Carebara sangi

Carebara sangi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Carebara
Species:	C. sangi
Binomial name
	Carebara sangi; (Eguchi & Bui, 2007) Specimen labels

The type series was obtained from one of ten cheese bait traps (small plastic tubes with several entrances containing powdered cheese as bait) buried ca. 10 cm underground in a well-developed forest at ca. 435 m alt. The circumstantial evidence as well as its morphological features (depigmentation and flat body without eyes) suggest that Carebara sangi is a subterranean nester and forager. (Eguchi & Bui, 2007)

Identification

Originally described as part of a genus with this ant as its only species the genus was diagnosed, in part, as follows (Eguchi & Bui, 2007):

Distinguished from the other myrmicine known from the Indo-Chinese subregion by a combination of the following features: median clypeal seta well developed; posteromedian portion of clypeus narrowly inserted between frontal lobes; masticatory margin of mandible with 5 distinct teeth; antenna 11-segmented, with a 2-segmented club; eye completely absent.

Monomorphic myrmicine ants with the following combination of characteristics. Frontal lobe in full-face view only partially concealing the toruli, not extending posteriorly as a frontal carina; antennal scrobe absent; posteromedian portion of clypeus narrowly inserted between frontal lobes; median clypeal seta well developed; 1st paracarinal seta well developed; lateral portions of clypeus not forming a raised rim or shield wall in front of the antennal insertions; the position of anterior tentorial pit as in Fig. 4; mandible triangular, overlapping but not crossing over at full closure, with 5 distinct teeth on the masticatory margin but without any tooth/denticles on the basal margin; trulleum open; hypostoma with a conspicuous lateral tooth just mesal to each mandibular base; anterior margin of labrum broadly concave medially; palpal formula: maxillary 2 and labial 2; antenna 11-segmented, with a 2-segmented club (Fig. 6); the apical antennal segment elongated much more than the preapical segment; eye completely absent. Promesonotum low, in profile almost flat or very weakly convex dorsally, without conspicuous humerus; promesonotal suture completely absent dorsally; mesosoma in dorsal view constricted between promesonotum and propodeum; metanotal groove relatively shallowly impressed dorsally; propodeum unarmed but with a narrow cuticular rim on each posterolateral corner of the dorsum; the rim running downward and connecting with metapleural lobe; each meso and metasternum without a conspicuous process; metapleural lobes low and round; propodeal spiracle small, situated a little behind the midlength of the sides of propodeum; metapleural gland large. Fore basitarsus with a long and thick seta on the posteroinner margin (sbt in Fig. 8); meso and metatibial spur absent. Petiole pedunculate anteriorly and with a distinct node; the peduncle with a small anteroventral process; postpetiole much shorter than petiole, in dorsal view a little broader than petiolar node, narrowly attached to the anteriormost end of gaster. Abdominal tergite IV (= gastral tergite I) broadly overlapping the sternite IV on the ventral surface of abdomen; gastral shoulder present (gs in Fig. 9); sting poorly developed (st in Fig. 9). Body smooth to very weakly sculptured.

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 21.16972222° to 21.16972222°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: Vietnam (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


Paratype of Carebara sangi. Worker. Specimen code casent0178557. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MCZ, Cambridge, MA, USA.


Paratype of Carebara sangi. Worker. Specimen code casent0178738. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by Katsuyuki Eguchi Collection.


Paratype of Carebara sangi. Worker. Specimen code casent0178739. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by Katsuyuki Eguchi Collection.

Nomenclature

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

sangi. Parvimyrma sangi Eguchi & Bui, 2007: 44, figs. 1-10 (w.) VIETNAM.
- Type-material: holotype worker, 44 paratype workers (of which 2 slide-mounted).
- Type-locality: holotype Vietnam: Bac Giang Prov., Tay Yen Tu Nat. Park, 21°10’11’’N, 106°43’06’’E, 28.v.2004, Eg04-VN-138 (K. Eguchi); paratypes with same data.
- Type-depositories: IEHV (holotype); BMNH, IEHV, KEPC, MCZC, MHNG, MNHA (paratypes).
- Combination in Carebara: Fernández, 2010: 195.
- Status as species: Fernández, 2010: 195.
- Distribution: Vietnam.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype: HL 0.37 mm, HW 0.26 mm, SL 0.21 mm, ML 0.42 mm, FL 0.19 mm, CI 71, SI 81, FI 71. Paratypes (n=4): HL 0.37 mm, HW 0.26–0.27 mm, SL 0.21 mm, ML 0.40–0.41 mm, FL 0.19–0.20 mm, CI 71–73, SI 78–79, FI 71–74.

Monomorphic myrmicine ants with the following combination of characteristics. Frontal lobe in full-face view only partially concealing the toruli, not extending posteriorly as a frontal carina; antennal scrobe absent; posteromedian portion of clypeus narrowly inserted between frontal lobes; median clypeal seta well developed; 1st paracarinal seta well developed; lateral portions of clypeus not forming a raised rim or shield wall in front of the antennal insertions; the position of anterior tentorial pit as in Fig. 4; mandible triangular, overlapping but not crossing over at full closure, with 5 distinct teeth on the masticatory margin but without any tooth/denticles on the basal margin; trulleum open; hypostoma with a conspicuous lateral tooth just mesal to each mandibular base; anterior margin of labrum broadly concave medially; palpal formula: maxillary 2 and labial 2; antenna 11-segmented, with a 2-segmented club (Fig. 6); the apical antennal segment elongated much more than the preapical segment; eye completely absent. Promesonotum low, in profile almost flat or very weakly convex dorsally, without conspicuous humerus; promesonotal suture completely absent dorsally; mesosoma in dorsal view constricted between promesonotum and propodeum; metanotal groove relatively shallowly impressed dorsally; propodeum unarmed but with a narrow cuticular rim on each posterolateral corner of the dorsum; the rim running downward and connecting with metapleural lobe; each meso and metasternum without a conspicuous process; metapleural lobes low and round; propodeal spiracle small, situated a little behind the midlength of the sides of propodeum; metapleural gland large. Fore basitarsus with a long and thick seta on the posteroinner margin (sbt in Fig. 8); meso and metatibial spur absent. Petiole pedunculate anteriorly and with a distinct node; the peduncle with a small anteroventral process; postpetiole much shorter than petiole, in dorsal view a little broader than petiolar node, narrowly attached to the anteriormost end of gaster. Abdominal tergite IV (= gastral tergite I) broadly overlapping the sternite IV on the ventral surface of abdomen; gastral shoulder present (gs in Fig. 9); sting poorly developed (st in Fig. 9). Body smooth to very weakly sculptured.

Type Material

Holotype worker: Tay Yen Tu N. P., 21°10’11”N, 106°43’06”E, 435 m alt., Bac Giang Prov., N. Vietnam, 28 May 2004 (K. Eguchi leg., colony Eg04-VN-138) Entomological Collection of the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources.

Paratypes: 42 pinned and 2 slide-mounted workers from the same colony as holotype [IEBR, The Natural History Museum, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève, Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Katsuyuki Eguchi].

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Eguchi K., T. V. Bui. 2007. Parvimyrma gen. nov. belonging to the Solenopsis genus group from Vietnam. Zootaxa 1461: 39-47.