Myrmica ereptrix

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Myrmica ereptrix
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Myrmicini
Genus: Myrmica
Species: M. ereptrix
Binomial name
Myrmica ereptrix
Bolton, 1988

Myrmica ereptrix P casent0900296.jpg

Myrmica ereptrix D casent0900296.jpg

Specimen Label

This species is known from only a single holotype queen, which was collected from a Picea forest in India. It is a workerless inquiline in the nest of Myrmica aimonissabaudiae.

At a Glance • Workerless Inquiline  

Identification

A member of the smythiesii species group (Bharti et al. 2016). This species is distinctive, it has an extremely wide petiole and postpetiole, both with well-developed, large ventral lobes.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 34.063752° to 34.05°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: India (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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.
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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.
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Biology

Castes

Only queens have been found, males and workers are unknown.

Nomenclature

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

  • ereptrix. Myrmica ereptrix Bolton, 1988a: 2, figs. 1, 5 (q.) INDIA. See also: Radchenko & Elmes, 2003a: 236; Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 130.

Type Material

  • Holotype, queen, Kashmir, Gulmarg, 2800 m, India, 20.vii.1986, P.H. Williams; Picea forest.

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

Description

Radchenko and Elmes (2003) - Measurements and indices (holotype queen). HL 1.20; HW 1.06; SL 0.86; AL 1.96 mm; FI 0.53; FLI 1.02; SI1 0.72, SI2 0.81; PPI 0.92; ESLI 0.36.

Etymology

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - M. ereptrix: from the feminine form of the Latin word ereptor = thief, to indicate that this species is almost certainly a social parasite.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Bolton B. 1988. A new socially parasitic Myrmica, with a reassessment of the genus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Syst. Entomol. 13: 1-11
  • Radchenko A. G., and G. W. Elmes. 2003. A taxonomic revision of the socially parasitic Myrmica ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Palaearctic region. Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 53: 217-243.
  • Radchenko A. G., and G. W. Elmes. 2010. Myrmica ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Old World. Fauna Mundi 3. Warsaw: Natura Optima Dux Foundation, 790 pp.
  • Radchenko, A. G., and G. W. Elmes. "A taxonomic revision of the ant genus Myrmica Latreille, 1804 from the Himalaya (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Entomologica Basiliensia 23 (2001): 237-276.