Apterostigma megacephala

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i5K Comments for Apterostigma megacephala
The species Apterostigma megacephala is by far the most basally diverging lineage on the branch subtending the genus Apterostigma. It is arguably a separate genus because it is the result of a cladogenetic event that roughly coincided in time with the divergence of the paleoattine genera Mycocepurus and Myrmicocrypta. A. megacephala retains many plesiomorphic anatomical characters not found in other Apterostigma species. It is a formerly rare ant that had only been collected three times, once in southern Peru (3 specimens), once in Colombia (1 specimen) and once in eastern Amazonian Brazil (3 specimens), a surprisingly disjunct distribution. Populations of this species have recently been located near Belem by Sosa-Calvo, Lopes, and Schultz, and multiple nests collected. One of the many biological surprises of this species is that it is the only lower attine ant known to cultivate a higher attine (leafcutter) fungus. Due to its critical phylogenetic position, comparative genomic data from A. megacephala will be very important for understanding the early evolution of the fungus-growing behavior. Ted Schultz


Apterostigma megacephala
Taxonomic classification
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Genus: Apterostigma
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Nomination: i5K initiative


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