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Axinidris occidentalis
| Axinidris occidentalis | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dolichoderinae |
| Genus: | Axinidris |
| Species: | A. occidentalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Axinidris occidentalis Shattuck, 1991
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Axinidris occidentalis was collected from an unidentified ant-plant, a habit shared with other Axinidris.
Identification
Snelling (2007) - Scape and pronotum without erect hairs; pronotum weakly shiny, sharply sculptured and densely pubescent; medial carina present; T3-T4 each with several erect hairs.
In A. occidentalis the pronotum lacks erect hairs, but they are present on gastral terga 3 and 4, and the distance across the propodeal spines is subequal to the propodeal width, a combination of features unique to this western species.
Shattuck (1991) - A. occidentalis can be separated from other species by the combination of no erect hairs on the pronotum, the propodeal spine width subequal to the propodeal width, and the presence of erect hairs on the gaster.
Identification Keys
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Liberia (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
Species of Axinidris appear to nest exclusively within hollow plant stems, both living and dead, and in rotten wood. They are found in forested areas throughout the Afrotropical region, but are most abundant and diverse in the moist equatorial forests. Workers are primarily arboreal foragers, but may occasionally forage in ground litter.
Castes
Known only from the worker caste.
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- occidentalis. Axinidris occidentalis Shattuck, 1991: 118, figs. 26-28, 35 (w.) LIBERIA.
- Type-material: holotype worker, 7 paratype workers.
- Type-locality: holotype Liberia: Paiata (= Payeta) (J. Bequaert); paratypes with same data.
- Type-depository: MCZC.
- Status as species: Shattuck, 1994: 10; Bolton, 1995b: 77; Snelling, R.R. 2007: 569.
- Distribution: Liberia.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Worker
(n=4). OOD 0.31-0.35, EL 0.21-0.23, HL 0.88-0.95, EW 0.10-0.13, HW 0.88-0.96, CNW 0.05, CND 0.07-0.08, SL 0.57-0.65, AL 1.02-1.10, PpW 0.34-0.41, SW 0.36-0.41, CI 0.99-1.01, CNI 1.33-1.53, REL 0.23-0.25, ScI 0.64-0.69, SpI 1.37-1.57.
Pronotal hairs absent; body yellowish red, the tarsi light yellow; HW >0.85; SL <0.66.
Head sculpture similar to Apalligastrion. Head with two pairs of short erect hairs (one pair near the vertex, one pair on the frontal lobes), and one pair of long hairs on the clypeus. Erect and suberect hairs absent from the antennal scapes. Entire alitrunk weakly punctate to weakly imbricate. Pronotum lacking erect hairs. Propodeal spiracles as in A.tridens. Medial propodeal carina expanded slightly near the propodeal angle and located just anterior of a line drawn between the propodeal spiracles posterior to a line drawn between the propodeal spines. Propodeal spines directed posterolaterally with the outer surfaces concave, the distal ends approximately the same width as the maximum propodeal width, and the area between them concave. Erect hairs present on gastric tergites 3 and 4. Body colour yellowish red with the gaster, clypeus, mandibles and antenna lighter, and the tarsi yellow.
Type Material
- Holotype, worker, Paiata (=Payeta), Liberia, J.Bequaert, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
- Paratype, 7 workers, Paiata (=Payeta), Liberia, J.Bequaert, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
References
- Shattuck, S. O. 1991. Revision of the dolichoderine ant genus Axinidris (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Syst. Entomol. 16: 105-120. (page 118, figs. 26-28, 35 worker described)
- Snelling, R. R. 2007. A review of the arboreal Afrotropical ant genus Axinidris. Pages 551-579 in Snelling, R. R., B. L. Fisher and P. S. Ward. Advances in ant systematics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Homage to E.O. Wilson - 50 years of contributions. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 80.
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Shattuck S. O. 1991. Revision of the dolichoderine ant genus Axinidris (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Systematic Entomology 16: 105-120.
- Shattuck S. O. 1994. Taxonomic catalog of the ant subfamilies Aneuretinae and Dolichoderinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). University of California Publications in Entomology 112: i-xix, 1-241.