Myrmica indica

Myrmica indica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Myrmicini
Genus:	Myrmica
Species:	M. indica
Binomial name
	Myrmica indica; Weber, 1950 Specimen Label

Poorly known, this species lives in open forests at an altitude of about 2500m above mean sea level (Radchenko & Elmes, 2010; Bharti et al., 2016).

Identification

A member of the ritae complex of the ritae species group. Myrmica alperti had a more robust body and shorter appendages, a differently shaped petiole and more rounded apically propodeal lobes; Myrmica weberi was distinctly smaller and more "glossy" with frontal carinae that curve outwards to merge with the ruga that surround the antennal socket. All three forms resemble Myrmica serica by the sculpture on the head dorsum, but differ from the latter by the absence of standing hairs on the genae.

Keys including this Species

Key to Myrmica of the Himalaya and Afghanistan

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 27.69333333° to 27.466667°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: Bhutan, India (type locality), Nepal.

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.

indica. Myrmica ritae subsp. indica Weber, 1950b: 221 (w.) INDIA. Radchenko & Elmes, 1998: 11 (q.m.). Raised to species: Radchenko, 1994a: 44. See also: Elmes & Radchenko, 2009: 117; Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 152.

Type Material

Lectotype (designated by Radchenko & Elmes, 1998): worker, “Tonglu, E. Himalayas, 10,000 ft., 22.04.10 (C. W. Beebe)” (MCZ).
Paralectotype (designated by Radchenko & Elmes, 1998): 2 workers, with the same label as lectotype (MCZ).

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

Description

Type Material

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - Lectotype, w (designated by Radchenko and Elmes 1998), "Tonglu, E. Himalayas, 10,000 ft., 22.04.10 (C. W. Beebe)" (HARVARD); paralectotype: worker, with same label (HARVARD)

Etymology

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - from the Latin word indica = pertaining to India.

References

Bharti, H., Sasi, S., Radchenko, A. 2016. Biogeography and ecology of Myrmica species (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in Himalayan regions. Sociobiology 63, 956-975 (DOI 10.13102/sociobiology.v63i3.1145).
Dendup, K.C., Dorji, C., Dhadwal, T., Bharti, H., Pfeiffer, M. 2021. A preliminary checklist of ants from Bhutan. Asian Myrmecology 14, e014005 (doi:10.20362/am.014005).
Elmes, W. & Radchenko, A.G. 2009. Two New Himalayan Ant Species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Related to Myrmica indica. Vestnik zoologii, 43: 107-119 [printed version]; 43(2): e-9–e-21 (DOI 10.2478/v10058-009-0006-x) [PDF version].
Radchenko, A. G. 1994a. Taxonomic structure of the ant genus Myrmica (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Eurasia. Report 1. Zool. Zh. 73(6 6: 39-51 (page 44, Raised to species)
Radchenko, A.G. & Elmes, G.W. 2010. Myrmica ants of the Old World. Fauna Mundi 3: 1-789.
Subedi, I.P., Budha, P.B. 2019. Status of ant research and species first described from Nepal with new distribution records. Journal of Natural History Museum. 31:57-78.
Subedi, I.P., Budha, P.B., Bharti, H., Alonso, L. 2020. An updated checklist of Nepalese ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 1006, 99–136 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.1006.58808).
Taylor, B., Agoinon, N., Sinzogan, A., Adandonon, A., Kouaguou, Y. N., Bello, S., Wargui, R., Anato, F., Ouagoussounon, I., Houngbo, H., Tchibozo, S., Todjihounde, R., Vayssieres, J.F. 2018. Records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Republic of Benin, with particular reference to the mango farm ecosystem. Journal of Insect Biodiversity 8(1): 6-29 (doi:10.12976/jib/2018.08.1.2).
Weber, N. A. 1950c. A revision of the North American ants of the genus Myrmica Latreille with a synopsis of the Palearctic species. III. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 43: 189-226 (page 221, worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Bharti H., S. Sasi, and A. Radchenko. 2016. Biogeography and ecology of Myrmica species (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in Himalayan regions. Sociobiology 63(3): 956-975.
Bhoje P. M., K. Shilpa, and T. V. Sathe. 2014. Diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, India. Uttar Pradesh J. Zool. 34(1): 23-25.
Elmes G. W.; A. G. Radchenko. 2009. Two new Himalayan ant species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) related to Myrmica indica. Vestnik Zoologii 43(2): 107-119.
Jansen G., R. Savolainen, K. Vespalainen. 2010. Phylogeny, divergence-time estimation, biogeography and social parasite–host relationships of the Holarctic ant genusMyrmica(Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56: 294-304.
Radchenko A. G., and G. W. Elmes. 1998. Taxonomic revision of the ritae species-group of the genus Myrmica (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Vestnik Zoologii 32(4): 3-27.
Radchenko A. G., and G. W. Elmes. 2001. A taxonomic revision of the ant genus Myrmica Latreille, 1804 from the Himalaya (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Entomologica Basiliensia 23: 237-276.
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.