Eurhopalothrix platisquama

Eurhopalothrix platisquama
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Eurhopalothrix
Species:	E. platisquama
Binomial name
Eurhopalothrix platisquama Taylor, 1990 Specimen Labels

The type specimens were collected from Berlese funnel and Winkler bag extractions of leaf rainforest mould.

Identification

Mezger & Pfeiffer (2010) - A cluster of four standing setae on poste-rior section of head, without any other setae on head, characterises this species. Postpetiole bears one pair of setae. Eye with about 18 ommatidia. Scape with two rows of setae, outer row with nine setae, inner row with five setae. Distances between ground pilosity with 6 μm much smaller than in all other species of E. platisquama group, but diameter of foveolae with 29 μm larger than in all other species. Mandible shape similar to that of Eurhopalothrix dubia, 1.7 times as broad as long; masticatory margin with nine teeth.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Eurhopalothrix platisquama group workers
• Key to Old World Basicerotini

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 4.5° to 4.5°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Malaysia (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.

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Paratype of Eurhopalothrix platisquama. Worker. Specimen code casent0900939. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

Nomenclature

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

• platisquama. Eurhopalothrix platisquama Taylor, 1990b: 417, figs. 30-33, 52 (w.) WEST MALAYSIA.

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

Description

Worker

General features as illustrated. All Class A attributes present, with those of Class B, unless otherwise indicated. Dimensions (mm): HL 0.76; HW 0.85; CI 112; ML 0.19; MI 25; SL 0.43; SI 50; PW 0.49; WL 0.86. The Cameron Highlands and U. Gombak specimens collectively have HW 0.84-0.85, and those from Liwa 0.82-0.86. Eyes relatively large, each with about 20 facets, maximum diameter approaching that of a funicular club. Occipital border almost straight, transverse (its outline at most minutely curved or sinuate). Petiolar node in dorsal view essentially square, its length and breadth subequal to distinctly but slightly wider than long.

Frons and most dorsal body surfaces, sides of pronotum and undersides of head and gaster covered almost entirely by a ground pilosity of dense, flattened, thoroughly appressed, squamous, shining silvery hairs, which are almost contiguous and fill or overlap the punctures bearing them. These hairs with feathered edges under SEM examination. Specialised hairs well differentiated from the enlarged ground pilosity. Each clavate, barely expanded, though somewhat thick and columnar; 2 pairs only on frons, grouped posteromedially in a tight square array (the hairs spaced by about their average length); one pair (posterolateral) on postpetiole (missing from holotype); lacking elsewhere.

Type Material

Type Locality: W. Malaysia: Pahang/Perak: Cameron Highlands (04°30'N., 101°34'E.). W. Malaysia: Selangor: Ulu Gombak Field Station, 3 paratype workers (B. Bolton, 7.x.73); Pahang/Perak: Cameron Highlands (type locality), 3200 ft, holotype, paratype worker, valley floor, upper dipterocarp forest (D. H. Murphy, 8.viii.1964). Indonesia: Sumatra: Liwa, 9 paratype workers (M. S. Harvey, 5.ix.1984). All specimens from Berlese funnel or Winkler bag extractions of leaf rainforest mould. Holotype in Australian National Insect Collection (type No. 7781), gold-palladium coated for SEM study. Paratypes in The Natural History Museum, Museum of Comparative Zoology, MKUB.

References

• Mezger, D. and Pfeiffer, M. 2010. Eurhopalothrix elke, a new species from Borneo, and a key to the species of the E. platisquama group. Myrmecological News. 13:133-139.
• Satria, R., Jannatan, R. 2021. Dealate queens of the ant genus Eurhopalothrix Brown et Kempf, 1961 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) from Sumatra. Far Eastern entomologist 430, 11–16 (doi:10.25221/fee.430.3).
• Taylor, R. W. 1990c. New Asian ants of the tribe Basicerotini, with an on-line computer interactive key to the twenty-six known Indo-Australian species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Invertebr. Taxon. 4: 397-425 (page 417, figs. 30-33, 52 worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Mezger, D.; Pfeiffer, M. 2010. Eurhopalothrix elke, a new species from Borneo, and a key to the species of the E. platisquama group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 13:133-139.
• Taylor R. W. 1990. New Asian ants of the tribe Basicerotini, with an on-line computer interactive key to the twenty-six known Indo-Australian species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Invertebrate Taxonomy 4: 397-425.