Crematogaster brunnea rabula

Crematogaster brunnea rabula
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Crematogaster
Species:	C. brunnea
Subspecies:	C. brunnea rabula
Trinomial name
Crematogaster brunnea rabula Forel, 1902

Identification

Crematogaster brunnea is a complex species group consisting of six species. General characters are reddish brown colouration, head smooth and shining with faint striations near base of antennae and gena, head wider than the mesosoma, the vertex slightly emarginated; mesosoma in lateral view finely striated longitudinally, metanotum deeply concave with acute spine; petiole heart shaped, flattened above; postpetiole globose and biturberculate dorsally; gaster smooth and shining.

Crematogaster contemta (often as Crematogaster brunnea contemta) is a light bicoloured yellowish subspecies with darker brown gaster, propodeal spines small sharply pointed, thick at the base, directed downward.

Crematogaster brunnea nicevillei is a darker subspecies with smaller spines, deep metanotal groove, raised mesonotum and faintly striate gena.

Crematogaster brunnea nilgirica is restricted to southern India with prominent striations on head and mesosomal dorsum, propodeal spines large, diverging, fronto clypeal sulcus more or less pointed.

Crematogaster brunnea rabula is a dull brownish coloured subspecies with pronotum and propodeum dorsally feebly striate, propodeal spines short, pointed, thick at base diverging outwards.

Crematogaster brunnea ruginota is a light yellowish brown coloured subspecies with deep metanotal groove, strongly raised pro- and mesonotum, propodeal declivity truncate, propodeal spines smaller, pointed, thick at base, directed upward. (Akbar et al., 2023)

Keys including this Species

• Key to Indian Crematogaster

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 22.675° to 22.675°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: India (type locality), Sri Lanka.

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.

• rabula. Crematogaster subnuda r. rabula Forel, 1902c: 207 (w.) INDIA (Maharashtra).
  • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
  • Type-locality: India: Poona (R.C. Wroughton).
  • Type-depository: MHNG.
  • Imai, et al. 1984: 6 (k.).
  • Combination in C. (Acrocoelia): Emery, 1922e: 150.
  • Status as species: Rothney, 1903: 98.
  • Subspecies of subnuda: Forel, 1903a: 684; Bingham, 1903: 130; Forel, 1909e: 394; Forel, 1912n: 57; Forel, 1913k: 75.
  • Subspecies of brunnea: Emery, 1922e: 150; Wheeler, W.M. 1927e: 1; Santschi, 1928b: 33; Mukerjee, 1934: 5; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 87; Bolton, 1995b: 160; Bharti, Guénard, et al. 2016: 36; Dias, R.K.S. et al. 2020: 69.
  • Distrbution: China, India, Sri Lanka.

References

• Akbar, S.A., Bharti, H., Wachkoo, A.A. 2023. Crematogaster bonnieae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), a new acrobat-ant species from the Western Ghats, India. Annales Zoologici Fennici 60, 9-17 (doi:10.5735/086.060.0103).
• Emery, C. 1922c. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Myrmicinae. [part]. Genera Insectorum 174B: 95-206 (page 150, Combination in C. (Acrocoelia))
• Emery, C. 1922c. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Myrmicinae. [part]. Genera Insectorum 174B: 95-206 (page 150, Variety of brunnea)
• Forel, A. 1902c. Myrmicinae nouveaux de l'Inde et de Ceylan. Rev. Suisse Zool. 10: 165-249 (page 207, worker described)
• Imai, H. T.; Baroni Urbani, C.; Kubota, M.; Sharma, G. P.; Narasimhanna, M. H.; Das, B. C.; 1984. Karyological survey of Indian ants. Jpn. J. Genet. 59: 1-32 (page 6, karyotype described)
• Santschi, F. 1928b. Nouvelles fourmis de Chine et du Turkestan Russe. Bull. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 68: 31-46 (page 33, Variety of brunnea)
• Wheeler, W. M. 1927e. A few ants from China and Formosa. American Museum Novitates 259: 1-4 (page 1, Variety of brunnea)