Heteroponera rhodopygea

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Heteroponera rhodopygea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Ectatomminae
Tribe: Heteroponerini
Genus: Heteroponera
Species group: relicta
Species complex: relicta
Species: H. rhodopygea
Binomial name
Heteroponera rhodopygea
Taylor, 2015

Specimens have been collected from rainforest with many found as a single worker collected by Berlese funnel from leafmould or litter. Sympatric variously with Heteroponera trachypyx, Heteroponera viviennae and Heteroponera wilsoni.

Identification

Closely similar to the allopatric Heteroponera relicta but with the head, mesosoma and node medium-brown and the gaster more brightly orange brown, matching the antennae and legs. Sculpturing of scrobes, propodeal declivity and node posteriorly, and of borders of propodeal declivity as described for H. relicta.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -15.48° to -16.34°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (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

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • rhodopygea. Heteroponera rhodopygea Taylor, 2015b: 161, figs. 10-13 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Queensland).
    • Type-material: holotype worker, 20 paratype workers (“from 4 separately collected colony series”).
    • Type-locality: holotype Australia: Queensland, Thornton Range (16°14’S, 145°26’E), 150-180 m., 23.vi.1971, ANIC vials 12/27, 32, 35, 36, ANIC berlesate 327 (R.W. Taylor & J.D. Feehan); paratypes with same data.
    • [Note: there is no separate indication of the vial/berlesate number of the holotype.]
    • Type-depositories: ANIC (holotype); ANIC, QMBA (paratypes).
    • Distribution: Australia.

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

Description

Worker

(holotype (Thornton Range); smallest paratype (Thornton Range), largest paratype (Mt Finnigan summit)): (ca): 5.4, 5.0, 6.0; HW: 1.27, 1.18, 1.39; HL: 1.22, 1.11, 1.30; CI: 104, 106, 106; EL: 0.25, 0.20, 0.26; SL: 0.76, 0.67, 0.77; SI: 59, 57, 55; PW: 0.91, 0.82, 0.96; WL: 1.55, 1.42, 1.66; petW: 0.52, 0.51, 0.60; GW 1.02, 0.92, 1.13.

Type Material

Australia: Queensland: Thornton Range (16°14'S, 145°26'E). Holotype and 20 worker paratypes from 4 separately collected colony series. Holotype worker Australian National Insect Collection. Paratypes in ANIC (including gyne) and Queensland Museum.

Etymology

The name (a noun in apposition) refers to the reddish gaster.

Determination Clarification

Heteroponera rhodopygea was included in Feitosa’s (2011) phylogenetic analysis as “Heteroponera sp A”, sister to H. relicta.

References

  • Taylor, R.W. 2015. Australasian ants of the subfamily Heteroponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): (2) the species-group of Heteroponera relicta (Wheeler) with descriptions of nine new species and observations on morphology, biogeography and phylogeny of the genus. Zootaxa. 3947:151-180. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3947.2.1