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Rhytidoponera castanea
| Rhytidoponera castanea | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Ectatomminae |
| Tribe: | Ectatommini |
| Genus: | Rhytidoponera |
| Species: | R. castanea |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhytidoponera castanea Crawley, 1925
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Identification
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: -12.18333333° to -17.4°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia (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. |
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Biology
Castes
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- castanea. Rhytidoponera castanea Crawley, 1925b: 589 (w.) AUSTRALIA (New South Wales).
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
- Type-locality: Australia: New South Wales, Derby, no. 398 (J. Campbell).
- Type-depository: OXUM.
- Junior synonym of rufiventris: Clark, 1936: 83; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 47; Taylor, 1987a: 70; Bolton, 1995b: 378.
- Status as species: Heterick, 2021: 5.
- Senior synonym of carinata: Heterick, 2021: 5.
- Distribution: Australia.
- carinata. Rhytidoponera carinata Clark, 1936: 54, pl. 4, fig. 32 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Northern Territory).
- Type-material: holotype (?) worker.
- [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
- Type-locality: Australia: Northern Territory, Borroloola, 1911 (G.F. Hill).
- Type-depository: MVMA.
- Status as species: Brown, 1958g: 202; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 41; Taylor, 1987a: 67; Bolton, 1995b: 378.
- Junior synonym of castanea: Heterick, 2021: 5.
Type Material
- Rhytidoponera castanea: Syntype, worker, Derby, Western Australia (as New South Wales), Australia, Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
- Rhytidoponera castanea: Syntype, 1 worker, Derby, Western Australia (as New South Wales), Australia, Western Australian Museum.
- Rhytidoponera carinata: Syntype, 1 worker (damaged), Borroloola, Northern Territory, Australia, Hill,G.F., ANIC32-011937, Australian National Insect Collection.
- Rhytidoponera carinata: Syntype, 1 worker, Borroloola, Northern Territory, Australia, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
- Rhytidoponera carinata: Syntype, worker(s), Borroloola, Northern Territory, Australia, Museum Victoria, Melbourne.
Taxonomic Notes
Heterick (2021): Reichel (2003) removes R. castanea from synonym under Rhytidoponera rufiventris, and I agree this is justified; hence R. castanea is given revived status in this work. However, I can also see no clear distinction between R. castanea and R. carinata. Colour alone seems to be the reason the two taxa are separated and unless some other character can be found, or molecular evidence proves otherwise these seem very feeble grounds to posit two distinct species. The morphometrics supplied by Reichel all overlap considerably for both putative species, and colour variation among specimens in the WAM, ANIC and JDM collections is huge across a continuous spectrum — from a pin of light yellow-orange specimens identified by P. S. Ward as ‘R. carinata’ to dark reddish-black workers. Most are bicoloured (fitting castanea), while others are concolourous. Rhytidoponera carinata is therefore treated as a junior synonym in this work.
Description
References
- Clark, J. 1936. A revision of Australian species of Rhytidoponera Mayr (Formicidae). Mem. Natl. Mus. Vic. 9: 14-89 (page 83, Junior synonym of rufiventris)
- Crawley, W. C. 1925b. New ants from Australia. - II. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 9(16): 577-598. (page 589, worker described)
- Heterick, B.E. 2021. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part I: Systematics. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 86, 1-245 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2021.00*Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:[https://doi.org/10.18195%2Fissn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510 10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
1-245]).