Leptogenys andritantely

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

Leptogenys andritantely is restricted to forest habitat in Andriantantely at 530 m. It has been collected only once, a single worker from a rotten log.

Identification

A member of the saussurei species group. Rakotonirina and Fisher (2014) - Worker. Anterior clypeal margin medially projecting into broad triangular lobe; clypeus bordered with semi-translucent lamella. Mandible short and robust, capable of closing tightly against clypeus; longitudinally striate; apical margin of mandible with one apical tooth and one preapical tooth. Eye large, maximum diameter larger than maximum width of antennal scape. Dorsum of head costulate and dorsum of pronotum and mesonotum transversely rugulose. In dorsal view, metanotal groove absent, posterior margin of petiolar node medially excised; larger species (HW: 1.77, HL: 2.29, PW: 1.45).

This species can be confused with Leptogenys vatovavy, but the apical margin of the mandibles of the latter is armed with three teeth. Leptogenys ralipra looks similar to L. andritantely with respect to the number of teeth on the mandibles, but the former is smaller in size (HW: 0.98–1.04, PW: 0.86–0.94), has a densely punctulate to punctate head, a bidentate anteromedian clypeal margin; its mandible is smooth and shiny between scattered punctures, the dorsum of pronotum and mesonotum is punctate. Leptogenys andritantely is easily distinguished from the rest of members of the saussurei group by the costulate sculpture on the sides of the head and the transverse rugulae on the pronotal and mesonotal dorsum.

Keys including this Species

Key to Malagasy Leptogenys

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -18.695° to -18.695°.


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.

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

Nomenclature

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

andritantely. Leptogenys andritantely Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2014: 120, figs. 37A, 39A, 138, 145 (w.) MADAGASCAR.

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

Description

Worker

(1 specimen). HW: 1.77, HL: 2.29, CI: 77, SL: 2.26, SI: 128, PW: 1.45, WL: 3.57, PNH: 1.42, PNL: 1.09, PNW: 1.19, DNI: 109, LNI: 130.

Head widest immediately behind level of eyes; sides generally parallel to each other in front of eye and broadly convex posteriorly, rounding to posterior margin. Medial clypeal lobe triangularly broad, without a pair of denticles or tubercles on its apex, lateral margin bordered with undulating, semi-translucent lamella. Inner margin of mandible convex, bordered with lamellate membrane that forms one preapical tooth before reaching the sharp apical one. With mesosoma in profile, mesopleural sulcus distinct. In dorsal view, metanotal groove indistinct. With petiole in dorsal view, posterior margin of node medially excised; in lateral view, posterolateral margin strongly inclined posteriorly, blunt angle present at middle height. Clypeus finely rugulose; mandible longitudinally striate. Head laterally costulate, dorsum coarsely rugose, with shallow punctures. With mesosoma in dorsal view, pronotum and mesonotum transversely rugulose, superimposed with superficial punctures. Propodeal and petiolar dorsum generally smooth apart from widely spaced punctulae; lower half of their sides smooth, upper half faintly rugose and shallowly punctate. Propodeal declivity transversely rugulose or striate near dorsal margin and at level of propodeal lobe and smooth in-between. Gaster normally smooth and shining.

Holotype Specimen Labels

Type Material

Holotype worker: Province Toamasina, FC Andriantantely, -18.695, 48.8333, 530 m, rainforest, ex rotten log, 4–10 Dec. 1998 (H.J. Ratsirarson) collection code: HJR065, specimen code: CASENT0175412 (California Academy of Sciences).

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.