Myrmica onoyamai

Myrmica onoyamai
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Myrmicini
Genus:	Myrmica
Species:	M. onoyamai
Binomial name
	Myrmica onoyamai; Radchenko & Elmes, 2006 Specimen Label

The nest of this species was found in anthropogenic conditions that were quite exposed, hot and dry compared to general surrounding woodland, and the location may not be typical for this species. It was under a small stone in a pile of sandy gravel dumped by the side of the road, possibly to grit the road in icy conditions, although it had been there some time because its surface was covered in moss and lichens. The road was in a river valley in an area of mixed woodland at an altitude ca. 900 m, about 10 m from the river. We suggested that M. onoyamai living in more natural conditions might be associated with warmer exposed biotopes such as sub-alpine grassland and sandy screes at the base of cliffs. (Radchenko and Elmes 2010)

Identification

A member of the schencki group. Its workers and queens well differ from those of all other members of this group by a distinctly wider frons and by proportionally less extended frontal lobes: in workers mean FI 0.35, mean FLI 1.20 vs. mean FI < 0.33, mean FLI > l.28 in other schencki-group species. The male of M. onoyamai most resembles males of Myrmica koreana, but differs from them by shorter hairs on the head margins, by the much less sculptured, almost smooth scutum and scutellum, by the not angled dorsal plane of the scape and by wider postpetiole. (Radchenko and Elmes 2010)

Keys including this Species

Key to Myrmica of species of East Siberia, Russian Far East, Mongolia, Korean Peninsula, northern China, and Japan

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Japan (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.

onoyamai. Myrmica onoyamai Radchenko & Elmes, in Radchenko, Elmes & Alicata, 2006: 507, figs. 23-42 (w.q.m.) JAPAN. See also: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 208.

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

Description

Worker

Head longer than broad, with slightly convex sides, straight occipital margin, and quite broadly rounded occipital corners. Anterior clypeal margin broadly rounded and shallowly notched medially. Frontal carinae feebly curved, frons wide (the widest among all known species of the schencki-group), frontal lobes narrow, not extended. Scape strongly angled at the base, with small vertical dentiform ridge forming a small shield on the vertical face of foot.

Alitrunk with weakly convex promesonotal dorsum; promesonotal suture visible from above; metanotal groove very shallow. Propodeal spines long, acute, straight, not widened at the base, slightly divergent (seen from above), projecting backwards at an angle less than 45°. In profile, anterior surface of petiole slightly concave, meeting the dorsal surface at a blunt rounded angle; dorsal surface convex and gradually sloping posteriorly, without dorsal plate. Postpetiole somewhat shorter than high, with convex dorsum. Spurs on middle and hind tibiae well developed and pectinate.

Only frons with sinuous longitudinal rugae, remainder part of head dorsum with reticulation. Antennal sockets surrounded by concentric rugae. Clypeus with longitudinal rugae, frontal triangle smooth. Sides of alitrunk with quite coarse sinuous rugae, promesonotal dorsum with reticulation. Petiolar node with sinuous longitudinal rugae, its dorsum also has reticulation, postpetiole with longitudinally-concentric rugae. Surfaces between rugae on head and alitrunk smooth and shiny, those on petiole and postpetiole punctured.

Head margins with fairly short suberect hairs, hairs on alitrunk and waist erect, longer and more abundant; scape with suberect, and tibiae with subdecumbent hairs. The overall colour brown, head dorsum blackish-brown, appendages yellowish-brown.

Queen

Generally like workers in shape of head and scape, colour and pilosity of the body except they have coarser sculpture, especially on the alitrunk, petiole and postpetiole. 'The frons is slightly relatively wider and the propodeal spines are blunter and wider at their base.

Male

Head longer than broad, with convex sides and occipital margin, and gradually rounded occipital corners; anterior clypeal margin widely rounded and shallowly notched medially. Scape short, but longer than first and second funicular segments together, very feebly and gradually curved. Antennae 13-segmented, with 5-segmented club.

Alitrunk relatively long, scutum slightly convex, scutellum does not project dorsally above scutum when seen in profile. Propodeum with blunt rounded tubercles. In profile, petiole relatively long and low, with rounded dorsum of node, its anterior surface almost straight and quite steep; postpetiole higher than long, with weakly convex dorsum.

Head dorsum finely but densely punctured, frons and temples with very fine striation. Scutum and scutellum smooth and shiny, only posterior part of scutum and posteriolateral parts of scutellum with very fine striation. Propleura smooth and shiny, only with fine striation on their posterior parts; mesopleura and propodeum not coarsely rugose. Petiole and postpetiole smooth and shiny.

Type Material

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - Holotype, w, Japan, Yalllamashi Pref., ea 15 km NE of Sudama interchange, nr. Hokuto City, By Shiokawa riv. nr. Shiokawa Dam. c. 900 III No. J-99, 24.vii.2002, leg. G. W. Elmes The Natural History Museum; paratypcs: 64 w, 25 g, 1 m from the nest of the holotype (London, Kiev, Elmes, Helsinki). Unfortunately, in the original description of this species (Radchenko, Elmes and Alicata 2006) we wrongly gave the type locality as "Japan, lsI. Honshu, Nagano Pref., about 11 km E of Matsumoto on road to Tobira pass, ca. 1400 m a.s.l.". BMNH, Institute of Zoology of the Ukranian National Academy of Sciences, Graham W. Elmes. This site where we also collected Myrmica samples, is some tens of kilometres from the actual site on Honshu Island where we collected the holotype series.

Etymology

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - we dedicated this species to the Japanese myrmecologist Prof. Keiichi Onoyama of Obihiro University, Japan.

References

Radchenko, A.G. & Elmes, G.W. & Alicata, A. 2006. Taxonomic revision of the schencki-group of the ant genus Myrmica from the Palaearctic region. Annales Zoologici (Warszawa) 56: 499-538.
Radchenko, A.G. & Elmes, G.W. 2010. Myrmica ants of the Old World. Fauna Mundi 3: 1-789.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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., G. W. Elmes, and A. Alicata. 2006. Taxonomic revision of the schencki-group of the ant genus Myrmica from the Palaearctic region. Annales Zoologici (Warszawa) 56: 499-538.