Leptogenys lucida

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

Workers have been found foraging on the ground and low vegetation, while their nests are most often located in rotten logs and soil layers.

Identification

A member of the attenuata species group. Rakotonirina and Fisher (2014) - Worker. Length of third antennal segment less than twice of length of second segment; in full-face view, eye not breaking outline of side of head; mesopleural sulcus broad and shallow, transversely sculptured, oriented to level of posteroventral corner of pronotum; legs brown and light brown towards apical portion.

Leptogenys lucida appears very similar to Leptogenys malama, but the smaller-sized body, the orientation of the mesopleural suture to the level of posteroventral angle of the pronotum in lateral view and the generally lighter color of the entire portion of the legs relative to the overall color of the body can separate it from the latter, which possesses larger body size and a mesopleural suture oriented to the level of posterodorsal angle of the pronotum.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Malagasy Leptogenys

Distribution

The distribution of L. lucida includes the montane rainforest of the PN Mantadia- Andasibe and the rainforest of the PN Zahamena in central-eastern Madagascar. It also occurs in lowland rainforests of the PN Mananara-Nord, RS Ambatovaky and RNI Betampona.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -18.75737° to -18.75737°.

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.

Nomenclature

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

• lucida. Leptogenys lucida Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2014: 53, figs. 25B, 67, 80 (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

(8 specimens). HW: 0.96–1.07, HL: 1.32–1.43, CI: 72–77, SL: 1.20–1.39, SI: 122–135, PW: 0.75–0.84, WL: 2.09–2.25, PNH: 0.57–0.66, PNL: 0.57–0.66, PNW: 0.43–0.53, DNI: 73–86, LNI: 94–108.

Head longer than broad; lateral margin slightly convex and rounding to nearly straight posterior margin. In full-face view, eye medium-sized, maximum diameter about one-fourth to one-fifth of length of lateral cephalic border; not extending beyond line of lateral border of head. Antennal scape relatively long, surpassing posterior cephalic margin by one third its length. Third antennal segment normal, less than twice the length of the second. Widest portion of inner margin of mandible rounded, without blunt angle or preapical tooth. In profile, mesopleural sulcus a broad, shallow and parallel dashed line running toward level of posteroventral corner of pronotum. Propodeal lobe toothlike, blunt. In dorsal view, petiolar node longer than broad, width decreasing anteriorly; in lateral view, node about as long as high; anterior margin straight, shallow transversal impression rarely distinct at junction between anterior and dorsal margin; dorsal margin forming a distinct angle with straight posterior margin. Mandible smooth and shining between sparse, small punctures. Head, clypeus, mesosoma, declivitous surface, petiolar node and gaster generally smooth and shining; scattered small punctures present on head dorsum. Posterior portion of pronotal dorsum, petiolar node and first two gastral tergites usually lacking standing hairs and pubescence; dorsum of propodeum may have short suberect hairs. Body color and dark brown to brown, appendages brown and slightly lighter toward the apices.

Queen

(1 specimen): HW: 1.07, HL: 1.50, CI: 72, SL: 1.37, SI: 127, PW: 0.83, WL: 2.10, PNH: 0.65, PNL: 0.46, PNW: 0.59, DNI: 128, LNI: 142. From PN Zahamena. Closely resembles worker in overall body shape except that the ergatoid queen possesses a much broader head, shorter but wider petiolar node, enlarged gastral segments and incompletely developed thoracic sclerites. FIGURE 67. Leptogenys lucida holotype worker CASENT0294372. A: lateral view. B: head in full-face view. C: dorsal view.

Type Material

Holotype worker: Madagascar, Toamasina, Corridor Forestier Analamay-Mantadia, Tsaravoniana, -18.75737, 48.42302 ± 100m, 1018 m, rainforest, ex rotten log, 08–09 Nov 2012 (B.L. Fisher et al.) collection code: BLF30246 specimen code: CASENT0294372 (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.

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): 001–163.