Oxyopomyrmex polybotesi

Oxyopomyrmex polybotesi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Stenammini
Genus:	Oxyopomyrmex
Species:	O. polybotesi
Binomial name
	Oxyopomyrmex polybotesi; Salata & Borowiec, 2015

Nothing is known about the biology of this species.

Identification

Salata and Borowiec (2015) - Worker. Oxyopomyrmex polybotesi belongs to the species group that has a distinctly punctate propodeum. It is distinguished from Oxyopomyrmex emeryi and Oxyopomyrmex oculatus by the longitudinal striae covering whole frontal surface of the head and the presence of the rugosity and longitudinal striae on dorsal surface of the pronotum; from Oxyopomyrmex negevensis it differs in the lack of transverse striation on dorsal surface of the pronotum, the shiny abdomen and the more dense and thicker hairiness at the scape and legs. At first glance O. polybotesi is very similar to Oxyopomyrmex pygmalioni but it differs in following features: the shiny gena without rugosity (while O. pygmalioni has the gena dull and distinctly rugose), the occurrence of distinct longitudinal striae on the lateral surfaces of the pronotum (in O. pygmalioni the lateral surfaces of the pronotum are rugose with a slight longitudinal striae) and the dorsal surface of pronotum is shinier, weaker rugulose with longitudinal striae at the posterior edge (in O. pygmalioni the dorsal surface of pronotum is distinctly rugulose to rugose, and striation, if present, is oblique).

Keys including this Species

Key to Oxyopomyrmex workers

Distribution

Greece: Dodecanese; Turkey.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Greece (type locality), Türkiye.

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

Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

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

polybotesi. Oxyopomyrmex polybotesi Salata & Borowiec, 2015b: 50, figs. 58-60, 83 (w.) GREECE.

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

Description

Worker

(n=30): HL: 0.705 ± 0.017 (0.681-0.732); HW: 0.66 ± 0.012 (0.648-0.69); SL: 0.467 ± 0.013 (0.447-0.48); EL: 0.221 ± 0.01 (0.201-0.234); EW: 0.12 ± 0.008 (0.106-0.134); ML: 0.818 ± 0.02 (0.785-0.849); PSL: 0.18 ± 0.008 (0.162-0.19); SDL: 0.114 ± 0.009 (0.094-0.128); PL: 0.328 ± 0.013 (0.302-0.341); PPL: 0.224 ± 0.014 (0.201-0.24); PH: 0.216 ± 0.008 (0.201-0.223); PPH: 0.203 ± 0.012 (0.19-0.223); PNW: 0.457 ± 0.007 (0.444-0.475); TL: 0.497 ± 0.011 (0.48-0.52); TW: 0.108 ± 0.005 (0.101-0.117); PW: 0.165 ± 0.01 (0.145-0.179); PPW: 0.244 ± 0.01 (0.229-0.268); HI: 93.6 ± 1.5 (91.4-96.8); SI1: 66.2 ± 1.2 (64.5-68.9); EI: 54.1 ± 5.0 (45.3-63.2); SI2: 70.7 ± 1.4 (68.8-73.4); MI: 179.8 ± 4.3 (171.0-187.8); SPI: 154.6 ± 14.7 (136.6-184.0); PI1: 151.6 ± 5.2 (142.5-158.2); PI2: 36.7 ± 1.9 (34.2-39.8); PPI1: 110.6 ± 9.2 (97.1-126.3); PPI2: 54.0 ± 1.6 (51.3-56.4); HTI1: 75.3 ± 1.6 (72.6-77.6); HTI2: 21.7 ± 1.05 (20.4-23.8).

Head, thorax and abdomen black. Antennal scapes smoked black to brown on the apex, funiculus segments 1-7 brown, 7-10 smoked black. Mandibles black to brown. Femora and tibiae smoked black to brown at the edges, tarsi brown.

