Metapone madagascarica

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Metapone madagascarica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Metapone
Species: M. madagascarica
Binomial name
Metapone madagascarica
Gregg, 1958

Metapone madagascarica casent0003118 profile 1.jpg

Metapone madagascarica casent0003118 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Known from a variety of forest types (spiny forest/thicket, gallery forest, spiny forest, secondary rainforest, tropical dry forest, tropical forest) in dead wood, e.g., rotten logs and a stump.

At a Glance • Gamergate  

Identification

Taylor and Alpert (2016) - General and diagnostic features as illustrated and in the key to African and Madagascan species above (note paired anteromedian clypeal denticles, sub-parallel lateral clypeal margins, transverse petiolar node, and unextended postpetiolar sternite). Eyes minute, diameter of each about half the width of the second funicular antennomere; with 8–10 extremely minute, somewhat obscure facets. Mesosoma In dorsal view slightly constricted at promesonotal/propodeal junction, with accompanying short vestigial traces of the metanotal suture on each side. Subpetiolar process: more-or-less basic in structure—relatively deep, the posterior face a narrow isosceles triangle, subpetiolar angle obtuse in side view, without spinose extension. Subpetiolar extension lamellate, scalene-triangular, with a short posteroventral edge, the apex posteroventral, the base almost as long as the subpetiolar edge.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 14.66° to -25.1675°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Malagasy Region: Madagascar (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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.
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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.
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Biology

Alpert (2007) - On February 10, 1993, Phil Ward, Emile Rajeriarison and the author discovered a series of M. madagascarica from Berenty Reserve, 15m, 25°01’ 3.9”S, 46°18’ 21.8”E; spiny forest, in an Alluaudia sp. log in association with termites. On July 11, 2000, the author returned to this locality with Pascal Rabeson and Emile Rajeriarison and collected several nest series of M. madagascarica in a dead hardwood tree (local Malagasy name “Kelegnogne”) in association with the termite Cryptotermes kirbyi. These nest series included larvae, pupae, workers, queens, males and ergatoid males.

Worker-queen intermorphs were present in low numbers among the series of workers. Two intermorphs exhibiting rudimentary wing articulations were present among 51 workers. Other intermediate stages of intermorph development were also present and this is consistent with the variation in development of ovarioles from six to two (Hölldobler et al., 2002b).

Several ergatoid males were collected along with typical winged males within the same colony at more than one location. These ergatoid males are almost identical to workers with the following exceptions, presence of male genitalia, large well-developed eyes and typical male antennae. The presence of both winged males and an ergatoid male caste in the same colony is exceptional in ants and warrants further study.

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Metapone madagascarica casent0004528 head 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0004528 profile 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0004528 dorsal 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0004528 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0004528. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Metapone madagascarica casent0004530 head 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0004530 profile 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0004530 dorsal 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0004530 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0004530. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Metapone madagascarica casent0172256 head 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0172256 profile 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0172256 dorsal 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0172256 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0172256. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ANIC, Canberra, Australia.
Metapone madagascarica casent0172254 head 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0172254 profile 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0172254 profile 2.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0172254 dorsal 2.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0172254 label 1.jpg
Paratype of Metapone madagascaricaWorker. Specimen code casent0172254. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ANIC, Canberra, Australia.

Queen

Images from AntWeb

Metapone madagascarica casent0004524 head 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0004524 profile 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0004524 dorsal 1.jpg
Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0004524. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Male

Images from AntWeb

Metapone madagascarica casent0004525 head 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0004525 profile 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0004525 dorsal 1.jpgMetapone madagascarica casent0004525 label 1.jpg
Male (alate). Specimen code casent0004525. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Ergatoid Male

Metapone-madagascaricaHM6.jpgMetapone-madagascaricaLM2.jpgMetapone-madagascaricaDM2.jpg
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Nomenclature

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

  • madagascarica. Metapone madagascarica Gregg, R.E. 1958: 111, fig. 1 (w.q.) MADAGASCAR.
    • Type-material: holotype worker, 4 paratype workers, 1 paratype queen (+ 3 queen pupae).
    • Type-locality: holotype Madagascar: 15 km. E Tulear, 7.vi.1935 (H. Kirby); paratypes with same data.
    • Type-depositories: MCZC (holotype); LACM, USNM (paratypes).
    • [Note: Taylor & Alpert, 2016: 509, report the holotype as in MCZC, but Gregg stated that the holotype was in his own collection, which now mostly (?) resides in FMNH.]
    • Alpert, 2007: 11 (m., ergatoid m.).
    • Status as species: Kusnezov, 1960a: 126; Bolton, 1995b: 258; Alpert, 2007: 11; Taylor & Alpert, 2016: 508 (redescription).
    • Distribution: Madagascar.

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

Description

Type Material

Taylor and Alpert (2016) - Worker. 15 km east of Tulear [23°21' S, 43°40' E], Madagascar.

Alpert (2007) - Metapone madagascarica was described from a small series of workers collected along with termites from a stump with a field label T–4403. Moszkowski (1955, p. 34) described the associated drywood termite as a new species, Cryptotermes kirbyi Moszkowski, gave the field label as T-4403, and described the collection locality in more detail [14 km. East (23° 20’S, 43°48’E) of Tulear, along Fiheranana River, Madagascar, coll. H. Kirby, 7.VI.1935, in large dead stump].

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Alpert G. D. 2007. A review of the ant genus Metapone Forel from Madagascar. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 80: 8-18.
  • Fisher B. L. 1997. Biogeography and ecology of the ant fauna of Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Natural History 31: 269-302.
  • Fisher B. L. 2003. Formicidae, ants. Pp. 811-819 in: Goodman, S. M.; Benstead, J. P. (eds.) 2003. The natural history of Madagascar. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, xxi + 1709 pp.
  • Gregg R. E. 1958. Two new species of Metapone from Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 60: 111-121.
  • Kusnezov N. 1960. La posición sistemática del género Metapone Forel (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Acta Zoologica Lilloana 18: 119-126.
  • Taylor R. W., and G. D. Alpert. 2016. The myrmicine ant genus Metapone Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): a global taxonomic review with descriptions of twelve new species. Zootaxa 4105(6): 501-545.