Centromyrmex feae

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Centromyrmex feae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Ponerinae
Tribe: Ponerini
Genus: Centromyrmex
Species: C. feae
Binomial name
Centromyrmex feae
(Emery, 1889)

Centromyrmex feae casent0102120 profile 1.jpg

Centromyrmex feae casent0102120 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Subspecies
Synonyms

Centromyrmex feae is a subterranean species occurring in forest habitats. Workers are often collected from rotting logs and termite mounds, suggesting C. feae is termitophagous. (Eguchi 2014)


Photo Gallery

  • Centromyrmex feae from Kerala, India. Photo by Kalesh Sadasivan.‎
  • Worker from Kerala, India. Photo by Kalesh Sadasivan.

Identification

A member of the feae species group / Key to Centromyrmex species groups

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 19.11666667° to -7.491667°.

 
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Philippines.
Oriental Region: Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar (type locality), Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.
Palaearctic Region: China.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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

Explore-icon.png Explore Overview of Centromyrmex biology 
All of the species in the genus appear to be termitophagous and all are superbly adapted to this specialised predatory life style. Observations of some species have found them to be rather helpless when placed in an exposed, open situation. Weber described what happened when he found a worker “just beneath the soil surface under a thin cover of dead leaves”. The ant was “completely helpless when exposed to the daylight and writhed about when placed on the ground or in my palm. It made no attempt to run away, curling and uncurling without stinging, though it had a long, stout sting”. In other words, it seemed unable to walk when removed from its specialised habitat and placed on a surface where it could not use its specialised legs. If not discovered within a termite nest, individuals are occasionally found in the top soil or the root-mat below the leaf litter layer, where their short, powerful, spiny legs facilitate their movement. (Weber 1949, Bolton and Fisher 2008).

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Castes

Worker

Centromyrmex feae sam-hym-c007974b head 1.jpgCentromyrmex feae sam-hym-c007974b profile 1.jpgCentromyrmex feae sam-hym-c007974b dorsal 1.jpgCentromyrmex-feaeHb5.0x.jpgCentromyrmex-feaeL2x.jpg
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Nomenclature

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

  • feae. Spalacomyrmex feae Emery, 1889b: 491, pl. 10, figs. 11-15 (w.) MYANMAR.
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated) .
    • Type-locality: Myanmar (“Birmania”): Bhamo, Shwegoo, Prome, 1885-87 (L. Fea).
    • Type-depository: MSNG.
    • [Misspelled as feai by Emery, 1893f: 240.]
    • Forel, 1900d: 303 (q.); Wheeler, W.M. 1936d: 207 (m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1952c: 604 (l.); Imai, et al. 1984: 5 (k.).
    • Combination in Centromyrmex: Emery, 1890b: 40 (footnote).
    • Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 16; Emery, 1893f: 240; Emery, 1895k: 456; Forel, 1900d: 303; Bingham, 1903: 94; Emery, 1911d: 58; Wheeler, W.M. 1913e: 233; Forel, 1913f: 184; Forel, 1913k: 6; Wheeler, W.M. & Chapman, 1925: 61; Karavaiev, 1925a: 81; Wheeler, W.M. 1927h: 83; Wheeler, W.M. 1928c: 4; Wheeler, W.M. 1929g: 58; Wheeler, W.M. 1930h: 58; Wheeler, W.M. 1936d: 206; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 52; Baltazar, 1966: 241; Bolton, 1995b: 140; Tang, J., Li, et al. 1995: 33; Zhou, 2001b: 28; Lin & Wu, 2003: 67; Jaitrong & Nabhitabhata, 2005: 17; Bolton & Fisher, 2008c: 25; Terayama, 2009: 108; Zhou & Ran, 2010: 103; Guénard & Dunn, 2012: 58; Bharti, Guénard, et al. 2016: 49; Jaitrong, Guénard, et al. 2016: 40; Dias, R.K.S. et al. 2020: 105; Khachonpisitsak, et al. 2020: 141.
    • Senior synonym of donisthorpei: Brown, 1955f: 103; Bolton, 1995b: 140; Zhou, 2001b: 28; Bolton & Fisher, 2008c: 25.
    • Current subspecies: nominal plus ceylonicus, greeni.
    • Distribution (based on references, not on a revision): China, India, Indonesia (Java), Laos, Myanmar, Philippines (Basilan, Luzon, Mindanao), Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.
  • donisthorpei. Centromyrmex donisthorpei Menozzi, 1925c: 443, fig. 4 (q.) PHILIPPINES (Mindanao I.).
    • Type-material: 2 syntype queens.
    • Type-localities: Philippines: Mindanao, Iligan (no. 19444) (C.F. Baker); Philippines: Mindanao, Kolambugan (C.F. Baker).
    • Type-depository: IEUB.
    • Status as species: Chapman & Capco, 1951: 52; Baltazar, 1966: 241.
    • Junior synonym of feae: Brown, 1955f: 103; Bolton, 1995b: 140; Zhou, 2001b: 28; Bolton & Fisher, 2008c: 25.

