Ooceraea quadridentata

Ooceraea quadridentata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dorylinae
Genus:	Ooceraea
Species:	O. quadridentata
Binomial name
	Ooceraea quadridentata; Yamada, Luong & Eguchi, 2018

The type material was collected in Nam Kar Nature Reserve (Dak Lak Province, Vietnam) by destroying a partly rotten, hard tree stump in a highly disturbed and bamboo-mixed evergreen forest patch near the forest edge. The colony fragment contained 16 workers but lacked queens, males and immatures.

Identification

Yamada et al. (2018) - Ooceraea quadridentata is easily and precisely distinguished from the other described congeners by its propodeum armed with two pairs of denticles. Furthermore, the number of antennal segments is also one of the useful species-level diagnostic characters in the genus. Nine-segmented antenna is seen in eight species, including Ooceraea quadridentata.

Keys including this Species

Key to species of Ooceraea

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 12.277° to 12.277°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: Vietnam (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

Figure 12. Appearance of the forest in the type locality of Ooceraea quadridentata sp. nov., Nam Kar Nature Reserve (Dak Lak Province, Vietnam). Yamada, Luong & Eguchi, 2018

Castes

Worker

Yamada, Luong & Eguchi (2018)

Figures 1–4. Ooceraea quadridentata sp. nov. (worker, holotype). 1, head in full-face view; 2, head in dorsal view; 3, anterior part of cranium and mandible in frontal view; 4, body in lateral view.

Figures 5–7. Ooceraea quadridentata sp. nov. (worker, paratype). 5, funiculus of antenna (right), in ventral view; 6, maxillary palpus (right), in ventral view; 7, labial palpus (left), in dorsolateral view.

Figures 8–11. Ooceraea quadridentata sp. nov. (worker, holotype). 8, mesosoma in dorsal view; 9, propodeum, petiole, and postpetiole in lateral view; 10, petiole and postpetiole in dorsal view; 11, abdominal tergite IV, in dorsal view.

Nomenclature

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

quadridentata. Ooceraea quadridentata Yamada, Luong & Eguchi, 2018: 18, figs. 1-11 (w.) VIETNAM.
- Type-material: holotype worker, 11 paratype workers.
- Type-locality: holotype Vietnam: Dak Lak Prov., Nam Kar Nature Reserve, 12.277°N, 108.094°E, ca 545 m., colony no. AKY11x17-114 (A. Yamada); paratypes with same data.
- Type-depositories: IEHV (holotype); AYPC, IEHV, KEPC, MCZC, MHNG (paratypes).
- Status as species: Zhou, Chen & Chen 2020: 142 (in key).
- Distribution: Vietnam.

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, 0.89 mm; HW, 0.74 mm; SL, 0.49 mm; ML, 1.13 mm; MW, 0.54 mm; PL, 0.41 mm; PH, 0.48 mm; PW, 0.38 mm; PPL, 0.42 mm; PPH, 0.40 mm; PPW, 0.40 mm; CI, 83; SI, 66; PI1, 85; PI2, 93; PPI1, 105; PPI2, 95; WI, 106. Paratypes (n = 7): HL, 0.82–0.89 mm; HW, 0.70–0.75 mm; SL, 0.45–0.50 mm; ML, 1.03–1.13 mm; MW, 0.52–0.58 mm; PL, 0.38–0.41 mm; PH, 0.44–0.50 mm; PW, 0.33–0.39 mm; PPL, 0.38–0.45 mm; PPH, 0.37–0.43 mm; PPW, 0.38–0.45 mm; CI, 84–88; SI, 62–65; PI1, 82–86; PI2, 88–95; PPI1, 99–107; PPI2, 93–103; WI, 106–118

Size and color. Relatively large (HW, 0.82–0.89 mm; ML, 1.03–1.13 mm). Body dark reddish brown; antennae and legs paler.

Structure. Cranium in full-face view subrectangular, a little longer than wide (CI, 83–88); lateral margin weakly convex; posterior margin concave medially. Parafrontal ridge prominently produced anteriad in dorsal view. Torulo-posttorular complex relatively broad, with maximum width between outer edges of the lobes in fullface view approximately as long as major axis of antennal socket. Ventrolateral margin of cranium in lateral view weakly concave. Compound eye and ocelli completely absent. Antenna 11-segmented with enlarged apical segment XI which is almost as long as segments V–X combined; antennal segments III very short; III-X gradually become longer apically. Antennal scape when folded back just reaching the midlength of cranium in full-face view. Area encircling antennal socket which is delimited by torulo-posttorular complex and parafrontal ridge strongly depressed. Masticatory margin of mandible with a series of inconspicuous small teeth. Maxillary palps 3-segmented, with lateroapical part of segment II strongly produced. Labial palps 2-segmented. Pronotal flange separated from collar by distinct ridge. Posterior face of propodeum margined by conspicuous lateral ridges each of which is armed with two conspicuous denticles; in lateral view, the anterior pair of the denticles large subtriangular but blunt apically, and the posterior pair small digitiform. Petiole in lateral view much higher than long when including subpetiolar process (PI1, 82–86); dorsal margin weakly convex. Petiole in dorsal view subrectangular, a little longer than wide (PI2, 88-95); lateral margins slightly convex. Subpetiolar process in lateral view rounded-lobate with conspicuous posteroventral projection (white arrow in Fig. 9). Postpetiole in lateral view subrectangular, around as long as high (PPI1, 99–107); dorsal margin weakly convex. Postpetiole in dorsal view subtrapezoidal, wider posteriorly, almost as long as wide (PPI2, 93–103), a little wider than petiole (WI, 106–118); lateral margins weakly convex. Postpetiolar sternite in lateral view low, not raised ventrad; ventral margin almost straight; anterovental corner strongly angulate.

Sculpture. Dorsal and lateral faces of cranium deeply foveolate-reticulate; foveae relatively large (ca. 0.03– 0.06 mm). Area encircling antennal socket, which is delimited by torulo-posttorular complex and parafrontal ridge shagreened without foveae. Outer face of mandible coarsely rugose in basal part, and smooth in apical part. Pronotal flange partially shagreened with several foveae. Dorsal and lateral faces of mesosoma foveolate; foveae shallower and more sparsely distributed than those of cranium. Posterior face of propodeum smooth. Legs roughly shagreened. Doral and lateral faces of petiolar tergite and postpetiole coarsely and shallowly foveolate-reticulate. Abdominal tergite and sternite IV densely foveolate; foveae somewhat smaller than those of cranium and mesosoma. Pilosity. Body entirely densely covered with flagelliform decumbent or standing hairs.

Type Material

Holotype, worker, colony no. AKY11x17-114, Vietnam, Dak Lak Province, Nam Kar Nature Reserve, N 12.277°, E 108.094°, ca. 545 m alt., 11.x.2017, A. Yamada leg. (deposited in Entomological Collection of the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources). Paratypes, 11 workers from the same colony as the holotype (AKYC, Katsuyuki Eguchi, Entomological Collection of the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève).

Etymology

The specific epithet, quadridentata, describes the two pairs of (i.e., four) conspicuous denticles on the propodeum that is unique to this species.

References