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Parasyscia aitkenii
| Parasyscia aitkenii | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dorylinae |
| Genus: | Parasyscia |
| Species: | P. aitkenii |
| Binomial name | |
| Parasyscia aitkenii (Forel, 1900)
| |
Identification
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India (type locality), Sri Lanka.
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. |
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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. |
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Biology
Castes
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- aitkenii. Cerapachys aitkenii Forel, 1900d: 332 (diagnosis in key) (w.) INDIA (Karnataka).
- Type-material: syntype workers, syntype males (numbers not stated).
- Type-locality: India: Kanara (Aitken), and Kanara (Bell).
- Type-depositories: MHNG, NHMB.
- Forel, 1900d: 332 (m.).
- Combination in C. (Cerapachys): Emery, 1902c: 24;
- combination in Parasyscia: Borowiec, M.L. 2016: 204.
- Status as species: Emery, 1902c: 24; Bingham, 1903: 30; Emery, 1911d: 9; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 17; Brown, 1975: 22; Bolton, 1995b: 142; Mathew & Tiwari, 2000: 270; Bharti & Akbar, 2013a: 86 (in key); Bharti & Wachkoo, 2013d: 1192 (in key) ; Bharti, Guénard, et al. 2016: 21.
- Distribution: India.
Description
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from Bingham 1903.
Wroker
Resembles C. fossulatus, Forel, but is smaller, and the difference in the number of joints of the flagellum of the antennae separates it at once. Head and second and following segments of the abdomen black; mandibles, antennae, clypeus, antennal hollows and carinae, thorax, legs, pedicel and basal segment of the abdomen dark red. The head also is sometimes partially, sometimes entirely, red or reddish. Head, thorax and abdomen covered with a thick, short, erect yellowish pilosity, more dense than in any other species, but not hiding the sculpture in any way. Head very closely and somewhat irregularly cribrate and sub-opaque; thorax and node of pedicel with sparsely scattered shallow punctures; abdomen almost smooth and shining. Head as broad posteriorly as in front, the posterior emargination deep, the posterior lateral angle very acute. Thorax convex and arched above, anteriorly submargined, posteriorly the basal portion of the metanotum is separated from the apical portion by a semicircular carina; legs short and stout, with the femora and tibiae cylindrical. Node of the pedicel and abdomen as in C. fossulatus.
Length: 4.5 mm
Male
"Mandibles shining, triangular, with the masticatory margin rather long, slightly concave. Antennae with 13 joints, but resembling the antennae of the worker . . Eyes of moderate size. Head, antennal carinae, &c. as in the worker. Mesonotum slightly convex and slightly overhanging the pronotum, without converging furrows. The oblique portion of the metanotum truncate, margined by a carina as in the worker. Pedicel also as in the worker. First abdominal segment, properly speaking, constricted and narrow, and like that of the worker appearing as if it were a 2nd node to the pedicel. Pygidium rounded. Hypopygium deeply emarginate, terminating in two long spines, one on each side, slender from their base and widely separated one from the other, very shining; sculpture resembling that of the worker, but with deep instead of shallow dimple-like punctures. Abdomen sparsely punctured. Pilosity similar to that of the worker. Wings rather short, hyaline, with the nervures brown, a large deeper brown marginal spot, and one cubital cell. Generative organs hidden. Entirely black; flagellum of the antennae, mandibles and tarsi brownish. Basal joint of the flagellum and posterior margins of the abdominal segments reddish." (Forel.)
Length: 4.6 - 5 mm
References
- Borowiec, M.L. 2016. Generic revision of the ant subfamily Dorylinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 608: 1-280 (doi: 10.3897/zookeys.608.9427).
- Aswaj, P., Sahanashree, R., Udayakantha, W.S., Aniruddha, M., Priyadarsanan, D.R. 2021. Two new species of doryline ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with 11-segmented antennae from India. ZooKeys 1056, 59–72 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.1056.68722).
- Bharti, H. & Akbar, S.A. 2013b. Taxonomic studies on the ant genus Cerapachys Smith (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from India. ZooKeys 336: 79–103. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.336.5719.
- Bolton, B. 1995b. A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 504 pp. (page 142, catalogue)
- Chapman, J. W.; Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327 (page 17, checklist)
- Chen, Z., Liang, C., Du, C. 2022. Revision of Chinese species of the ant genus Parasyscia Emery, 1882 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dorylinae). Zootaxa 5196(3), 301–330 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5196.3.1).
- Forel, A. 1900f. Les Formicides de l'Empire des Indes et de Ceylan. Part VII. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 13: 303-332 (page 332, worker, male described)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Bharti H. 2001. Check list of ants from north-west India I. Uttar Pradesh Journal of Zoology 21(2): 163-167.
- Dad J. M., S. A. Akbar, H. Bharti, and A. A. Wachkoo. 2019. Community structure and ant species diversity across select sites ofWestern Ghats, India. Acta Ecologica Sinica 39: 219–228.
- Dias R. K. S. 2013. Diversity and importance of soil-dweeling ants. Proceedings of the National Symposium on Soil Biodiversity, chapt 4, pp 19-22.
- Dias R. K. S., K. R. K. A. Kosgamage, and H. A. W. S. Peiris. 2012. The Taxonomy and Conservation Status of Ants (Order: Hymenoptera, Family: Formicidae) in Sri Lanka. In: The National Red List 2012 of Sri Lanka; Conservation Status of the Fauna and Flora. Weerakoon, D.K. & S. Wijesundara Eds., Ministry of Environment, Colombo, Sri Lanka. p11-19.
- Dias R. K. S., and R. P. K. C. Rajapaksa. 2016. Geographic records of subfamilies, genera and species of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the four climatic zones of Sri Lanka: a review. J. Sci. Univ. Kelaniya 11(2): 23-45.
- Varghese T. 2004. Taxonomic studies on ant genera of the Indian Institute of Science campus with notes on their nesting habits. Pp. 485-502 in : Rajmohana, K.; Sudheer, K.; Girish Kumar, P.; Santhosh, S. (eds.) 2004. Perspectives on biosystematics and biodiversity. Prof. T.C. Narendran commemoration volume. Kerala: Systematic Entomology Research Scholars Association, xxii + 666 pp.