.jpg){kind=logo}
Crematogaster gadagkari
| Crematogaster gadagkari | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Crematogastrini |
| Genus: | Crematogaster |
| Species: | C. gadagkari |
| Binomial name | |
| Crematogaster gadagkari Dhadwal & Bharti, 2024 | |
The only known workers of Crematogaster gadagkari were handpicked from a tree trunk and ground in Namachi, a village located in the Indian state of Sikkim. Namchi is situated at an average elevation of 1600 meters above sea level, and despite being located in a tropical region, it experiences a relatively cooler climate than other areas in the region. The average daily temperature in Namachi is around 28 degrees Celsius. The village is surrounded by dense forest areas, which provide an excellent habitat for ants and other insects. These forests also contribute to the region’s biodiversity and provide a natural source of beauty.
Photo Gallery
,_Fig._2a.jpg)
,_Fig._2b.jpg)
,_Fig._2c.jpg)
Identification
Head coarsely, very finely longitudinally striate and mesonotum reticulated. Mesopleuron and lateral sides of the propodeum reticulated, petiole and postpetiole smooth, Propodeal spine long and straight, petiole is longer than broad with lateral margins weakly convex; postpetiole bilobed with a longitudinal median sulcus in dorsal view; subpetiolar process developed forming a spine directed anterior-ventrally. Head, mesosoma and gaster are black and shiny; Legs and scape brownish red. However few specimens are completely jet black and shiny. Body generally without any erect or suberect hair.
The species is closely related to the Crematogaster rogenhoferi (Figs. 3a, b, 4a) and Crematogaster himalayana (Figs. 3c, d, 4b) having head entirely sculptured not smooth, pronotum reticulated and propodeal spine is distinctly longer than metanotum.
From C. rogenhoferi, it can be distinguished by following characteristics
- pronotum convex, metanotum forming a distinct ridges (pronotum flat, metanotum depressed in C. rogenhoferi)
- petiole is longer than broad with lateral margins weakly convex (petiole as broad as long with sides angular in the middle in C. rogenhoferi)
- propodeal spine long and straight in dorsal view (propodeal spine short and curved inward in dorsal view in C. rogenhoferi)
- in dorsal view postpetiole is not bulbous and enlarged (in dorsal view postpetiole is bulbous/enlarged in C. rogenhoferi)
- head and mesosoma longitudinally striate (head and mesosoma longitudinally rugulose in C. rogenhoferi)
- head and mesosoma and gaster black and shiny (Head, mesosoma and gaster reddish brown to dark brown and opaque in C. rogenhofer)
From C. himalayana, it can be distinguished by the following characteristics
- head coarsely, very finely longitudinally striate (head irregularly striated and reticulated in C. himalayana)
- pronotum reticulate (pronotum coarsely rugulose at sides in C. himalayana)
- petiole node weakly convex at margins (petiole node rounded in C. himalayana)
- petiole and postpetiole smooth and shiny (petiole and postpetiole reticulated in C. himalayana)
- propodeal spines straight and do not arc outwards (propodel spine arc outwards in C. himalayana)
- head and mesosoma and gaster black and shiny (head, mesosoma ferruginous red and gaster somewhat black and opaque in C. himalayana)
Keys including this Species
,_Fig._3.jpg)
,_Fig._4.jpg)
Distribution
,_Fig._1.jpg)
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 27.2° to 27.2°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: Dhadwal & Bharti (2024)
Distribution based on type material
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
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- gadagkari. Crematogaster gadagkari Dhadwal & Bharti, 2024: 20, fig. 2 (w.) INDIA (Sikkim).
- Type-material: holotype worker, 17 paratype workers.
- Type-locality: holotype India: Sikkim, Namchi, 1300 m., 27.16°N, 88.36°E, 9.xi.2019 (T. Dhadwal); paratypes: 10 workers with same data, 7 workers Sikkim, Dentam, 1500 m., 15.xi.2019 (T. Dhadwal).
- Type-depository: PUAC.
- Distribution: India.
Type Material
- Holotype (worker): India: Sikkim: Namchi, 1300 m, 27.16° N, 88.36°E, handpicking, 09.xi.2019 [PUAC-T 501].
- Paratypes: 10 (w.) (PUAC- T 502-T 512), same data as holotype; 7 (w.), Sikkim: Dentam, 1500 m, 27.25° N, 88.13° E, 15.xi.19, hand picking method, leg. Tarun Dhadwal [PUAC T 515-T 522] (Fig. 1).