1-10
This article incorporates text from a scholarly publication published under a copyright license that allows anyone to reuse, revise, remix and redistribute the materials in any form for any purpose: Hoey-Chamberlain, R; Rust, MK; Klotz, JH (2013), "A Review of the Biology, Ecology and Behavior of Velvety Tree Ants of North America", Sociobiology 60 (1): 1–10, doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v60i1.1-10 Please check the source for the exact licensing terms.
External links
Media related to Liometopum at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Liometopum at Wikispecies