Formicoxenus sibiricus

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Formicoxenus sibiricus
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Formicoxenus
Species: F. sibiricus
Binomial name
Formicoxenus sibiricus
(Forel, 1899)

Formicoxenus sibiricus F11.jpg Formicoxenus sibiricus F12.jpg

Synonyms
At a Glance • Xenobiotic  

Similar to the situation in Formicoxenus nitidulus, there is obviously no host specificity in this xenobiotic ant. Confirmed host species are Formica clara and Formica pisarskii. The latter host had originally been determined by Dlussky (1963) as Formica pressilabris but later he corrected the identification (Dlussky 1964). The mistake becomes already apparent by zoogeography: the site near Dunayevo (52.07°N, 117.06°E) should exclude F. pressilabris the known range of which does not extend east of 61°E (Seifert & Schultz 2021). (Seifert, 2023)

Identification

Seifert (2023) - Worker: Numeric data given are arithmetic means based on measurement of 5 specimens (for standard deviation, minimum and maximum values see Tab. 1). Rather small size, CS 676 µm. Head much elongated, CL/CW 1.333. Genae in dorsal view parallel or even slightly diverging frontad. Anterior margin of clypeus in dorsal view semicircular. Occipital margin straight to weakly concave. Frons very broad (FRS/CS 0.478). Scape comparably long, SL/CS 0.737. Eye very small, EYE/CS 0.173, with notable microsetae. Dorsal profile of promesonotum largely linear, propodeum convex, metanotal depression moderately deep (MGr/CS 2.69 %). Spines rather short and acute (SP/CS 0.144), their bases moderately distant (SPBA/CS 0.294). Petiole with strong anterolateral corners, in profile without peduncle and with a broad subpetiolar lobe. Postpetiole narrower than in other species (PpW/CS 0.344), its sternite with a well developed spine. All surfaces of head, mesosoma, waist and appendages matt due to a reticulate microsculpture. Dorsal vertex strongly longitudinally carinulaterugulose. Gaster glabrous and with very dilute pubescence. Head, mesosoma, waist, scape, femora and tibiae with very short (PnHL/CS 0.062) setae, which widen from base to apex, are apically fringed (Fig. 13) and form in cross-section a tridentate star. Color of head, mesosoma, waist and gaster homogenously yellowish brown.

As a combination of short, blunt and fringed setae with a well-developed sculpture on head, mesosoma, waist and appendages, Formicoxenus sibiricus is unmistakable.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Southern Central to East Siberia. The three collecting sites with useful geographical data are in the Saur Mountains (47.2933°N 85.6177°E), the Helanshan National Nature Reserve (38.7°N 105.9°E) and Kulinda waterfall near Dunayevo (52.501°N 116.720°E).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 52.5° to 38.7°.

 
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate
  • Source: Seifert, 2023

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Russian Federation (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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

Known Hosts

  • This species is a xenobiont for the ant Formica clara (a xenobiont) (Seifert, 2023).
  • This species is a xenobiont for the ant Formica pisarskii (a xenobiont) (Seifert, 2023) (misidentified as Formica pressilabris).

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Formicoxenus sibiricus casent0909066 h 1 high.jpgFormicoxenus sibiricus casent0909066 p 1 high.jpgFormicoxenus sibiricus casent0909066 d 1 high.jpgFormicoxenus sibiricus casent0909066 d 2 high.jpgFormicoxenus sibiricus casent0909066 p 2 high.jpgFormicoxenus sibiricus casent0909066 l 1 high.jpg
Lectotype of Formicoxenus sibiricus. Worker. Specimen code casent0909066. 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.

