Leptanilla indica

Leptanilla indica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Leptanillinae
Tribe:	Leptanillini
Genus:	Leptanilla
Species:	L. indica
Binomial name
	Leptanilla indica; (Kugler, J., 1987) Specimen Labels

Known from the type males, the labels of these specimens state they were found in the Calicut Univ. area in Kerala, India in 1979. Nothing else is know about these samples.

Identification

Griebenow (2024), Figure 19. Metapleuron in male Leptanillinae. A, Leptanilla nr. indica (CASENT0106381). B, Leptanilla zhg-th02 (CASENT0842615). Abbreviation: mpl = metapleural gland orifice. Scale bars: 0.05 mm.
Griebenow (2024), Figure 39. Condition of the pterostigma across the Leptanillini, male. A, Leptanilla indica (CASENT0106380). B, Protanilla zhg-vn01 (CASENT0842613). C, Leptanilla zhg-my05 (CASENT0842571). Scale bars: 0.25 mm (A, B); 0.2 mm (C).
Griebenow (2024), Figure 40. Condition of the male ocelli in the Leptanillini, profile view. A, Protanilla lini (OKENT0011097). B, Leptanilla indica (CASENT0106366). C, Leptanilla argamani (CASENT0235253). Scale bars: 0.25 mm (A); 0.1 mm (B, C).
Griebenow (2024), Figure 46. Articulation of the male mandible in the Leptanilla thai species group. A, Leptanilla indica (CASENT0106377). B, Leptanilla zhg-bt03 (CASENT0106384). Scale bars: 0.03 mm (A); 0.04 mm (B).
Griebenow (2024), Figure 48. Outline of the gonopodites in Leptanilla indica (A) and Leptanilla argamani (B), ventral view, diagrammatic. Redrawn from Kugler (1987: figs 18, 22).

Keys including this Species

Keys to Leptanillinae

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: India (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

Known only from males.

Images from AntWeb


Male (alate). Specimen code casent0102374. Photographer April Nobile, 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.

indica. Yavnella indica Kugler, J. 1987: 55, figs. 19-22 (m.) INDIA.
- Combination in Leptanilla: Griebenow, 2024: 128.

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

Description

The 5 males are of the same size or a little smaller than the small specimens of Leptanilla argamani (1.6-1.7 mm). They are similar to Leptanilla argamani in color, wing venation, the form of the propodeum and the petiole and in the general form of the genitalia. In both species the head width, inclusive of the eyes, is larger than the head length. The main differences between the two species are as follows:

L. argamani	L. indica
1. Frons vertical	1. Frons oblique
2. Ocelli located on a very large bulge	2. Ocelli located on a small bulge
3. All funicular segments except the 1st segment are at least 3 times as long as wide	3. Funicular segments shorter, the penultimate segment is twice as long as wide
4. Fore femur straight, not thicker than mid and hind femora	4. Fore femur slightly curved at the base, thicker in the middle than the mid and hind femora
5. Gonoforceps in lateral view leaflike, regularly narrowing towards the tip	5. Gonoforceps in lateral view narrow, band like
6. Volsellar digitus with a long, fingerlike, ventral projection	6. Volsellar digitus without a fingerlike projection
7. The united shield-like gonapophyses shorter than the gaster	7. The shield-like gonapophyses longer than the gaster

Type Material

Holotype male India, Calicut, Kerala, 8.IX.1979 (Boucek).
Paratypes 4 males, same collecting data.

The holotype and 2 paratypes are preserved in the The Natural History Museum, 2 paratypes in the TAU.

References

Griebenow, Z. 2020. Delimitation of tribes in the subfamily Leptanillinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a description of the male of Protanilla lini Terayama, 2009. Myrmecological News 30: 229-250. (doi:10.25849/MYRMECOL.NEWS_030:229).
Griebenow, Z. 2024. Systematic revision of the ant subfamily Leptanillinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 1189, 83–184 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.1189.107506).
Kugler, J. 1987 [1986]. The Leptanillinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Israel and a description of a new species from India. Isr. J. Entomol. 20: 45-57 (page 55, figs. 19-22 male described)