Myrmica margaritae

Myrmica margaritae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Myrmicini
Genus:	Myrmica
Species:	M. margaritae
Binomial name
Myrmica margaritae Emery, 1889 Specimen Label

Workers have been found at altitudes between 1000 and 19000 m

Identification

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - A member of the ritae complex of the ritae species group. It is known until now only from the two type specimens, collected in 1887 in northern Burma. The most distinctive feature of this species is the extremely coarse sculpture on its head dorsum, where there are only four rugae between frontal carinae level with the eyes (only Myrmica pulchella, Myrmica sinensis and Myrmica emeryi are known to have similar coarse rugosity). A second unusual feature appears to be the very few hairs on the occipital margin and alitrunk dorsum. When we revised the ritae species group (Radchenko and Elmes 1998) we believed there to be only one specimen that we designated as the lectotype. We thought that the lack of hairs was probably an artefact because the hairs of old specimens get brittle and quite often are broken off. However, our recent (2007) discovery of a second type specimen in Genoa confirms the quite unusual lack of pilosity in this species.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Myrmica of South and South East Asia

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 30.208° to 29.762°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: India, Myanmar (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.

Nomenclature

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

• margaritae. Myrmica margaritae Emery, 1889b: 502 (w.) MYANMAR. See also: Bingham, 1903: 267; Radchenko & Elmes, 1998: 5; Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 199.

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

Etymology

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - C. Emery probably named this species for his wife who was known as Rita (see etymology of M. ritae) being a diminutive of Margarita. Emery used the name for new species in two other genera and Forel also used it in two genera.

References

• Bingham, C. T. 1903. The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Hymenoptera, Vol. II. Ants and Cuckoo-wasps. London: Taylor and Francis, 506 pp. (page 267, see also)
• Emery, C. 1889c. Formiche di Birmania e del Tenasserim raccolte da Leonardo Fea (1885-87). [part]. Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. 27[=(2)(7): 485-512 (page 502, worker described)
• Liu, C., Fischer, G., Hita Garcia, F., Yamane, S., Liu, Q., Peng, Y.Q., Economo, E.P., Guénard, B., Pierce, N.E. 2020. Ants of the Hengduan Mountains: a new altitudinal survey and updated checklist for Yunnan Province highlight an understudied insect biodiversity hotspot. ZooKeys 978, 1–171 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.978.55767).
• Radchenko, A. G.; Elmes, G. W. 1998. Taxonomic revision of the ritae species-group of the genus Myrmica (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Vestn. Zool. 32(4): 3-27 (page 215, see also)
• Radchenko, A.G. & Elmes, G.W. 2010. Myrmica ants of the Old World. Fauna Mundi 3: 1-789.
• Wu, J. & Wang, C. 1992. Formicidae (pp. 1301-1320). In Peng, J. et al. Iconography of Forest Insects in Hunan, China. Forest Bureau of Hunan Province: 1473 pp. Hunan Scientific and Technical Publishing House.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
• Fontanilla A. M., A. Nakamura, Z. Xu, M. Cao, R. L. Kitching, Y. Tang, and C. J. Burwell. 2019. Taxonomic and functional ant diversity along tropical, subtropical, and subalpine elevational transects in southwest China. Insects 10, 128; doi:10.3390/insects10050128
• Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
• Huang Jian-hua, Zhou Shan-yi. 2007. A checklist of family Formicidae of China - Myrmicinae (Part II) (Insecta: Hymenoptera). Journal of Guangxi Normal University : Natural Science Edition 25(1): 91-99.
• Li Z.h. 2006. List of Chinese Insects. Volume 4. Sun Yat-sen University Press
• Liu X., Z. H. Xu, X. Y. Zhou, N. N. Yu, and C. L. Zhang. 2011. Ant communities of West slope of Mount Demula and Bomi Valley in Southeastern Tibet. Forest Research 24(4): 458-463.
• Liu X., Z. Xu, C. Zhang, N. Yu, and G. Xu. 2012. Distribution patterns of ants from West slope of Mount Demula and Bomi Valley in Southeastern Tibet. Journal of Northwest Forestry University 27(4): 77-82.
• Liu X., Z. Xu, N. Yu, and C. Zhang. 2016. Distribution patterns of ant species ( Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Galongla Mountains and Medog Valley of Southeastern Tibet. Scientia Silvae Sinicae 52(11): 88-95.
• Liu X., Z. Xu, X. Zhou, N. Yu, and C. Zhang. 2011. Ant Communities of West Slope of Mount Demula and Bomi Valley in Southeastern Tibet. Forest Research 24(4): 458-463.
• Liu X., Z.-H. Xu, C.-L. Zhang, N.-N., and G.-L. 2011. Distribution patterns of ants from West Slope of Mount Demula and Bomi Valley in southeastern Tibet. Journal of Northwest Forestry University 27(4): 77-82.
• 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.
• Shuang Zhao. 2006. Ant of Guangdong Province (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): A taxonomic study of the ants of Guangdong (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Master's thesis in Agriculture Insects and Pest Control. Supervisor Fenglong Jia. 115 pages.
• Song Y., Z. H. Xu, C. L. Li, Y. Q. Hao, and H. B. Li. 2014. Ant communities of Nangun River Nature Reserve in Yunnan. Journal of West China Forestry Science 45(5): 93-100.
• Song Y., Z. Xu, C. Li, N. Zhang, L. Zhang, H. Jiang, and F. Mo. 2013. An Analysis on the Ant Fauna of the Nangun river Nature Reserve in Yunnan, China. Forest Research 26(6): 773-780.
• Wei C., S. Y. Zhou, H. He, and M. T. Liu. 2001. A taxonomic study of the genus Myrmica Latreille from China. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica 26: 560-564.
• Wei C., Zhou S.-Y. and He H. 2001. A taxonomic study of the genus Myrmica Latreille from China (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica 26(4): 560-564.
• Yang Jun, Xu Zheng-hui, Mei Xiang-xin, Zhang Ji-ling, Zhao Yu-xiang. 2004. Taxonomy of Ants on the Eastern Slope of Xishan Mountains in Kunming. Journal of Southwest Forestry College 24(4): 26-37.
• Yu N., Z. Xu, C. Zhang, J. Chu, B. Yang, and X. Liu. 2011. Distribution patterns of ant species from Mount Sejila, southeastern Tibet. Journal of Beijing Forestry University 33(5): 75-80.
• Yu N., Z. Xu, C. Zhang, J. Chu, B. Yang, and X. Liu. 2011. Distribution patterns of ant species from mount Sejila, southeastern Tibet. Journal of Beijing Forestry University 33(5): 75-80