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Aenictus xegi
| Aenictus xegi | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dorylinae |
| Genus: | Aenictus |
| Species group: | koloi |
| Species: | A. xegi |
| Binomial name | |
| Aenictus xegi Gomez, 2022
| |
One of the three known collections of this species includes habitat information, i.e., the ants were found the leaf litter of primary forest.
Identification
Gómez (2022) - A member of the Aenictus koloi species group. Similar in size and overall habitus to Aenictus susanae, but with much scattered erect to semierect pilosity, instead of the dense reclinated setae present in that species. The series from Congo is almost bare and its colour light brown, but quite probably due to previous manipulation as other specimens of different species from the same sample present the same deterioration.
Due to the scarcity of material and the bad shape of the only series with three workers, Gomez (2022) decided to designate Holotype and Paratype from different localities as he had no reasonable doubt about their conspecificity.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 6° to 2°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: Gomez, 2022
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Congo, Ghana (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. |
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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
Castes
Known from the worker caste. Table of castes known for all Afrotropical Aenictus species.
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- xegi. Aenictus xegi Gómez, 2022: 40, figs. 2B, 24A-D, 25 (w.) GHANA, CAMEROON.
- Type-material: holotype worker, 1 paratype worker.
- Type-locality: holotype Ghana: nr Kibi (Atewa Forest Reserve), 27.iii.1992 (R. Belshaw); paratype: Cameroon: Nkoemvon, 2.vi.1905 (D.A. Jackson).
- [Note: date 1905 for Dorothy Jackson specimen is incorrect; more probably 1975.]
- Type-depository: BMNH.
- Distribution: Cameroon, Congo, Ghana.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Worker
HL: 0.80 [0.76-0.86]; HW: 0.71 [0.68-0.74]; SL: 0.57 [0.54-0.62]; WL: 1.27 [1.22-1.36]; PH: 0.24 [0.22-0.26]; PPRO: 0.12 [0.10-0.15]; CI: 88 [86-90]; SIL: 71 [68-73]; SIW: 80 [77-84]; WL/HW: 179 [176-183] (n=4).
With the characters defined for the koloi group and: funicular segments shorter than wide becoming subcuadrate, the apical twice longer than wide. Head convex laterally, widest at the middle; occipital line slightly concave. Ventrolateral margin reaching ventrally half the distance to mandible insertions. Mandibles with a sharp apical tooth followed by a series of 7–10 small denticles.
Petiole subsessile with anterolateral and anterodorsal carina present, dorsolateral carina present as two short parallel ridges from the anterodorsal ridge to the petiolar dome; in lateral view anterior face straight to concave, sloping 45 degrees to the rounded dorsal face, vertical posterior face; postpetiole rounded in lateral view. Subpetiolar process very developed, with the bulk digitiform, longer than wide, oriented anteriorly and followed by a big lamella, its length about one third of the subpetiolar process. The whole process clearly larger than prora.
Whole body including legs and antennae deeply reticulated; some (1–3) horizontal rugae present on the mesopleura which continue as horizontal striae on the lower fourth of the metapleura, the uppermost just below the metapleural gland, converging to the spiny metapleural lobe; gaster glassy smooth. Overall colour dark brown, gaster yellowish brown.
Scattered white, long, semierect to erect setae present on head, mesosoma, petiole, postpetiole and gaster; propodeum bare except adjacent to mesonotum and dorsally at its half, with a pair of setae each. Dorsum of petiole and postpetiole, with 1–4 pairs of setae at most. Setae length comparable to petiole height.
Type Material
- Holotype worker, GHANA: • nr. Kibi (Atewa Forest reservation) 27/03/1992 (Belshaw, R.). Primary forest (1w), Leaf litter [NHMUK012849243] The Natural History Museum.
- Paratype worker, CAMEROON: • Nkoemvon 02/06/1905 (Jackson, B.) (1w) [NHMUK012849246] The Natural History Museum.
Etymology
The species name xegi is Latinized noun in the genitive case, dedicated to my mentor and good friend Xavier Espadaler i Gelabert. Thank you for everything.