Head rectangular, longer than wide, lateral surfaces below eyes straight, slightly rounded on the posterior edges. Anterior margin of the clypeus shiny with longitudinal striae, slightly curved downward at the central part. Eyes elongate, strongly narrowing downward, reaching anteroventral margin of head, 0.3 times as long as length of the head. Scape short, 0.7 times as long as width of the head, at base 0.7 times as wide as in apex, gradually widened, slightly bent downward. Funiculus short, 1.6 times as long as scape, first segment elongate, triangular, 2.0 times as long as wide on apex, 2.6 times as long as second segment, length ratio of segments 100:39:28:39:44:44:56:100:111:156, apical segments 1.9 times as wide as basal segments. Surface of the scape with very fine microsculpture, shiny, covered with long, dense, semierect setae.

Promesonotum as long as wide, convex in profile. Promesonotal suture distinct, the border between dorsal and posterior surfaces of the promesonotum curved in profile view. Propodeum quadrate, 0.9 times as long as wide, propodeal spines short, triangular, the upper edge parallel to the dorsal surface of propodeum. Petiole rounded with short peduncle, its anterior face straight, node rounded on dorsal surface in profile. Posterior face straight. Ventral margin of petiole smooth. Postpetiole regularly rounded in profile. Postpetiole 0.9 times as long as wide in dorsal view, regularly widened from base to top, apical half with gently rounded sides.

Mandibles rounded, with outer and dorsal edges straight and smooth, inner margin with 7-8 teeth, the apical tooth massive and long. Clypeus on entire surface shiny, micropunctate with longitudinal striae. Frontal carinae short, extending to 1/3 length of eye; antennal fossa deeply impressed, microreticulate, frontal lobes rugulose with thick longitudinal striae, shiny between rugosities. Frons shiny, all surface with thick longitudinal striae and dense rugulose. Area above eyes shiny with thick longitudinal striae and dense rugulose. Ventral surface of the head with distinct striation, gena shiny, rugulose with fine striation. Entire head bearing setae, posterior margin with sparse erect setae directed forward, lateral surfaces of the head with appressed setae directed toward anterior margin, frontal area with dense appressed to semierect setae placed transversely, directed to the center of the head, ventral surface of the head with a prominent psammophore and appressed to erect long setae. Pronotum punctate with longitudinal striae, lateral surfaces strongly punctate with longitudinal striae. Dorsal suface of pronotum punctate with longitudinal striae, the central surface with striation and weak punctation or without punctation, shiny. Mesonotum strongly punctate on the dorsal surface, lateral surfaces punctate with longitudinal striae. Dorsal suface of propodeum strongly punctate to punctate, below spiracles strongly punctate with fine longitudinal striae at the posterior edge. Dorsal suface of mesosoma with at least five long erect setae in theon anterior half, mesonotum and anterior propodeum with a few long setae. Base of petiole and postpetiole on the entire surface punctate, nodes of the petiole punctate on the dorsal and lateral surfaces, postpetiole node punctate, smooth with sparse punctation on the top, covered with several setae. Gaster shiny and shagreened, bearing dense, erect to semierect setae.

Legs short, hind femora 0.7 times as long as mesosoma length, hind tibia 0.9 times as long as hind femora, hind tarsi 1.3 times as long as hind femora. Dorsal surface of femora with short, sparse, semierect setae, inner margin with a row of the sparse, long, semierect setae, tibiae bearing long, semierect setae on the entire surface, inner margins with a row of long semierect setae

Type Material

Moni Evangelistrias, Nisyros Is., Greece.

Holotype worker: GREECE, Dodecanese, 270 m Nisyros, Moni Evangelistrias 36,601 N /27, 151 E 1 VI 2001, M. Chatzaki (Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Taxonomy); 45 paratype workers: the same data as holotype (DBET, SSC).

Etymology

Named after giant Polybotes. According to the Greek mythology, during the Gigantomachy Polybotes was crushed under Nisyros (type locality of the species), which was thrown at him by Poseidon.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2015. A taxonomic revision of the genus Oxyopomyrmex André, 1881 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 4025 (1): 001–066.
Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. Taxonomic and faunistic notes on Greek ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-51.