Aphaenogaster tokarainsulana

Aphaenogaster tokarainsulana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Stenammini
Genus:	Aphaenogaster
Species:	A. tokarainsulana
Binomial name
Aphaenogaster tokarainsulana Watanabe & Yamane, 1999

Common Name
Tokara-ashinaga-ari
Language:	Japanese

Foraging workers turn their gasters downwards. This species is found from coastal to inland regions in woodland or its margins. It nests in the soil, under stones or in rotting wood (Japanese Ant Image Database).

Identification

Total length of workers around 3 - 5.5 mm. Head and mesosoma dark reddish brown; mandibles, petiole, postpetiole and legs lighter; gaster often darker; scapes gradually lightening in color toward their apices; funiculi light reddish brown. Scapes, mesosoma and legs relatively rather short compared to other Japanese Aphaenogaster species. Head covered with striae and punctures; longitudinal striae on frontal area not reaching occipital carina; posterior portion of head dull, with irregular striation and punctures. Pronotal humeri angulate. Mesonotum distinctly raised, often higher than pronotum, covered with striae and punctures. Mesopleura dull, covered with minute, dense punctures and parallel striae. (Japanese Ant Image Database)

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 29.54° to 29.54°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: China, Japan (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

Chromosome number 2n=34.

Nomenclature

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

• tokarainsulana. Aphaenogaster tokarainsulana Watanabe & Yamane, 1999: 729, fig. 12 (w.q.m.) JAPAN.
  • Status as species: Imai, et al. 2003: 177; Guénard & Dunn, 2012: 40.

References

• Imai, H.T., Kihara, A., Kondoh, M., Kubota, M., Kuribayashi, S., Ogata, K., Onoyama, K., Taylor, R.W., Terayama, M., Yoshimura, M., Ugawa, Y. 2003. Ants of Japan. 224 pp, Gakken, Japan.
• Watanabe, H.; Yamane, S. 1999. New species and new status in the genus Aphaenogaster (Formicidae) in the Oriental and Australian regions. In: Identification Guide to the Aculeata of the Nansei Islands. Pp. 728-736 in: Yamane, S.; Ikudome, S.; Terayama, M (page 729, described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Fukumoto S., R. Satria, T. Maeda, and S. Yamane. 2014. Ant fauna of Gaja-jima, Tokara Islands, southwestern Japan. Nature of Kagoshima 40: 127–131.
• Harada Y., D. Fukukura, R. Kurisu, and S. Yamane. 2013. Ants of Ports, monitoring of alien ant species. Bull. Biogeogr. Soc. Japan 68: 29-40.
• Harada Y., M. Enomoto, N. Nishimata, and K. Nishimuta. 2014. Ants of the Tokara Islands, northern Ryukyus, Japan. Nature of Kagoshima 40: 111–121.
• Katayama M., T. Hosoya, and W. Toki. 2013: First survey of ground-dwelling ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on the uninhabitedGaja-jima Island, theRyukyu archipelago, Japan.—Entomol. Fennica 24: 216–222.
• Pan Y.S. 2007. Systematic Study on the Ant Genera Pheidole Westwood and Aphaenogaster Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formincidae : Myrmicinae) In China. Guangxi Normal University, Guangxi, China. 73 pages.
• Terayama M., S. Kubota, and K. Eguchi. 2014. Encyclopedia of Japanese ants. Asakura Shoten: Tokyo, 278 pp.
• Watanabe H., and S. Yamane. 1999. New species and new status in the genus Aphaenogaster (Formicidae) from Japan. Pp. 728-736 in: Yamane, S.; Ikudome, S.; Terayama, M. 1999. Identification guide to the Aculeata of the Nansei Islands, Japan. Sapporo: Hokkaido University Press, xii + 831 pp.
• Yamane S., S. Ikudome, and M. Terayama. 1999. Identification guide to the Aculeata of the Nansei Islands, Japan. Sapporo: Hokkaido University Press, xii + 831 pp. pp, 138-317.
• Yamane S., Y. Harada, and K. Eguchi. 2013. Classification and ecology of ants. Natural history of ants in Southern Kyushu. 200 pages
• Yamane S., and S. Ikudome. 2008. Ants, wasps and bees of Kuro-shima Northern Ryukyus, Japan (Hymenoptera, Aculeata). Bull. Inst. Minami-Kyushu Reg. Sci. (Kagoshima Women's Jr. Coll.) 24: 1-9.
• Yamane S.; Ikudome, S.; Terayama, M. 1999. Identification guide to the Aculeata of the Nansei Islands, Japan. Sapporo: Hokkaido University Press, xii + 831 pp. pp138-317.