Myrmecia ludlowi

Myrmecia ludlowi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmeciinae
Tribe:	Myrmeciini
Genus:	Myrmecia
Species group:	pilosula
Species:	M. ludlowi
Binomial name
	Myrmecia ludlowi; Crawley, 1922 Specimen Labels

Identification

Heterick (2009) - Myrmecia chasei and Myrmecia ludlowi have the same coloration as Myrmecia elegans, but are more robust ants with hairy tibiae. The separation of the two species by Ogata and Taylor (1991) is based purely on the colour of the mandibles (yellow in chasei, dark brown in ludlowi), but specimens seen by this author are not so easily distinguished, many having intermediate light to medium brown mandibles. Both species (if indeed they are separable species) are found in the Darling Range, including the Perth area.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -31.88333333° to -34.83333333°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (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

Nomenclature

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

ludlowi. Myrmecia chasei var. ludlowi Crawley, 1922b: 431 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Western Australia).
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
- Type-locality: Australia: Western Australia, Ludlow, no. 12 (J. Clark).
- Type-depositories: MVMA, NHMB, OXUM.
- Crawley, 1925b: 578 (m.).
- Combination in Promyrmecia: Clark, 1943: 117;
- combination in Myrmecia: Taylor & Brown, 1985: 7.
- Subspecies of chasei: Crawley, 1925b: 578; Clark, 1943: 117 (redescription); Clark, 1951: 215 (redescription); Taylor & Brown, 1985: 7; Taylor, 1987a: 42; Ogata, 1991a: 361.
- Status as species: Ogata & Taylor, 1991: 1640 (in key), 1662; Bolton, 1995b: 272; Heterick, 2009: 123.
- Distribution: Australia.

Type Material

Syntype, 3 workers, Ludlow, Western Australia, Australia, Australian Museum.
Syntype, 4 workers, 1 queen, Ludlow, Western Australia, Australia, Clark,J., ANIC32-017871, Australian National Insect Collection.
Syntype, worker(s), Ludlow, Western Australia, Australia, Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Syntype, 8 workers, Ludlow, Western Australia, Australia, Queensland Museum.

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

Description

Worker

Crawley (1925) - Length 14 mm.

Dark black.brown; the whole space between the posterior border of clypeus, the eyes and the anterior ocellus, the antennae, the legs except the coxae and the middle of the anterior femora, a great part of the meso- and metasternum, a broad patch down the centre of the epinotum, the pedicel and apical segments of the gaster reddish yellow; terminal borders of mandibles brown.

A fine pale pilosity on head, thorax, and apical segments of gaster, and a feeble pubescence on the cheeks, clypeus, sides of thorax, and underside of gaster.

Mandibles triangular, with three large teeth, the apical long and curved, the basal broad and triangular, and the central similar but smaller. Eyes close to base of mandibles. Read rounded behind. Anterior border of clypeus shallowly and widely emarginate. Scape more than twice as long as first joint of funiculus, which is broader than long; second joint the longest of all.

Thorax of ordinary form, the angle between the faces of the epinotum very oblique. Stalk of petiole shorter than the node; the latter longer than wide, widest in middle and narrowest in front; a fine carina runs down the centre. In profile the node rises somewhat abruptly in frunt, but much less so than in the worker; the top is slightly higher in front than behind and evenly curved. Beneath the stalk in front is a small pointed tooth. Postpetiole as long as wide, very narrow in front, and widest behind.

Mandibles smooth and shining along terminal border, the rest opaque and microscopically punctate. Front of head microscopically reticulate, rest of head coarsely rugose.

Thorax with similar coarse sculpture, the scutum being most coarsely rugose in the centre. Epinotum transversely rugose. First node rugose-punctate, the second microscopically reticulate with a few shallow punctures. Gaster microscopically reticulate.

References

Clark, J. 1943. A revision of the genus Promyrmecia Emery (Formicidae). Mem. Natl. Mus. Vic. 13: 83-149 (page 117, Combination in Promyrmecia)
Clark, J. 1951. The Formicidae of Australia. 1. Subfamily Myrmeciinae: 230 pp. CSIRO, Melbourne. [(31.xii).1951.]
Crawley, W. C. 1922a. New ants from Australia. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 9(9): 427-448.
Crawley, W. C. 1925b. New ants from Australia. - II. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 9(16): 577-598 (page 578, male described)
Heterick, B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of South-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 76: 1-206.
Heterick, B.E. 2021. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part I: Systematics. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 86, 1-245 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2021.001-245).
Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
Ogata, K.; Taylor, R. W. 1991. Ants of the genus Myrmecia Fabricius: a preliminary review and key to the named species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmeciinae). Journal of Natural History 25: 1623-1673 (page 1662, Raised to species)
Taylor, R. W.; Brown, D. R. 1985. Formicoidea. Zool. Cat. Aust. 2:1- 149: 1-149, 30 (page 7, Combination in Myrmecia)