Cladomyrma andrei

Cladomyrma andrei
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Plagiolepidini
Genus:	Cladomyrma
Species:	C. andrei
Binomial name
Cladomyrma andrei (Emery, 1894) Specimen labels
Synonyms
Cladomyrma cryptata Agosti, 1991

This species has been found nesting in lianas, which is unusual for Cladomyrma.

Identification

Agosti et al. (1999) placed Cladomyrma species into two groups based on the shape of the queen's petiole, raised (an erect node or scale) or depressed (dorsally truncate and low). Cladomyrma andrei belongs to the depressed petiole group.

A larger Bornean species of Cladomyrma. It is also the most variable in size, in head shape from a very short to a medium long head, an almost black body color to brown (rarely uniform yellowish [one collection]), and long to short gastral hairs. The synonymy with cryptata indicates that the status of this species is similar to that of petalae (see below). Though there might be several species included, it is at the very moment impossible to separate them. The typical cryptata and andrei differ somewhat in the fine chagrinate sculpture on the head and the matte surface, which is very distinct in cryptata as opposed to the brilliant shining and completely smooth surface in andrei. The type series of cryptata includes one queen with a short head and one with an elongate head, which is similar to the type of andrei. Another variation includes workers from Poring Hot Springs (J. Moog, 95-018 and 95-017) which have a slightly elongated head, and very conspicuous long, heterogeneous hairs (some longer than others) on the dorsum of the alitrunk. In contrast, the workers of the typical andrei have subhomogeneous shorter setae. This variation is also the only population of andrei living in Drypetes longifolia (Euphorbiaceae). One collection (J. Moog, 93-061) shows a uniform yellowish-colored queen that closely resembles andrei (cryptata form) in most characters except body color. We observed a very slight difference in the density of the pubescence on the anterior and lateral parts of the mesonotum but since this character exhibits some variation in andrei, it was not used to erect a new species. Considerable variation in body color of queens may be a rather common phenomenon in Cladomyrma (see under petalae).

Keys including this Species

• Key to Cladomyrma

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 6.033333° to -1.2833°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Borneo (type locality), Indonesia, Malaysia.

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Biology

Agosti et al. (1999) - The species has been found colonizing the endemic woody climbers Callerya (formerly Millettia) nieuwenhuisii (Maschwitz et al., 1989), Spatholobus oblongifolius (both Papilionaceae) and the tree genus Neonauclea (Rubiaceae). In general, liana saplings usually possess a primary stem diameter too thin to allow ant inhabitation. However, saplings of these host lianas (Callerya, Spatholobus) provide some stem internodes with distinctly enlarged diameter (ant domatia) to permit colonization by foundress queens (Moog et al., in press). In Poring Hot Springs, Sabah, samples of this species have been obtained on a canopy walkway from a huge Callerya, about 40m above ground.

Castes

Queen

Images from AntWeb

Paratype of Cladomyrma andrei. Worker. Specimen code casent0173913. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

• andrei. Dimorphomyrmex andrei Emery, 1894b: 73, fig. (q.) BORNEO. Combination in Aphomomyrmex: Emery, 1899e: 494; in Cladomyrma: Emery, 1925b: 45. Senior synonym of cryptata: Agosti, Moog & Maschwitz, 1999: 7.
• cryptata. Cladomyrma cryptata Agosti, 1991: 304, figs. 2, 18, 23 (s.w.q.m.) BORNEO. Junior synonym of andrei: Agosti, Moog & Maschwitz, 1999: 7.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Agosti et al. (1999) - AL 0.84–1.64,HL 0.86–1.42, HW 0.76–1.32, EL 0.16–0.30, SL 0.38–0.68, CI 89–98, EI 21–42, SI 44–53 (n = 8).

Generally larger body size; pilosity and dorsum of alitrunk and gaster variable, generally short and not very dense; generally reddish dark brown to dark brown; clypeus angulate; gastral pubescence thin, hair at least as long as distance between their insertions.

Minor: AL 0.64–1.00, HL 0.59–1.04, HW 0.52–0.78, EL 0.13– 0.22, SL 0.29–0.46, CI 83–95, EI 23–27, SI 55–66 (n = 8).

