Tetramorium pilosum

Tetramorium pilosum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Tetramorium
Species group:	tortuosum
Species:	T. pilosum
Binomial name
	Tetramorium pilosum; Emery, 1893 Specimen Labels

Nothing is known about the biology of Tetramorium pilosum.

Identification

Bolton (1977) - This distinctive orange-brown species is very closely related to Tetramorium yerburyi, also of Sri Lanka, but the shape of the petiole is radically different in the two species. The other large species from Sri Lanka, Tetramorium tortuosum, has the node of the postpetiole quite unsculptured and the hairs on the dorsal surfaces of the head and body are much shorter, stout, and blunt apically.

Keys including this Species

Key to the Indian and Sri Lankan Tetramorium tortuosum group species

Distribution

Reported from Zhejiang, China (Tang et al., 1985; Guenard & Dunn, 2012) but this is considered to be dubious by Agavekar et al. (2017) who treat this taxon as endemic to India (although it was described from Sri Lanka).

Akbar et al. (2023) - Tetramorium pilosum is endemic to Sri Lanka and its records from India should be considered dubious. The only mention of T. pilosum from India was made by Pajni and Suri (1978). However, they provide no accurate details about the species, and the way it was identified may indicate misidentification. The reports of the species from Zhejiang, China (Tang et al. 1985, Guénard & Dunn 2012) are also considered dubious (see Agavekar et al. 2017).

Akbar et al. (2023), Fig. 1. Distribution of the Tetramorium tortuosum group species in India and Sri Lanka. A: T. alii; B: T. belgaense; C: T. binghami; D: T. hitagarciai; E: T. keralense; F: T. pilosum; G: T. tortuosum; H: T. urbanii; I: T. yerburyi.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 7.293001° to 7.293001°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: India, Sri Lanka (type locality).

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

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb


Holotype of Tetramorium pilosum. Worker. Specimen code casent0281188. Photographer Estella Ortega, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.

Nomenclature

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

pilosum. Tetramorium (Xiphomyrmex) pilosum Emery, 1893f: 247 (w.) SRI LANKA. See also: Bolton, 1977: 82.

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

Description

Worker

Bolton (1977) - TL 4.1-4.5, HL 0.94-0.98, HW 0.90-0.94, CI 94-96, SL 0.76-0.82, SI 81-86, PW 0.66-0.72, AL 1.20-1.30 (6 measured).

Antennae 11-segmented, the scrobe reduced to a short, shallow groove which runs a little beyond the posterior margin of the eye, although the frontal carinae themselves extend almost to the occipital margin. Petiole strongly nodiform in profile (Fig. 6) with the dorsal surface convex; in dorsal view the node is globular and almost as broad as long. Metapleural lobes rounded, not dentiform. Mandibles longitudinally finely striate-rugulose, dorsum of head longitudinally rugose with a rugoreticulum on the sides and close to the occipital margin. Dorsal alitrunk with an open, raised rugoreticulum which is repeated on the dorsum of the petiole node where the rugae are more closely packed. Postpetiole with fainter but still distinct longitudinal rugulae. Gaster smooth and shining. Dorsal surfaces of head, alitrunk, pedicel and gaster with abundant very long, fine, acute hairs, the longest of which are c. 0.30 in length.

Type Material

Bolton (1977) - Holotype worker, Sri Lanka: Kandy, 1892 (E. Simon) (Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genoa) [examined].

References

Agavekar, G.; Hita Garcia, F.; Economo, E.P. 2017. Taxonomic overview of the hyperdiverse ant genus Tetramorium Mayr (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in India with descriptions and X-ray microtomography of two new species from the Andaman Islands. PeerJ 5:e3800. (doi:10.7717/peerj.3800).
Akbar, S. A.; Schifani, E.; Bharti, H.; Wachkoo, A. A. 2023. Taxonomic overview of the Tetramorium tortuosum group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in India and Sri Lanka, with descriptions of three new species from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. Annales Zoologici Fennici 60:109-126. (doi:10.5735/086.060.0112).
Bolton, B. 1977. The ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The genus Tetramorium Mayr in the Oriental and Indo-Australian regions, and in Australia. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology. 36:67-151.
Emery, C. 1893h. Voyage de M. E. Simon à l'île de Ceylan (janvier-février 1892). Formicides. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Fr. 62: 239-258 (page 247, worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Bolton B. 1977. The ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The genus Tetramorium Mayr in the Oriental and Indo-Australian regions, and in Australia. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 36:67-151.
Bolton, B. "The ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicinae. The genus Tetramorium Mayr in the Oriental and Indo-Australian regions and in Australia." Bulletin of the British Museum (National History): Entomology series 36, no. 2 (1977): 68-151.
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
Dias R. K. S. 2002. Current knowledge on ants of Sri Lanka. ANeT Newsletter 4: 17- 21.
Dias R. K. S. 2006. Current taxonomic status of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Sri Lanka. The Fauna of Sri Lanka: 43-52. Bambaradeniya, C.N.B. (Editor), 2006. Fauna of Sri Lanka: Status of Taxonomy, Research and Conservation. The World Conservation Union, Colombo, Sri Lanka & Government of Sri Lanka. viii + 308pp.
Dias R. K. S., K. R. K. A. Kosgamage, and H. A. W. S. Peiris. 2012. The Taxonomy and Conservation Status of Ants (Order: Hymenoptera, Family: Formicidae) in Sri Lanka. In: The National Red List 2012 of Sri Lanka; Conservation Status of the Fauna and Flora. Weerakoon, D.K. & S. Wijesundara Eds., Ministry of Environment, Colombo, Sri Lanka. p11-19.
Emery C. 1893. Voyage de M. E. Simon à l'île de Ceylan (janvier-février 1892). Formicides. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 62: 239-258.
Emery C. 1901. Ameisen gesammelt in Ceylon von Dr. W. Horn 1899. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1901: 113-122.
Forel A. 1903. Les Formicides de l'Empire des Indes et de Ceylan. Part X. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 14: 679-715.
Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
Tang Jue, Li Shen, Huang Enyou, Zhang Benyue. 1985. Notes on ants from Zhoushan islands , Zhejiang (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Acta Agriculturae Universitatis Chekianensis 11(3): 307-318.
Tang Jue, Li Shen, Huang Enyou, Zhang Benyue. 1985. Notes on ants from Zhoushan Islands Zhejiang (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Zhejiang University (Agric.& Life Sci.) 3.