Rhytidoponera taurus

Rhytidoponera taurus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ectatomminae
Tribe:	Ectatommini
Genus:	Rhytidoponera
Species:	R. taurus
Binomial name
	Rhytidoponera taurus; (Forel, 1910) Specimen Labels
Synonyms
	Rhytidoponera cerastes brevior Crawley, 1925; Rhytidoponera cornuta fusciventris Stitz, 1911;

Photo Gallery

Rhytidoponera taurus from Millstream-Chichester National Park, Western Australia. Photo by Farhan Bokhari, 16 June 2011.
Rhytidoponera taurus from Millstream-Chichester National Park, Western Australia. Photo by Farhan Bokhari, 16 June 2011.
Rhytidoponera taurus from Millstream-Chichester National Park, Western Australia. Photo by Farhan Bokhari, 16 June 2011.

Identification

Large ants that, like Rhytidoponera mayri, have workers that are easily distinguished from other Rhytidoponera workers in the SWBP by their occipital cornicles.

Keys including this Species

Key to Rhytidoponera of the southwestern Australian Botanical Province

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 22.5045° to -30.33333015°.


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


Worker. Specimen code casent0281818. Photographer Shannon Hartman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.


Syntype of Rhytidoponera taurus. Worker. Specimen code casent0907142. Photographer Will Ericson, 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.

taurus. Ectatomma (Rhytidoponera) cornutum subsp. taurus Forel, 1910b: 12 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Northern Territory).
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
- Type-locality: Australia: Central Australia, Tennants Creek (Field).
- Type-depositories: ANIC, MHNG, NHMB.
- Forel, 1915b: 12 (m.).
- Combination in Rhytidoponera: Emery, 1911d: 38.
- Subspecies of cornuta: Emery, 1911d: 38; Wheeler, W.M. 1915g: 805; Forel, 1915b: 12.
- Status as species: Clark, 1936: 25 (redescription); Brown, 1958g: 205; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 48; Taylor, 1987a: 71; Bolton, 1995b: 381; Heterick, 2009: 137.
- Senior synonym of brevior: Clark, 1936: 25; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 48; Taylor, 1987a: 71; Bolton, 1995b: 381.
- Senior synonym of fusciventris: Clark, 1936: 25; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 48; Taylor, 1987a: 71; Bolton, 1995b: 381.
- Distribution: Australia.
brevior. Rhytidoponera cerastes var. brevior Crawley, 1925b: 586 (w.m.) AUSTRALIA (Western Australia).
- Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated), 1 syntype male.
- Type-locality: Australia: N Western Australia, Derby, no. 396 (J. Campbell).
- Type-depositories: NHMB, OXUM.
- Junior synonym of taurus: Clark, 1936: 25; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 48; Taylor, 1987a: 71; Bolton, 1995b: 378.
fusciventris. Rhytidoponera cornuta var. fusciventris Stitz, 1911a: 352 (w.) AUSTRALIA (South Australia).
- Type-material: 2 syntype workers.
- Type-locality: Australia: South Australia, Adelaide (Schomburgk).
- Type-depository: MNHU.
- Junior synonym of taurus: Clark, 1936: 25; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 48; Taylor, 1987a: 71; Bolton, 1995b: 379.

Type Material

Ectatomma (Rhytidoponera) cornutum taurus Forel, 1910: Syntype, 1 worker, Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, Australia, Field,J.F., ANIC32-011936, Australian National Insect Collection.
Rhytidoponera cerastes brevior Crawley, 1925: Syntype, 1 worker, Derby, Western Australia, Australia, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Rhytidoponera cerastes brevior Crawley, 1925: Syntype, worker, male, Derby, Western Australia, Australia, Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Rhytidoponera cerastes brevior Crawley, 1925: Syntype, 1 worker, Derby, Western Australia, Australia, Western Australian Museum.
Rhytidoponera cornuta fusciventris Stitz, 1911: Syntype, worker(s), Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, Berlin Museum für Naturkunde der Humboldt-Universität.

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

Description

Worker

Crawley (1925) - Length 10.6 mm.

Red-brown, legs and apices of funiculi somewlhat paler.

Larger than the preceding in most specimens, and lighter in colour. Differs also as follows: —mandibles with minute teeth; anterior border of clypeus more broadly rounded; head as broad as long, not narrowing so much at occiput; frontal carinae wider behind; scapes slightly longer, passing the occipital border by one-half their length. Horns like those of cornuta, shorter than in cerastes, the space between not evenly excavate, but widely angular, and the points turn more outwards, but in profile the points do not curve forwards as in cornuta.

