Diacamma concentricum

Diacamma concentricum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ponerinae
Tribe:	Ponerini
Genus:	Diacamma
Species:	D. concentricum
Binomial name
	Diacamma concentricum; Wheeler, W.M. & Chapman, 1925 Specimen Label
Synonyms
	Diacamma sericeiventre Stitz, 1925;

Only known from the island of Palawan. All four records (Wheeler & Chapman 1925, Laciny et al. 2015) are from the island’s northern part.

At a Glance

• Gamergate

Identification

Laciny et al. (2015) - Large, slender species (TL 14.1–15.3 mm). Trunk black, appearing grey by dense whitish pilosity. Trunk strongly striate from genae to petiole. Posterior of head longitudinally striate until hind margin; occipital margin moderately wide, laminate, ventrally short, terminating in small teeth. Clypeus with very dense puncturation and some distinct longitudinal rugae at least basally. Pronotum with concentric rugae. Striation on mesosoma sides slightly oblique. Petiole stout, its teeth long and far apart; subpetiolar process laterally carinate, a median carina absent or weakly developed, in lateral aspect with concave outline, anterior corner much longer than posterior one. Gaster tergite 1 with extremely fine puncturation.

Diacamma concentricum possesses concentrical rugae whereas those of Diacamma palawanicum are strictly longitudinal. In addition, the material examined differs slightly in the sculpture of the clypeus which is densely punctured in D. concentricum and with some distinct longitudinal rugae at base, whereas the clypeus of D. palawanicum has a reduced rugosity. The structures of the characteristic subpetiolar process are also similar; however, in examined specimens of D. concentricum its ventral surface is irregularly rugose and with an irregular pilosity, whereas in the D. palawanicum specimens it has a clear median carina and a very even pilosity consisting of short standing setae (this pilosity not visible in the syntype). Additionally, morphometric analysis showed that the specimen of D. palawanicum has a slightly more elongated head (CI 72 vs. CI 75–79 in D. concentricum) and shorter petiolar spines in comparison to D. concentricum. All these differences should be confirmed in more specimens, especially as the hitherto examined sample of D. concentricum shows considerable variability of overall size and the proportions of the petiolar spines (especially in SpDI), which may make comparisons difficult.

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 18.096984° to 10.9242°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Philippines (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

Nomenclature

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

concentricum. Diacamma palawanicum var. concentricum Wheeler, W.M. & Chapman, 1925: 64, pl. 2, figs. 7, 8 (w.) PHILIPPINES. Status as species: Laciny, Pal & Zettel, 2015: 99 (redescription). Senior synonym of sericeiventre: Laciny, Pal & Zettel, 2015: 99.

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

We have compared the original description of D. sericeiventre with our specimens of D. concentricum and conclude that it is the same species. The two taxa were described in the same year and the respective authors could not know about the other publication. Moreover, the type locality of D. sericeiventre is the same as one of the syntype localities of D. concentricum. There is some concern about the priority. According to the imprints of the volumes, Wheeler and Chapman’s publication was published on 21 September 1925, about three months earlier than Stitz’s (19 December 1925). An entry by the librarian of Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna in Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin, volume 1923 notes that the book arrived in Vienna in February 1926, which serves as more evidence that the name concentricum has priority over sericeiventre.

Description

Worker

Laciny et al. (2015) - (n = 4): TL 14.15–15.33; HW 2.30–2.54; HL 2.97–3.39; EL 0.60–0.68; SL 3.85–4.04; PH 2.07–2.28; PL 1.34–1.60; PW 1.28–1.46; SpD 0.85–1.03; SpL 0.64–0.76; WL 4.60–5.05; MTL 2.87–3.16. Indices: CI 75–79; SI 159–167; PI 65–70; SpDI 59–77; SpLI 45–54; EI 26–27.

Structures: Head elongated; sides parallel in front of eyes, strongly convex behind eyes. Eyes comparatively small. Very coarse rugae present from genae to petiole. Posterior of eyes, longitudinal rugae perpendicular to occipital margin. Occipital margin about as wide as one ruga, slightly laminate, ventrally short, terminating in small, rectangular or blunt teeth in lateral aspect. Clypeus with dense puncturation, matt, with additional striation in basal half; apex narrowly rounded. Mandibles with some fine, more or less reduced striation. Pronotum with concentrical, circular rugae. Striation on mesosoma sides slightly oblique. Posterior face of propodeum separated from sides by distinct carinae. Petiole stout, with very coarse striation and with rather long, slender spines. Subpetiolar process similar to that of D. palawanicum but distinctive: in lateral aspect with strongly concave outline, anterior tooth much longer than posterior one; in ventral view appearing arrow-shaped, sides sharply marginate anteriorly, a medial carina absent or weakly developed anteriorly, most surface with transverse or irregular rugulae; pilosity uneven. Gaster tergite 1 as the following tergites with very fine puncturation.

Pilosity: Standing setae on trunk mostly short, but those on clypeus, vertex, underside of head, and dorsum of petiole longer. Short appressed pilosity abundant, but more scarce on dorsum of head and pronotum, giving the specimen a grey appearance. Standing setae on scape and legs also short.

Colour: Trunk black, without metallic shimmer; on gaster posterior margins of tergites and apex more or less brown. Antennae black. Mandibles and most parts of legs dark reddish brown; forecoxa black, tarsi more or less infuscated.

Type Material

Laciny et al. (2015) - We tried to locate the type of Diacamma sericeiventre but it was not found by the curators in the collections of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (Viola Richter, in litt.), Senckenberg German Entomological Institut Müncheberg (Andrew Liston, in litt.), and Royal Saxon Academy of Forestry Tharandt (Ingo Brunk, in litt.).

References

Baltazar, C.R. 1966. A catalogue of Philippine Hymenoptera (with a bibliography, 1758-1963). Pacific Insects Monographs 8: 1-488. (page 241, listed)
Laciny, A., Pal, A. and Zettel, H. 2015. Taxonomic notes on the ant genus Diacamma Mayr, 1862 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), part 1. Zeitschrift der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Österreichischer Entomologen. 67:83-136.
Wheeler, W. M.; Chapman, J. W. 1925. The ants of the Philippine Islands. Part I, Dorylinae and Ponerinae. Philipp. J. Sci. 28: 47-73 (page 64, pl. 2, figs. 7, 8 worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
Karavaiev V. 1935. Neue Ameisen aus dem Indo-Australischen Gebiet, nebst Revision einiger Formen. Treubia 15: 57-118.