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

Description

Rufo-testacea, nitida, haud pubescens, pilis setiformibus, curvatis hirsuta. Caput subquadratum, punctis foveiformibus, magnis, piligeris sparse impressum (infra postice sine punctis), linea frontali profunda, postice abbreviata, genis longitudinaliter rugulosis. Mandibulae laeves, sparse, subtilissime punctatae, mat'gine masticatorio circiter 12-denticulato, basi sulco obliquo in margine externo evanescente (fere ut in Ponera sulcata et affinibus). Clypeus lateribus subtiliter rugoso-punctatus, impressione media laevi. Antennarum flagelli articulus 1 longitudine duorum sequentium, 2-7 breviores quam crassiores, ultimus longitudine duorum praecedentium. Thorax pronoti disco curvatim rugoso, mesonoti dorso planato, grosse punctato, metanoto fere sine punctis magnis, sed subtilissime reticulato, subopaco, superficie declivi convexa, nitida, sublaevi. Pedunculus et abdomen nitida, punctis piligeris subtilioribus. Pedes nitidi, punctis piligeris. Long. 4 1/2-5 mm.


Worker Bingham (1903): Entirely yellow, with a brownish or reddish tinge, covered sparsely with short erect pale hairs, which are more densely set towards the apex o£ the abdomen beneath. Head, thorax and abdomen with the characters of the genus. Head posteriorly, the pro- and mesonotum rather sparingly but coarsely punctured ; the mandibles, metanotum, coxae, femora and tibiae of the legs, node of pedicel, and abdomen smooth, polished, shining; the pronotum along the crescentic anterior margin with a broad but slight depression, which is finely wrinkled.

Length: 3.5 - 4 mm

type Specimen Labels


Karyotype

  • n = 22, 2n = 44, karyotype = 14M+30A (India) (Imai et al., 1984; Mariano et al., 2015).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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  • Chen Y., C. W. Luo, H. W. Li, Y. J. Liu, H. F. Zheng, and F. C. Yang. 2013. Investigation of ant species and distribution on Wuliang Mountain. Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences 42(5): 118-122.
  • Dad J. M., S. A. Akbar, H. Bharti, and A. A. Wachkoo. 2019. Community structure and ant species diversity across select sites ofWestern Ghats, India. Acta Ecologica Sinica 39: 219–228.
  • Dias R. K. S. 2002. Current knowledge on ants of Sri Lanka. ANeT Newsletter 4: 17- 21.
  • Dias R. K. S. 2006. Current taxonomic status of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Sri Lanka. The Fauna of Sri Lanka: 43-52. Bambaradeniya, C.N.B. (Editor), 2006. Fauna of Sri Lanka: Status of Taxonomy, Research and Conservation. The World Conservation Union, Colombo, Sri Lanka & Government of Sri Lanka. viii + 308pp.
  • Dias R. K. S., K. R. K. A. Kosgamage, and H. A. W. S. Peiris. 2012. The Taxonomy and Conservation Status of Ants (Order: Hymenoptera, Family: Formicidae) in Sri Lanka. In: The National Red List 2012 of Sri Lanka; Conservation Status of the Fauna and Flora. Weerakoon, D.K. & S. Wijesundara Eds., Ministry of Environment, Colombo, Sri Lanka. p11-19.
  • Dias R. K. S.; Perera K. A. M. 2011. Worker ant community observed by repeated sampling and information on endemic Aneuretus simoni Emery in the Gilimale Forest Reserve in Sri Lanka. Asian Myrmecology 4: 69-78.
  • Eguchi K., B. T. Viet, and S. Yamane. 2014. Generic Synopsis of the Formicidae of Vietnam (Insecta: Hymenoptera), Part II—Cerapachyinae, Aenictinae, Dorylinae, Leptanillinae, Amblyoponinae, Ponerinae, Ectatomminae and Proceratiinae. Zootaxa 3860: 001-046.
  • Emery C. 1889. Formiche di Birmania e del Tenasserim raccolte da Leonardo Fea (1885-87). Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale 27: 485-520.
  • Emery C. 1893. Voyage de M. E. Simon à l'île de Ceylan (janvier-février 1892). Formicides. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 62: 239-258.
  • Forel A. 1900. Les Formicides de l'Empire des Indes et de Ceylan. Part VII. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 13: 303-332.
  • Forel A. 1913. H. Sauter's Formosa-Ausbeute: Formicidae II. Arch. Naturgesch. (A)79(6): 183-202
  • Forel A. 1913k. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse einer Forschungsreise nach Ostindien ausgeführt im Auftrage der Kgl. Preuss. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin von H. v. Buttel-Reepen. II. Ameisen aus Sumatra, Java, Malacca und Ceylon. Gesammelt von Herrn Prof. Dr. v. Buttel-Reepen in den Jahren 1911-1912. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 36:1-148.
  • Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
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  • IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
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  • Jaitrong W., B. Guenard, E. P. Economo, N. Buddhakala, and S. Yamane. 2016. A checklist of known ant species of Laos (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Asian Myrmecology 8: 1-32. DOI: 10.20362/am.008019
  • Jaitrong W., and T. Ting-Nga. 2005. Ant fauna of Peninsular Botanical Garden (Khao Chong), Trang Province, Southern Thailand (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 1(2): 137-147.
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  • Nair V. M. 2011. First record of the ant, Centromyrmex feae Emery, 1889 (subfamily Ponerinae) from Mangalore district, Karnataka. Bugs R All (Newsletter of the Invertebrate Conservation & Information Network of South Asia) 17: 22.
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