Chelaner pubescens

Chelaner pubescens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Solenopsidini
Genus:	Chelaner
Species group:	bicorne
Species:	C. pubescens
Binomial name
Chelaner pubescens (Heterick, 2001) Specimen Labels

Surprisingly, this ant is known from one series of five workers collected in the old established Perth suburb of Mosman Park, and (after completion of this study) a single worker from Rottnest Island, Western Australia.

Identification

Heterick (2001) - A member of the bicorne group. The taxon closely resembles Chelaner rufoniger, which also occurs in the Perth region, and may simply represent aberrant individuals (e.g. nanitic or callow minor workers) of this fairly common species. All individuals of C. pubescens, however, lack stout erect or suberect setae on the alitrunk, and are much paler than any C. rufoniger minor worker I have seen.

Heterick (2009) - Workers are very similar to minor workers within polymorphic populations of Chelaner rufoniger.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Australian Monomorium Species

Distribution

Heterick (2009) - WA. Known from the Perth region (Mosman Park) and, more recently, from Eneabba.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -32.01667023° to -32.01667023°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (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.

• pubescens. Monomorium pubescens Heterick, 2001: 373, fig. 21 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Western Australia).
  • Type-material: holotype worker, 2 paratype workers.
  • Type-locality: holotype Australia: Western Australia, Mosman Park, 1.v.1988 (B.E. Heterick); paratypes: 1 worker with same data, 1 worker with same data but 393/6MonBH29.
  • Type-depositories: ANIC (holotype); BMNH, MCZC (paratypes).
  • Combination in Chelaner: Sparks, et al. 2019: 233.
  • Status as species: Heterick, 2009: 162; Sparks, et al. 2019: 233.
  • Distribution: Australia.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype. HML; 1.39; HL 0.53; HW 0.48; Cel 91; SL 0.36; SI 74; PW 0.30. Other. HML 1.35-1.51; HL 0.49-0.57; HW 0.43-0.52; Cei 88-96; SL 0.34--0.38; SI 72-79; PW 0.25-0.28 (4 measured, including alcohol specimens).

As for light coloured minor workers of Chelaner rufoniger but with the following apomorphies.

Alitrunk. Promesonotal sculpture present in form of uniform microreticulation with few mesopleural striolae; dorsal promesonotal face convex anteriad, otherwise flattened; erect and suberect setae absent on promesonotum; setulae appressed. Propodeal angle present; length ratio of dorsal face to declivitous face near 2:1 to near 4:3; declivitous face of propodeum flat. Erect and suberect propodeal setae absent or very sparse; propodeal setulae appressed.

Petiole and postpetiole. Petiolar node conical, sharply tapered; sculpture present in form of microreticulation. Ratio of greatest node breadth (viewed from front) to greatest node width (viewed in profile) near 4:3. Height ratio of petiole to postpetiole near 1:1; height-length ratio of postpetiole near 2:1 to near 4:3.

Gaster. Pilosity of first gastral tergite consisting mainly of decumbent and subdecumbent setulae.

General characters. Colour of body and appendages tawny yellow, head darker. Worker caste monomorphic.

Type Material

Holotype. Worker, Western Australia, Mosman Park, l.v.l988, B. E. Heterick, in remnant native vegetation on edge of urban golf course (Australian National Insect Collection). Paratypes. Western Australia: I worker with same data as holotype (Museum of Comparative Zoology); 1 worker, collection details as for holotype, other data “mixed native/exotic veg., urban parkland, 393/6MonBH29” (The Natural History Museum).

• Holotype, worker, Mosman Park, Western Australia, Australia, ANIC32-015680, Australian National Insect Collection.
• Paratype, 1 worker, Mosman Park, Western Australia, Australia, The Natural History Museum.
• Paratype, 1 worker, Mosman Park, Western Australia, Australia, Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Etymology

Latin: “the down of puberty”.

References

• Heterick, B. E. 2001. Revision of the Australian ants of the genus Monomorium (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Invertebrate Taxonomy. 15:353-459. (page 373, fig. 21 worker described)
• Heterick, B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of South-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 76:1-206.
• Heterick, B.E. 2021. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part I: Systematics. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 86, 1-245 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2021.001-245).
• Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
• Sparks, K. 2015. Australian Monomorium: Systematics and species delimitation with a focus of the M. rothsteini complex. Ph.D. thesis, University of Adelaide.
• Sparks, K.S., Andersen, A.N., Austin, A.D. 2019. A multi-gene phylogeny of Australian Monomorium Mayr (Hymenoptera : Formicidae) results in reinterpretation of the genus and resurrection of Chelaner Emery. Invertebrate Systematics 33: 225–236 (doi:10.1071/IS16080).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• CSIRO Collection