Myrmecina raviwonghei

Myrmecina raviwonghei
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Myrmecina
Species complex:	gracilis
Species:	M. raviwonghei
Binomial name
	Myrmecina raviwonghei; Jaitrong, Samung, Waengsothorn & Okido, 2019

The type series was collected from small rotting wood in lowland dry evergreen forest. A colony from Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand was collected from leaf litter in a dry evergreen forest. Several specimens from Thung Yai Naresuan East Wildlife Sanctuary, Tak Province were collected in highland (900–1000 m a.s.l.) primary forests. Thus, this species inhabits primary evergreen forest from lowland to highland. (Jaitrong et al., 2019)

In China, this species is only known from Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province. One worker was collected within limestone rainforest in the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, situated at an elevation of 640 m. Another worker was collected from a leaf litter extraction in a rainforest near Man Sai village at 675 m. Two additional workers were collected from leaf litter in a rubber plantation at 620 m. (Liu et al., 2022)

Photo Gallery

Fig. 6. M. raviwonghei (CASENT0713298). (A) Body in profile view. (B) Body in dorsal view. (C) Head in full-face view. (D) Distribution map. (Liu et al. 2022, Fig. 6)

Identification

Jaitrong et al. (2019) - This species is easily distinguished from the other members of the genus by the dorsum of head and mesosoma punctured with longitudinal rugae, the fine and dense punctures covering the first gastral tergite, and the strongly concave anterior margin of the first gastral tergite.

Okido, Ogata, and Hosoishi (2020) - A member of the Myrmecina gracilis complex. Among these species, M. raviwonghei is distinguished by a broad head and sculptured first gastral sternum without a ridge along its anterior median portion.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 14.46805° to 14.46805°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: Thailand (type locality).
Palaearctic Region: China.

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

Okido, Ogata, and Hosoishi (2020) - Ergatogynes are present in this species.

Castes

Worker

Jaitrong et al. 2019. Figures 4-5. Holotype worker.

Okido, Ogata, and Hosoishi, 2020. Figure 40c.

Okido, Ogata, and Hosoishi, 2020. Figure 40ab.

Nomenclature

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

raviwonghei. Myrmecina raviwonghei Jaitrong, Samung, Waengsothorn & Okido, 2019: 3, figs. 1-5 (w.) THAILAND.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype: HL 0.61; HW 0.59; MDL 0.30; EL 0.13; SL 0.46; WL 0.73; PNW 0.46; PSL 0.17; PTH 0.20; PTL 0.20; CI 97; MDI 49; SI 78; PTHI 100. Paratypes (n = 10): HL 0.59–0.63; HW 0.56–0.63; MDL 0.23–0.30; EL 0.08–0.13; SL 0.40–0.46; WL 0.66–0.76; PNW 0.40–0.46; PSL 0.17–0.20; PTH 0.18–0.20; PTL 0.20; CI 100; MDI 41–50; SI 71–78; PTHI 92–100.

Coloration. Body black, tip of gaster reddish brown; mandible, antenna and legs yellowish brown; forecoxa dark brown. Structure. Head in full-face view, subrectangular, almost as long as broad; posterior margin weakly concave medially; posterolateral corner rounded, not projected posteriorly; lateral margin weakly convex. Mandible broad, subtriangular; masticatory margin bent at mid-length, apical tooth large followed by medium size subapical tooth, 5 small teeth and medium size basal tooth. Dorsal face of clypeus shallowly concave; median portion of anterior clypeal margin projected, usually with three processes. Frontal carina virtually absent, indistinguishable from rugae of head. Eye small, with 4–6 ommatidia, maximum diameter of eye 0.08–0.13 mm. Antenna 12- segmented, with 3-segmented club; scape short, not reaching posterolateral corner of head; segment II almost as long as broad and broader than each of segments III– VIII; terminal segment (XII) as long as III–VIII combined.

Dorsal outline of mesosoma in profile, weakly convex. Pronotum without denticles on its dorsum; anterior ventrolateral portion of pronotum forming distinct process, directed forward and downward; mesonotum completely fused with pronotum; mesopleuron not differentiated from metapleuron. Propodeum in dorsal view not demarcated anteriorly; anterior pair of denticles present on propodeal dorsum, very small and short (difficult to distinguish them from longitudinal rugae on propodeum); propodeal spine relatively long, almost as long as or slightly longer than broad at base; propodeal declivity, seen from back, tapering above and shallowly concave. Petiole short, in dorsal view slightly longer than broad, rectangular; in profile view, as long as broad, its anterior slope almost straight, and dorsal face almost straight; ventral outline straight with a small anterior denticle; postpetiole in dorsal view broader than petiole and slightly shorter than broad; sternopostpetiolar process distinctly projected with acute anterior apex. Gaster in dorsal view slightly elongate circular; anterior margin of first gastral tergite strongly concave.

Sculpture. Dorsum of head punctured with longitudinal rugae; ventrolateral area (temple + gena) of head with rugae; ventral face with irregular rugae; mandible largely smooth and shiny, with striation at base; clypeus somewhat smooth and shiny; antennal scape punctate. Mesosoma entirely punctured with longitudinal rugae; coxae smooth and shiny, forefemur superficially reticulate with smooth and shiny interspaces; mesofemur and metafemur smooth and shiny. Petiole punctured with few distinct rugae. First gastral tergite finely punctate; first gastral sternite reticulate.

Pilosity. Body covered with abundant short erect hairs, hairs on first gastral tergite slightly longer than those on head and mesosoma; clypeus with several erect hairs, and pair of long hairs arising from median tooth of its anterior margin; scape with many suberect to erect hairs that are longer than scape width; all legs with numerous suberect to erect hairs.

Type Material

Holotype – worker (THNHM-I-05470, Natural History Museum of the National Science Museum), NE Thailand: Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Wang Nam Kheao District, Udom Sub Subdistrict, 14.46805ºN, 101.90416ºE, 22.VI 2018, W. Jaitrong leg., WJT220618- 6. Paratypes: 24 workers (THNHM-I-05471, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève, SKY Collection, THNHM, National Museum of Natural History), same data as holotype

Etymology

The specific name is dedicated to Dr. Rawin Raviwonghe, the president of the National Science Museum, Thailand, who kindly supported us in field surveys.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Jaitrong W., Y. Samung, S. Waengsothorn, and H. Okido. 2019. A new species of the ant genus Myrmecina Curtis, 1829 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Myrmicinae) from Thailand. Far Eastern Entomologist 383: 1-7.