Rhytidoponera inornata

Rhytidoponera inornata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ectatomminae
Tribe:	Ectatommini
Genus:	Rhytidoponera
Species:	R. inornata
Binomial name
	Rhytidoponera inornata; Crawley, 1922 Specimen Labels
Synonyms
	Chalcoponera metallica carbonaria Wheeler, W.M., 1934;

One of the more common species of Rhytidoponera in the south-west corner of WA. It occurs in natural habitats and urban areas.

Photo Gallery

A Rhytidoponera inornata worker from Herdsman Lake, Perth, Western Australia. Photo by Farhan Bokhari, 24 September 2011.

Identification

Keys including this Species

Key to Rhytidoponera of the southwestern Australian Botanical Province

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -18.97981° to -35.03°.


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.

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

Worker

Images from AntWeb


Syntype of Rhytidoponera metallica carbonaria. Worker. Specimen code casent0900528. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.


Syntype of Rhytidoponera inornata. Worker. Specimen code casent0907158. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Nomenclature

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

inornata. Rhytidoponera (Chalcoponera) metallica var. inornata Crawley, 1922b: 436 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Western Australia).
- Type-material: 35 syntype workers.
- Type-locality: Australia: Western Australia, Perth, no. 31 (J. Clark).
- Type-depositories: NHMB, OXUM.
- Crawley, 1925b: 591 (m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1971b: 1201 (l.).
- Subspecies of metallica: Crawley, 1925b: 591.
- Status as species: Brown, 1958g: 203, 266; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 44; Taylor, 1987a: 69; Bolton, 1995b: 379; Heterick, 2009: 140.
- Senior synonym of carbonaria: Brown, 1958g: 203, 267; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 44; Taylor, 1987a: 69; Bolton, 1995b: 379.
- Distribution: Australia.
carbonaria. Chalcoponera metallica var. carbonaria Wheeler, W.M. 1934d: 139 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Western Australia: Rottnest I.).
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated; “numerous specimens”).
- Type-localities: Australia: Western Australia, Rottnest I., White Hill, 23.x.1931 (W.M. Wheeler), Rottnest I., Tourist’s Camp Reserve, 24.x.1931 (W.M. Wheeler), and Rottnest I., “west end of the island” (Glauert).
- Type-depository: MCZC.
- Junior synonym of inornata: Brown, 1958g: 203, 267; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 44; Taylor, 1987a: 69; Bolton, 1995b: 378.

Type Material

Chalcoponera metallica carbonaria Wheeler, 1934: Syntype, 6 workers, Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Australia, Wheeler,W.M., Harv. Austr. Exp., ANIC32-011952, Australian National Insect Collection.
Chalcoponera metallica carbonaria Wheeler, 1934: Syntype, 2 workers, City of York Bay, Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Australia, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Chalcoponera metallica carbonaria Wheeler, 1934: Syntype, 43 workers, Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Australia, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Chalcoponera metallica carbonaria Wheeler, 1934: Syntype, 3 workers, Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Australia, Western Australian Museum.
Rhytidoponera (Chalcoponera) metallica inornata Crawley, 1922: Syntype, 1 worker, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, The Natural History Museum.
Rhytidoponera (Chalcoponera) metallica inornata Crawley, 1922: Syntype, worker(s), Perth, Western Australia, Australia, Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Rhytidoponera (Chalcoponera) metallica inornata Crawley, 1922: Syntype, 3 workers, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, Queensland Museum.

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

Description

Male

Crawley (1925) - Length 5.5 mm.

Smaller and slenderer than the type. Entirely black except for the ferruginous tarsi and apical segments of gaster. Scape somewhat thicker. Sculpture of postpetiole and first segment of gaster much coarser, consisting of irregular striae encircling the base of the postpetiole, together with a few elongate punctures. The following segment is longitudinally reticulate-punctate with small isolated punctures here and there. Both segments shining. Otherwise like the male of metallica.

References

Brown, W. L., Jr. 1958g. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. II. Tribe Ectatommini (Hymenoptera). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 118: 173-362 (page 203, Raised to species, and senior synonym of carbonaria)
Crawley, W. C. 1922a. New ants from Australia. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 9(9): 427-448. (page 436, worker described)
Crawley, W. C. 1925b. New ants from Australia. - II. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 9(16): 577-598 (page 591, male described)
Heterick, B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of South-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 76:1-206.
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.86.2021.001-245).
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:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
Palavalli-Nettimi, R., Ogawa, Y., Ryan, L.A., Hart, N.S., Narendra, A. 2019. Miniaturisation reduces contrast sensitivity and spatial resolving power in ants. Journal of Experimental Biology, jeb.203018 (doi:10.1242/jeb.203018).
Wheeler, G. C.; Wheeler, J. 1971b. Ant larvae of the subfamily Ponerinae: second supplement. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 6 64: 1197-1217 (page 1201, larva described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Brown W. L., Jr. 1958. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. II. Tribe Ectatommini (Hymenoptera). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 118: 173-362.
Heterick B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of south-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 76: 1-206.
Majer J. D., and O. G. Nichols. 1998. Long-term recolonization patterns of ants in Western Australian rehabilitated bauxite mines with reference to their use as indicators of restoration success. Journal of Applied Ecology 35: 161-182.
Majer, J.D. and O.G. Nichols. 1998. Long-Term Recolonization Patterns of Ants in Western Australian Rehabilitated Bauxite Mines with Reference to Their Use as Indicators of Restoration Success. Journal of Applied Ecology 35(1):161-182
Rossbach M.H., and J.D. Majer. 1983. A preliminary survey of the ant fauna of the Darling Plateau and Swan Coastal Plain near Perth, Western Australia. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 66(3): 85-90.