Generally larger body size; pubescence on gaster dense, short, and appressed; metapleural gland orifice large.

Queen

Agosti et al. (1999) - AL 2.08–2.56, HL 1.30–1.46, HW 1.02–1.24, EL 0.47–0.54, SL 0.61–0.78, CI 76–86, EI 40–47, SI 58–66 (n = 17).

Large body size (AL > 2.0 mm); body color usually dark brown to black (rarely uniform yellowish); head distinctly bicolored with genae and clypeus lighter than reminder of the head capsule; metapleural gland orifice large but covered with a bunch of hairs inserted ventral to the opening; petiole low and dorsally truncate; gaster with many long, erect hairs scattered all over the tergites and generally appressed, widely set pubescence.

PARATYPE: Queen AL 2.28, HL 1.36, HW 1.14, SL 0.68, EL 0.53, CI 84, EI 46, SI 60.

Type Material

Agosti et al. (1999) - Syntype queen, BORNEO: Indonesia, South Kalimantan, Poulo Laut, Doherty; Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genoa [examined].

Holotype queen Cladomyrma cryptata Agosti, 1991, Borneo: East-Malaysia, Sabah, Poring Hot Springs, #815, Ulrich Maschwitz, ex Callerya(= Millettia) nieuwenhuisii; The Natural History Museum.

References

• Agosti, D., J. Moog, U. Maschwitz. 1999. Revision of the Oriental plant-ant genus Cladomyrma. American Museum Novitates. 3283:1-24.
• Cantone S. 2018. Winged Ants, The queen. Dichotomous key to genera of winged female ants in the World. The Wings of Ants: morphological and systematic relationships (self-published).
• Emery, C. 1894c. Descriptions de deux fourmis nouvelles. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Fr. 63: 72-74 (page 73, fig. queen described)
• Emery, C. 1899d. Fourmis d'Afrique. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 43: 459-504 (page 494, Combination in Aphomomyrmex)
• Emery, C. 1925b. Revision des espèces paléarctiques du genre Tapinoma. Rev. Suisse Zool. 32: 45-64 (page 45, Combination in Cladomyrma)
• Yamane, S., Tanaka, H.O., Hasimoto, Y., Ohashi, M., Meleng, P., Itioka, T. 2021. A list of ants from Lambir Hills National Park and its vicinity, with their biological information: Part II. Subfamilies Leptanillinae, Proceratiinae, Amblyoponinae, Ponerinae, Dorylinae, Dolichoderinae, Ectatomminae and Formicinae. Contributions from the Biological Laboratory, Kyoto University 31, 87–157.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Agosti D. 1991. Revision of the oriental ant genus Cladomyrma, with an outline of the higher classification of the Formicinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Systematic Entomology 16: 293-310.
• Agosti D., J. Moog, and U. Maschwitz. 1999. Revision of the Oriental Plant-ant genus Cladomyrma. American Museum Novitates 3283: 1-24.
• Agosti, Donat, A. Moog, and U. Maschwitz. "Revision of the Oriental ant genus Cladomyrma." American Museum Novitates 3283 (1999): 1-24.
• Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
• Davidson D. W., S. C. Cook, R. R. Snelling and T. H. Chua. 2003. Explaining the Abundance of Ants in Lowland Tropical Rainforest Canopies. Science 300: 969-972.
• Eguchi K., and S. Yamane. 2003. Species diversity of ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in a lowland rainforest, northwestern Borneo. New Entomol. 52(1,2): 49-59.
• Pfeiffer M.; Mezger, D.; Hosoishi, S.; Bakhtiar, E. Y.; Kohout, R. J. 2011. The Formicidae of Borneo (Insecta: Hymenoptera): a preliminary species list. Asian Myrmecology 4:9-58
• Tanaka H. O., S. Yamane, and T. Itioka. 2012. Effects of a fern-dwelling ant species, Crematogaster difformis, on the ant assemblages of emergent trees in a Bornean tropical rainforest. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 105(4): 592-598.