Harpegnathos honestoi

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Harpegnathos honestoi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Ponerinae
Tribe: Ponerini
Genus: Harpegnathos
Species: H. honestoi
Binomial name
Harpegnathos honestoi
General, 2016

Harpegnathos honestoi side (David General).jpg

Harpegnathos honestoi dorsal (David General).jpg

Specimen labels

Collected live from web of a theridiid spider, about 1 m from ground in low vegetation. I collected both the spider and its prey as the spider was struggling to wrap the ant in silk (General 2016).

Identification

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Philippines (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

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.
pChart

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.
pChart

Range

Harpegnathos honestoi is sympatrically distributed with Harpegnathos alperti, both having been collected in sites less than 5 km apart on Mt. Isarog, Luzon Island, Philippines.

Biology

Known only from the holotype worker.

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • honestoi. Harpegnathos honestoi General, 2016: 100, figs. 1-4 (w.) PHILIPPINES.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype: TL 20.44, HL 2.81, HW 2.39, CI 85, SL 2.96, SI 124, MandL 4.11, MI 146, MLO 4.16, PW 1.98, ML 5.15, PetL 1.40, PetH 0.88, HFL 3.64, MtL 4.58, EL 1.35, EW 0.94, EI 57, MOW 0.11.

In full face view, posterior margin of head straight; scape exceeding posterior margin of head by at least width of scape; ocelli present; frontal lobes broad, covering antennal sockets; frontal carinae short, as long as about twice width of scape, diverging; clypeus narrowly inserted between frontal lobes; triangular labral lobe present; eyes extremely large, ovate, occupying anterior lateral margin of head; mandibles converging gradually from attachments; head coarsely striate; antennal scape with sparse, short erect and suberect hairs.

In lateral view, mesosoma long and cylindrical; front coxa well separated from mid- and hindcoxae; front coxa long but distal end not reaching midcoxa; promesonotal suture deeply impressed; metanotal groove obsolete; dorsal face of propodeum very long; propodeal declivity not bounded by lateral carinae; metapleural gland orifice opening laterally, not protected by guard hairs; petiole longer than tall; anterior subpetiolar process triangular; gaster long; sting present and functional; tarsal claws with median tooth.

In dorsal view, irregular striae subparallel on pronotum and mesonotum; propodeum transversely striate; petiole longer than broad; petiole reticulate dorsally and laterally; first and second gastral tergite coarsely punctate over underlying punctulation.

Sparse short hairs on body. Head, mandibles, antennae and pronotum orange; rest of body brownish black; legs yellow.

Type Material

Holotype. PHILIPPINES: Luzon Island, Camarines Sur, Naga City, Panicuason Village, Mt. Isarog, 500-550 m ± 500 m, 13°40’11” N, 123°19’47” E ± 4 km, 30.iv.2002, leg. D. E. M. General, (PNM 9021, deposited in National Museum of the Philippines).

Etymology

The name of the new species is a patronym lovingly dedicated to my father, Honesto C. General, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • General D. E. M. 2016. A review of the ant genus Harpegnathos Jerdon, 1851 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Philippines, with the description of two new species. Halteres 7: 99-105.