  • sibiricus. Leptothorax sibiricus Forel, 1899b: 306 (w.) RUSSIA.
    • Type-material: lectotype worker (by designation of Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 382), 1 paralectotype worker..
    • Type-locality: lectotype Russia: eastern Siberia (Nassonow); paralectotype with same data.
    • Type-depository: MHNG.
    • Combination in L. (Mychothorax): Ruzsky, 1904a: 288; Emery, 1924d: 262;
    • combination in Formicoxenus: Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 382.
    • Junior synonym of hirticornis: Ruzsky, 1905b: 622.
    • Subspecies of hirticornis: Emery, 1924d: 262; Ruzsky, 1925b: 45.
    • Status as species: Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 382 (redescription); Radchenko, 1994b: 111 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 207.
    • Senior synonym of orientalis: Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 382; Bolton, 1995b: 207; Radchenko, 1994b: 111.
    • Distribution: Russia.
  • orientalis. Formicoxenus orientalis Dlussky, 1963: 193, figs. 6, 8 (w.) RUSSIA.
    • Type-material: holotype worker, 4 paratype workers.
    • Type-locality: holotype Russia: Eastern Transbaikalia, Chita Prov., Sretensk Dist., Dunayevskoye Forestry, Kulinda Creek, 2.ix.1957, from nest of Formica pressilabris (G.M. Dlussky); paratypes with same data.
    • Type-depositories: ZMUM (holotype); RASM (paratypes).
    • Status as species: Kupyanskaya, 1990: 149.
    • Junior synonym of sibiricus: Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 382; Radchenko, 1994b: 111; Bolton, 1995b: 207.
  • zhengi. Leptothorax zhengi Zhou & Chen, in Zhou, Peng, et al. 2011: 592, figs. 1-2 (w.) CHINA.
    • Junior synonym of Formicoxenus sibiricus: Seifert, 2023: 136.

Type Material

Leptothorax sibiricus:

  • Seifert (2023) [images of type specimen]: Forel (1899) described this taxon from East Siberia without giving a more precise type locality: ‘Sibérie orientale (recu de M. Nassonow).’ Investigated were the images of the lectotype worker, designated by A. Francoeur and labelled ‘L. sibiricus For’, ‘L. sibiricus For Nassonov’, ‘Siberie orient.’, ‘Typus’, ‘LECTOTYPE Formicoxenus sibiricus (FOREL) A.F.-1984’ and ‘ANTWEB CASENT 0909066’. This lectotype fixation was published by Francoeur et al.(1985). Depository: Muséum d’histoire naturelle de Genève, Genève, Switzerland. We have a very good idea of the morphological characters of this species as the images of the type correspond very well to the characters of my own sample from East Kazakhstan on the basis of which the species is re-described below.

Formicoxenus orientalis:

  • Seifert (2023) [original description]: Dlussky (1963) described this taxon from East Siberia based on workers collected within a nest of Formica pressilabris. He gave the data: „Golotyp. 1 rabotschi iz gnezda Formica pressilabris. No 288, 9 IX 1957, Chitinskaya obl., Sretenskij raiyon, Dunayevskoje lesnichestvo, pad’ Kulinda.“ Type-depository: Zoological Museum of Moscow Lomonossov University, Moskva / Russia.
    • Dlussky’s description is very detailed and is in no character in disagreement with the re-description of Formicoxenus sibiricus presented below. This refers to any feature of body shape, sculpture and the characteristic shape of setae.

Leptothorax zhengi:

  • Holotype worker, Shatangzi Monitoring Station, Helanshan National Nature Reserve of Inner Mongolia, 29 July 2010, leg. CHEN Zhi-Lin. Paratypes; 3 workers, Shuimogou, Helanshan National Nture Reserve of Inner Mongolia, 26 July 2010, leg. CHEN Zhi-Lin. Specimens deposited in the Insect Collection of Guangxi Normal University and the College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Harbin Normal University, collected by the authors from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Heilongjiang Province.
  • Seifert (2023): Zhou et al. (2011) gave the following collecting data: ‘Holotype locality: Inner Mongolia: Shantangzi Monitoring Station, Helanshan National Nature Reserve, 29 July 2010, leg. Chen Zhi-Lin.’ The type depository was not specified but is possibly the collection of Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China. As mean measurements of three type workers in mm can be derived from the data of Zhou et al. (2011) CL = 0.790, CW 0.581 (adapted to the measuring mode used here), SL 0.460, MW 0.385, ML 0.845. This translates into CS 0.686, CL/CW 1.360, SL/CS 0.671, MW/CS 0.560, ML/CS 1.230 (compare with Tab. 1). Even if considering some measuring inaccuracy, these measurements as well as images given in the original description indicate a junior synonymy with F. sibiricus. This refers in particular to the much elongated head, the small eyes, the mesosoma and waist profile with a very broad subpetiolar process and an acute, well-developed spine of postpetiolar sternite, the characteristic sculpture on head, mesosoma and waist, and the short blunt setae on whole body. Hence there is in no character a disagreement with the re-description of Formicoxenus sibiricus presented below. No data on the circumstances of collecting were given.

Description

Seifert (2023) redescribed this species using detailed morphometric data (see Table 1 of his study). Some of these details were provided in the diagnosis of F. sibiricus (see the identification section on this species page) in comparison with other Palaearctic Leptothorax and Formicoxenus.

References

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