Parasyscia schoedli

Parasyscia schoedli
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dorylinae
Genus:	Parasyscia
Species:	P. schoedli
Binomial name
	Parasyscia schoedli; (Bharti & Akbar, 2013)

This species seems to be common in the Western Ghats; it was collected in non-forest as well as forest habitats in leaf litter and on dry soil surfaces.

At a Glance

• Ergatoid queen

Identification

Bharti & Akbar (2013) - This species is aberrant in many characters, with the cephalic dorsum bearing small punctures with average diameter lesser than the average distance separating them, a highly shinning body and reduced body sculpture, which separates it from other reported Indian species. C. schoedli shares most characters with Parasyscia seema, from which it can be easily distinguished by the combination of characters given in the diagnosis of the latter species. The new species can also be compared with Parasyscia luteoviger Brown, 1975 which also has small punctures on the cephalic dorsum, with diameter lesser than the average distance separating them. However, the peculiar petiolar node (with anterodorsal border concavely emarginate) and rounded head shape of C. luteoviger easily separates it from C. schoedli, which has the petiolar node broader than long and the posterior lateral corners of the head acute.

Keys including this Species

Key to Asian species of Parasyscia

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 11.08333333° to 9.583333333°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: India (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

Queen


.

Nomenclature

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

schoedli. Cerapachys schoedli Bharti & Akbar, 2013a: 93, figs. 1, 3A, 6A, 8A, 23-28 (w. ergatoid q.) INDIA (Kerala).
- Type-material: holotype worker, 25 paratype workers, 3 paratype ergatoid queens.
- Type-locality: holotype India: Kerala, Silent Valley Nat. Park, 11°5’N, 76°26’E, 897 m., 25.ix.2011, Winkler (S.A. Akbar); paratypes: 13 workers, 3 ergatoid queens with same data, 2 workers Kerala, Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, 10°45’N, 76°44’E, 118 m., 6.xi.2011, Winkler (S.A. Akbar), 10 workers Kerala, Periyar Tiger Reserve, Manalar, 9°35’N, 77°18’E, 1630 m., 27.x.2011, hand picking (S.A. Akbar).
- Type-depositories: PUAC (holotype); BMNH, PUAC (paratypes).
- Combination in Parasyscia: Borowiec, M.L. 2016: 205.
- Status as species: Bharti, Guénard, et al. 2016: 22.
- Distribution: India.

Type material. Holotype worker: India. Kerala, Silent valley national park, 11°5'N, 76°26'E, 897m a.s.l., 25.ix.2011, Winkler. Paratypes: 13 workers and 3 ergatoid queens, same data as holotype; 2 workers, India, Kerala, Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, 10°45'N, 76°44'E, 118m a.s.l., 6.xi.2011, Winkler; 10 workers, India, Kerala, Periyar tiger reserve, Manalar, 9°35'N, 77°18'E, 1630m a.s.l., 27.x.2011, hand picking (coll. Shahid A. Akbar). Holotype in PUAC and paratype in BMNH. Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Measurements (holotype in brackets): HL 0.64–0.68(0.68); HW 0.44–0.46(0.46); EL 0.07–0.11(0.11); WL 0.62–0.69(0.69); MH 0.41–0.48(0.48); PrW 0.31–0.35(0.35); PL1 0.24–0.27(0.27); PW1 0.28–0.31(0.31); IIIAL 0.28–0.32(0.32); IIIAW 0.39–0.41(0.41); SL 0.31–0.33 (0.33); IVAL 0.70–0.74(0.74); IVAW 0.58–0.60(0.60). Indices: CI 67–69 (67); SI 70–72(72); PI 114–116 (114) (n=11).

Head, rectangular, longer than broad; sides parallel; vertexal border transverse. Posterior lateral corners acute. Parafrontal ridges present, raised. Eyes medium sized, almost circular. Mandibles subtriangular; masticatory margins without a row of small denticles. Lateroclypeal teeth small. Antennae 12 segmented; scapes short, each falling short of posterior margin of head by 1/3rd of its length.

Mesosoma. Stout, humped in profile view; dorsal surface convex, continuous with sides, no lateral margins. Declivous face of propodeum with cariniform margins across the top and along the lateral margins.

Metasoma. Petiole broader than long, and gently rounded towards the sides. Anterior and posterior faces transverse. Subpetiolar process stout, fenestra present. Postpetiole almost rectangular, wider behind, with the posterolateral angles not tuberculate but uniformly rounded. Gaster elongate; base of cinctus of first gastral tergite with cross ribs; sting exerted.

Sculpture. Mandibles with small punctures. Head smooth and shining with some punctures. Mesosoma mostly smooth and shining with some punctures along the sides. Petiole, postpetiole and gaster with continuous punctures.

Vestiture. Body covered with moderate, decumbent or subdecumbent hairs, most prominent on gaster; apical funicular segments and legs also with standing hairs.

Colour. Bright yellowish orange to dark red.

Queen

Ergatoid. HL 0.80–0.84; HW 0.59–0.63; EL 0.14–0.16; WL 0.88–0.92; MH 0.51–0.55; PrW 0.49–0.53; SL 0.41–0.43; PL1 0.29–0.31; PW1 0.38–0.41; IIIAL 0.44–0.50; IIIAW 0.57–0.59; IVAL 0.88–0.90; IVAW 0.86–0.88. Indices: CI 73–75; SI 68–69; PI 131–132 (n=3).

Like the workers of the same colony, but larger, with more stout body, especially the mesosoma and gaster. Ocelli absent on vertex. Distinction between ergatoid queens and worker is vague, with size variation of workers very high.

Etymology

The species is named in the honor of the late Dr. Stefan Schödl.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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.