Leptogenys alamando

Leptogenys alamando
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ponerinae
Tribe:	Ponerini
Genus:	Leptogenys
Species group:	fiandry
Species:	L. alamando
Binomial name
	Leptogenys alamando; Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2014 Specimen Labels

This species is terrestrial; workers have been mostly recorded foraging through the leaf litter and on the forest floor. The colonies are found in rotten logs.

Identification

A member of the fiandry species group. Rakotonirina and Fisher (2014) - Worker. Eye small, maximum width less than maximum diameter of antennal scape; body smooth and shining; mandibular blades smooth and shining; masticatory margin with three teeth, one apical and two preapical; mesopleuron and lower half of lateral propodeal surface with dense and fine reticulate rugulae.

Keys including this Species

Key to Malagasy Leptogenys

Distribution

Its geographic range extends from northeastern Madagascar in Marojejy, through the central-eastern region in Mananara-Nord and Betampona, to the southeast in the forests of Ambalagoavy Nord.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -15.2883° to -15.5°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Malagasy Region: Madagascar (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.

Habitat

The collections of L. alamando were made in lowland rainforests between 20 m and 775 m.

Biology

Explore Overview of MalLeptogenys biology

The Leptogenys genus page has more details about the general biology of ants in this genus. The following synopsis provided by Rakotonirina and Fisher (2014) offers an overview of the Malagasy Leptogenys: Recent surveys of arthropods in the Malagasy region uncovered a wealth of new species and showed that Leptogenys is one of the dominant ponerine ants widely distributed across all types of forest habitats. Workers are usually found foraging on the forest floor or in the leaf litter and only rarely on vegetation. They nest terrestrially under the soil, rocks, logs, or rootmat ground layers and in rotten logs, branches, in rotting bamboo, and rotten tree stumps. Most of the Malagasy species are endemic to Madagascar. In all Malagasy species, winged queens are absent, which limits their ability to disperse across the complex topography and various ecological barriers in the region. In the absence of alate queens, reproduction of Leptogenys in the region may be by fission, which enhances population viscosity and may result in important morphological variation across a species' geographic range. Though queens do not fly, males of Leptogenys are alate and are one of the most frequently collected ant genera in Malaise traps throughout Madagascar. Leptogenys exhibits a wide range of phenotypic diversity segregated both among spatially isolated habitats and along continuous environmental gradients.

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb


Holotype of Leptogenys alamando. Worker. Specimen code casent0034626. Photographer Jean Claude Rakotonirina, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Male

Images from AntWeb


Male (alate). Specimen code casent0138603. Photographer Dimby Raharinjanahary, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

alamando. Leptogenys alamando Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2014: 67, figs. 6A, 7A, 85, 90 (w.q.) MADAGASCAR.

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

Description

Worker

(7 specimens). HW: 0.61–70, HL: 0.91–1.02, CI: 66–72, SL: 0.76–0.89, SI: 117–133, PW: 0.52–0.59, WL: 1.38–1.54, PNH: 0.44–0.48, PNL: 0.38–0.50, PNW: 0.35–0.39, DNI: 72–90, LNI: 89–110.

Head weakly broader in front than behind; lateral border almost straight. Eye reduced, with maximum width distinctly less than broadest width of scape. Anterior clypeal margin medially terminating at triangular lobe, bordered by narrow semi-translucent lamella. Mandible short and capable of placing firmly against clypeus; masticatory margin armed with three teeth, one apical plus two preapical (median tooth smallest). Antennal scape relatively short, barely surpassing posterior cephalic margin. In profile, posterior border of propodeum with small toothlike lobe. With petiole in lateral view, node about as high as long, anterior face rounding to the dorsum, joining posterior face at distinct angle. Subpetiolar process simple, consisting only of anterior tooth or lobe followed by smooth ventral margin. In profile, prora extending as sharp, ventrally directed lobe anterior to anteroventral angle of third abdominal segment. Mandible smooth and shiny between scattered punctures. Dorsum of head, mesosoma and petiolar node smooth and shining with sparse, small piligerous punctures. With mesosoma in profile, mostly anterior half of mesopleuron and lower half of propodeum finely reticulate. Fine reticulation also present around mesometapleural suture. Long erect hairs present on scape and dorsum of body and shorter suberect hairs abundant.

Queen

(3 specimens). HW: 0.67–0.74, HL: 0.94–1.00, CI: 70–74, SL: 0.80–0.87, SI: 117–120, PW: 0.56–0.58, WL: 1.39–1.44, PNH: 0.47–0.49, PNL: 0.38–0.40, PNW: 0.43–0.45, DNI: 111–114, LNI: 118–128. Worker traits are observed in ergatoid queen, but ergatoids have the following specific characters: shorter head, mesosoma with incomplete thoracic sclerites, shorter petiolar node, and enlarged gaster. Hairs on dorsum of body numerous and slender.

Type Material

Holotype worker: Madagascar, Toamasina, Montagne Akirindro, 7.6 km 341° NNW Ambinanitelo, -15.2883, 49.5483, 600 m, rainforest, sifted litter, 17–21 Mar 2003 (Fisher, Griswold et al.) collection code: BLF08250, specimen code: CASENT0034626 (California Academy of Sciences). Paratypes: 3 workers and 1 ergatoid queen, of same data as holotype but specimen coded as: CASENT0034621, CASENT0034622 (ergatoid queen), CASENT0034624, CASENT0034625 (CASC, The Natural History Museum, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève, Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza).

References

Rakotonirina, J.C. & Fisher, B.L. 2014. Revision of the Malagasy ponerine ants of the genus Leptogenys Roger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 3836, 1-163.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Rakotonirina J. C., and B. L. Fisher. 2014. Revision of the Malagasy ponerine ants of the genus Leptogenys Roger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 3836 (1): 001163.