Anochetus validus

Anochetus validus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ponerinae
Tribe:	Ponerini
Genus:	Anochetus
Species:	A. validus
Binomial name
Anochetus validus Bharti & Wachkoo, 2013 Holotype Specimen Label

This species appears to be uncommon and restricted to Jammu region of the Shivalik range in Northwest Himalaya. It was collected under small stones and by sieving moist soil. Three of the foraging workers were collected over grass during the evening time.

Photo Gallery

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  Worker in the field, northern India. Photo by Manoj Vembayam.
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  Worker, Dehradun, India. Photo by Yathumon M A.

Identification

Bharti & Wachkoo (2013) - Anochetus validus resembles Anochetus graeffei and Anochetus yerburyi. It can be easily distinguished from Anochetus yerburyi by frontal striation reaching all the way to nuchal carina or most of the way; larger size (HW: 1.20–1.32); relatively small eyes (EL: 0.22–0.24); smooth and shiny meso-metapleuron and strongly pigmented body, while in the latter the frons are smooth and shiny, the frontal striation extends only a short distance beyond the level of eyes; slender (HW: 0.95–1.15); eyes larger (EL 0.26–0.28); metapleuron sculptured and body pigmentation lighter with head, petiole and appendages honey yellow. However, it most resembles Anochetus graeffei but can be fairly separated from the latter by scape reaching occipital lobe; relatively very large size; deep emargination of vertex and undivided mesopleuron whereas in the latter scape fails to reach the occipital lobe; much smaller size (HW: 0.84–1.01), shallow emargination of vertex (see Zettel, 2012: Fig. 24) and mesopleuron divided into anepisternum and katepisternum. It can also be easily separated from Anochetus ruginotus recently revived from synonymy (Zettle, 2012) by dense irregular vermiculate short rugae on pronotum and transverse rugae on mesonotum while in Anochetus ruginotus striation is distinctly longitudinal on pro-mesonotum.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Anochetus of India

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 32.7496° to 32.3753°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: India (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.

Nomenclature

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

• validus. Anochetus validus Bharti & Wachkoo, 2013a: 141, figs 7-12 (w.q.) INDIA (Jammu & Kashmir).
  • Type-material: holotype worker, 20 paratype workers, 1 paratype queen.
  • Type-locality: holotype India: Jammu & Kashmir, Manda, 32.7496°N, 74.8673°E, 500 m., 15.vii.2009, hand picking (A.A. Wachkoo); paratypes: 10 workers, 1 queen with same data but 4.vii.2010, 1 worker Jammu & Kashmir, Kathua, 32.3753°N, 75.5184°E, 310 m., 27.vii.2010, soil core (A.A. Wachkoo), 1 worker Jammu & Kashmir, Jasrota, 32.4579°N, 75.4044°E, 400 m., 28.vii.2010, soil core (A.A. Wachkoo), 4 workers Jammu & Kashmir, Billawar, 32.6141°N, 75.6054°E, 840 m., 6.viii.2010, hand picking (A.A. Wachkoo), 3 workers Jammu & Kashmir, Samba, 32.5537°N, 75.1317°E, 390 m., 11.vii.2009, hand picking (A.A. Wachkoo), 1 workers Jammu & Kashmir, Mansar, 32.6979°N, 75.1489°E, 690 m., 13.vii.2009, soil core (A.A. Wachkoo).
  • Type-depository: PUAC.
  • Status as species: Bharti, Guénard, et al. 2016: 48.
  • Distribution: India.

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

Description

Worker

HL: 1.28–1.34; HW: 1.20–1.32; EL: 0.22–0.24; MdL: 0.70–0.72; SL: 1.04–1.06; PnW: 0.68–0.72; MsL: 1.52–1.55; PtW: 0.32–0.36; PtL: 0.33–0.36; PtH: 0.40–0.45; TL: 5.50–5.66. Indices: CI: 93.75–98.50; SI: 78.79–86.67; MdI: 53.03–56.25 (n=12).

Head. Eyes with 10–12 ommatidia across greatest diameter, filling more than half the length of the orbital fossae; some minute setae present on eyes. Scape slightly curved, just reaching the posterior margin of occipital lobe. Mandible slender, broadened at distal half; medial edge with 2 nearly straight margins extending to semicircular preapical excision; ventral margin dentate; with head in “full-face” view and mandibles closed, denticles invisible dorsally; apical triad of teeth variable in shape from pointed to blunt.

Mesosoma. Stout, promesonotal suture well defined; mesometanotal suture faintly marked or absent altogether; pronotum rounded above; mesonotal disc convex, wider than long; propodeal dorsum flat to slightly depressed transversely behind metanotal spiracle, widened posteriorly; declivity oblique. Propodeal angles reduced, divergent and bluntly rounded.

