Echinopla melanarctos

Echinopla melanarctos
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Camponotini
Genus:	Echinopla
Species group:	melanarctos
Species:	E. melanarctos
Binomial name
	Echinopla melanarctos; Smith, F., 1857 Specimen Label

Echinopla melanarctos is the type species of the genus.

Identification

Zettel and Laciny (2015) - A member of the Echinopla melanarctos group.

Worker: This ant is readily recognized by its relatively large size (in workers TL ca. 6.5–8.2 mm, HW1 ca. 2.05–2.44 mm), very spiny appearance, long black hair, and entirely black colour (except palpi). The “spines” are slender, socket-shaped protuberances (“pedestals”) of the integument, their apex is truncate and bears a long seta, surrounded by a subapical ring of short, horizontally projecting hairs (bearing resemblance to the pappus of a dandelion seed). They are typical for a group of species also containing Echinopla pallipes, Echinopla circulus, Echinopla tritschleri, and Echinopla cherapunjiensis. In E. tritschleri, however, the ring of short setae is not horizontally projecting but oblique, therefore the pilosity is less obvious.

Queen: Due to the scarcity of specimens, hitherto little is known about the differences between workers and gynes in Echinopla. We were able to study both castes of Echinopla melanarctos and noted the following differences: body of gynes larger (TL 8.8–9.7 vs. 6.5–8.2; HW1 2.41–2.70 vs. 2.05–2.44); eyes slightly larger; ocelli present; pedestals lower than in worker, on scutum and scutellum reduced to low tubercles; these parts with coarse, irregular rugae, scutum anteriorly with distinct, long median carina; short pilosity of dorsum less obvious; thoracic structures as typical for winged ant gynes (all examined specimens with wings broken off); scutellum laterally with a short lobe (not with a sharp projection as in some congeners).

Keys including this Species

Key to Echinopla species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 4.533333333° to -2.183333°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore (type locality).
Oriental Region: Thailand.

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

Gnatzy & Maschwitz 2006 - Colonies (n=2) were monogynous and polydomous with less than 100 workers. Nests in dead hollow branches lying on the ground or hanging in the vegetation. Foragers did not visit any trophobionts. Scavengers collected small dead insects.

E. melanarctos have about 700 pedestal hairs, a cuticular structure unique in ants.

Association with Other Organisms

Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.

This species is a host for the fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).
This species is a host for the fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (a pathogen) (Shrestha et al., 2017).

Castes

X-ray micro-CT scan 3D model of Echinopla melanarctos (worker) prepared by the Economo lab at OIST.

Echinopla melanarctos. This is one of the most bizarre and weird looking ant species and occurs in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The ants look spiny and hairy, but the “spines” are actually socket-shaped protuberances (“pedestals”) of their cuticle from which very long thick hairs arise (currently located at OIST: CASENT0790591). See on Sketchfab. See list of 3D images.

Nomenclature

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

melanarctos. Echinopla melanarctos Smith, F. 1857a: 79, pl. 1, figs. 25-29 (w.) SINGAPORE.

The following notes on F. Smith type specimens have been provided by Barry Bolton (details):

Holotype worker in Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Labelled “SINC” and with a Donisthorpe type-label. A second specimen is present in Oxford University Museum of Natural History, labelled “22 SING.”

Description

References

Gnatzy, W. & Maschwitz, U. 2006: Pedestal hairs of the ant Echinopla melanarctos (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): morphology and functional aspects. Zoomorphology 125, 57-68.
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Shrestha B, Tanaka E, Hyun MW, Han JG, Kim CS, Jo JW, Han SK, Oh J, Sung JM, Sung GH. 2017. Mycosphere Essay 19. Cordyceps species parasitizing hymenopteran and hemipteran insects. Mycosphere 8(9): 1424–1442 (DOI 10.5943/mycosphere/8/9/8).
Smith, F. 1857a. Catalogue of the hymenopterous insects collected at Sarawak, Borneo; Mount Ophir, Malacca; and at Singapore, by A. R. Wallace. [part]. J. Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond. Zool. 2: 42-88 (page 79, pl. 1, figs. 25-29 worker described)
Wang, W.Y., Soh, E.J.Y., Yong, G.W.J., Wong, M.K.L., Benoit Guénard, Economo, E.P., Yamane, S. 2022. Remarkable diversity in a little red dot: a comprehensive checklist of known ant species in Singapore (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with notes on ecology and taxonomy. Asian Myrmecology 15: e015006 (doi:10.20362/am.015006).
Xu, Z.-H. & Zhou, X. 2015. Species grouping and key to known species of the ant genus Echinopla Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with reports of Chinese species. Asian Myrmecology. 7:19-36.
Yamane, S., Tanaka, H.O., Hasimoto, Y., Ohashi, M., Meleng, P., Itioka, T. 2021. A list of ants from Lambir Hills National Park and its vicinity, with their biological information: Part II. Subfamilies Leptanillinae, Proceratiinae, Amblyoponinae, Ponerinae, Dorylinae, Dolichoderinae, Ectatomminae and Formicinae. Contributions from the Biological Laboratory, Kyoto University 31, 87–157.
Zettel, H. & Laciny, A. 2017. Further additions to the taxonomy and distribution of the ant genus Echinopla. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, B, 119: 7-16.
Zettel, H. and Laciny, A. 2015. Contributions to the taxonomy of the ant genus Echinopla Smith, 1857 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Deutsche entomologische Zeitschrift. 62:101–121. doi:10.3897/dez.62.5093.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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