Petiole higher and thinner than in cerastes, descending rapidly behind, and concave in front, so as to appear to lean forward; from above it is longer and narrower. Dorsum of thorax similar. The constriction between postpetiole and gaster is more pronounced. The sculpture is coarser, the head and thorax being entirely reticulate-punctate, the punctures not well-defined and circular as in the type; there is no ground-sculpture. The space between the horns has irregular transverse ridges and punctures. The declivity of the epinotum, which is less defined, is transversely rugose.

The postpetiole is finely concentrically striate with scattered points, the first segment of gaster has longitudinal strire curving inwards at the apex of the segment and scattered points. The legs are covered with short stiff erect hairs and are more coarsely sculptured.

Male

Crawley (1925) - Length 9.2 mm.

Russet-brown; petiole, gaster, coxre, trochanters, and femora, lighter; apical segments of gaster edged with golden-yellow. Wings yellowish brown, iridescent, the nervures brown. Abundantly provided with fine erect yellowish pilosity, including the legs and antennae. Pubescence almost nil,. except on funiculi, tibiae, and tarsi.

Mandibles as convex in centre, the anterior border depressed. Frontal carinae short, almost parallel. Eyes prominent, placed in centre of the sides, and equal in length to one-half the side of the head. Head as long as broad, as broad in front as behind, the occiput rounded. Antennae 13-jointed, the scape equals the first and second joints together, all joints very long, diminishing in length to the apical.

Pronotum high and arched, the Mayrian furrows visible but faint, the scutellum very prominent, longitudinally incised. Epinotum evenly convex, the declivity slightly flattened.

Petiole from above nearly twice as long as broad, slightly broader behind, in front there is a small projection on each side. In profile it rises gradually to its highest point, which is one-third from the posterior border, but it is only about one-sixth higher than in front.

Postpetiole narrow in front, longer and narrower than the first segment of gaster, which is broader than long and only slightly broader behind. Legs and antennae long and slender.

Shining; mandibles finely striate with a few minute punctures; scapes superficially striate. Whole of head and thorax closely and coarsely rugose-punctate, more densely than in the worker; the declivity of epinotum transversely rugose. Legs almost entirely smooth and shining. Upper surface of petiole transversely ridged, the sides reticulate-rugose. Postpetiole transversely striate above, the apical border and sides reticulate; the first two segments of gaster finely and evenly longitudinally striate.

References

Clark, J. 1936. A revision of Australian species of Rhytidoponera Mayr (Formicidae). Mem. Natl. Mus. Vic. 9: 14-89 (page 25, Raised to species, and senior synonym of brevior and fusciventris:)
Crawley, W. C. 1925b. New ants from Australia. - II. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 9(16): 577-598.
Emery, C. 1911e. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum 118: 1-125 (page 38, Combination in Rhytidoponera)
Forel, A. 1910b. Formicides australiens reçus de MM. Froggatt et Rowland Turner. Rev. Suisse Zool. 18: 1-94 (page 12, worker described)
Forel, A. 1915b. Results of Dr. E. Mjöbergs Swedish Scientific Expeditions to Australia 1910-13. 2. Ameisen. Ark. Zool. 9(1 16: 1-119 (page 12, 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).
Majer, J.D., Castalanelli, M.A., Ledger, J.L., Gunawardene, N.R., Heterick, B.E. 2018. Sequencing the ant fauna of a small island: Can metagenomic analysis enable faster identification for routine ant surveys? Sociobiology 65, 422-432 (doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v65i3.2885).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Fisher J., L. Beames, B. J. Rangers, N. N. Rangers, J. Majer, and B. Heterick. 2014. Using ants to monitor changes within and surrounding the endangered Monsoon Vine Thickets of the tropical Dampier Peninsula, north Western Australia. Forest Ecology and Management 318: 7890.
Heterick B. E., B. Durrant, and N. R. Gunawardene. 2010. The ant fauna of the Pilbara Bioregion, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 78: 157-167.
Taylor R. W. 1987. A checklist of the ants of Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) Division of Entomology Report 41: 1-92.
Taylor R. W., and D. R. Brown. 1985. Formicoidea. Zoological Catalogue of Australia 2: 1-149.
Wheeler W. M. 1915. Hymenoptera. [In Scientific notes on an expedition into the north-western regions of South Australia.]. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 39:805-823.