Petiole. Petiolar node triangular in lateral view, thin and tapered apically. In anterior view apex of summit shallowly concave to convex; lateral margins straight to convex.

Gaster. Sub-cylindrical; weakly constricted between first two segments; base of cintus of second gastral tergite with cross ribs.

Sculpture. Head punctulate, smooth and shiny except frontal striation; striae coarse fanning out posterolaterally, extending almost to level of nuchal carina, replaced over the last 0.10 mm or so before nuchal carina by a strip of smooth, shining surface, laterally entering antennal socket but not exceeding posterior and lateral margins; 2–4 rugae present anteriorly in antennal sockets. Pronotum opaque, cervix distinctly transversely striate; anterior border of pronotal dorsum with arched rugae, pronotal disc obliquely rugo-vermiculate; laterally longitudinally rugo-vermiculate; promesonotal suture cross ribbed. Mesonotal disc transversally rugose. Dorsum of propodeum rugo-reticulate; apex and declivity of propodeum transversally rugostriate. Katepisternum and metakatepisternum smooth and shiny; propodeal sides obliquely rugose. Gaster smooth and shiny, basally punctulate. Mandibles shiny with very sparse punctures; antennae finely and densely punctulate.

Vestiture. Pilosity moderate overall; shorter and sub-decumbent on head, suberect on remainder, obsolescent on lateral face of mesosoma. Appendages covered by dense appressed to decumbent pubescence.

Color. Head, petiole and appendages red brown; mesosoma and gaster blackish brown.

Queen

HL: 1.32; HW: 1.26; EL: 0.27; MdL: 0.67; SL: 0.99; PnW: 0.83; MsL: 1.60; PtW: 0.40; PtL: 0.43; PtH: 0.54; TL: 5.72. Indices: CI: 98.32; SI: 78.57; MdI: 53.35 (n=1).

As in worker; with modifications expected for this caste and the following differences: eyes with 15 ommatidia across greatest diameter. Scutum obliquely rugo-vermiculate; scutellum and metanotum smooth and shiny. In front view petiole with rounded dorsal margin and feebly convex sides. Mandibles, head, petiole and appendages darker than in corresponding workers.

Type Material

• Holotype, worker, Manda, Jammu and Kashmir, 500m, India, 32.7496°N 74.8673°E / 32.7496; 74.8673, 15 July, 2009, Aijaz A. Wachkoo, Punjabi University Ant Collection; hand picking.
• Paratype, 10 workers, Manda, Jammu and Kashmir, 500m, India, 32.7496°N 74.8673°E / 32.7496; 74.8673, 4 August, 2010, Aijaz A. Wachkoo, Punjabi University Ant Collection; hand picking.
• Paratype, 1 queen, Manda, Jammu and Kashmir, 500m, India, 32.7496°N 74.8673°E / 32.7496; 74.8673, 15 July, 2009, Aijaz A. Wachkoo, Punjabi University Ant Collection; hand picking.
• Paratype, 1 worker, Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir, 310m, India, 32.3753°N 75.5184°E / 32.3753; 75.5184, 27 July, 2010, Aijaz A. Wachkoo, Punjabi University Ant Collection; soil core.
• Paratype, 1 worker, Jasrota, Jammu and Kashmir, 400m, India, 32.4579°N 75.4044°E / 32.4579; 75.4044, 28 July, 2010, Aijaz A. Wachkoo, Punjabi University Ant Collection; soil core.
• Paratype, 4 workers, Billawar, Jammu and Kashmir, 840m, India, 32.6141°N 75.6054°E / 32.6141; 75.6054, 6 August, 2010, Aijaz A. Wachkoo, Punjabi University Ant Collection; hand picking.
• Paratype, 3 workers, Samba, Jammu and Kashmir, 390m, India, 32.5537°N 75.1317°E / 32.5537; 75.1317, 11 July, 2009, Aijaz A. Wachkoo, Punjabi University Ant Collection; hand picking.
• Paratype, 1 worker, Mansar, Jammu and Kashmir, 690m, India, 32.6979°N 75.1489°E / 32.6979; 75.1489, 13 July, 2009, Aijaz A. Wachkoo, Punjabi University Ant Collection; soil core.

Etymology

The species epithet is a Latin for valid, in reference to its legitimate species status.

References

• Bharti, H.; Wachkoo, A. A. 2013. Two new species of trap jaw ant Anochetus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a key to known species from India. Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology 16:137-142.
• Dendup, K.C., Dorji, C., Dhadwal, T., Bharti, H., Pfeiffer, M. 2021. A preliminary checklist of ants from Bhutan. Asian Myrmecology 14, e014005 (doi:10.20362/am.014005).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Bharti H., and A. A. Wachkoo. 2013. Two new species of trap jaw ant Anochetus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a key to known species from India. Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology 16: 137–142.