Strongylognathus kabakovi

Strongylognathus kabakovi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Strongylognathus
Species:	S. kabakovi
Binomial name
	Strongylognathus kabakovi; Radchenko & Dubovikoff, 2011

This species is known from a single queen specimen. Its biology is unknown.

At a Glance

• Dulotic

Identification

Radchenko and Duibovikoff (2011) - S. kabakovi belongs to the huberi species-group of the genus Strongylognathus. Among all previously described species of this group, only Strongylognathus minutus, known form Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and southern Kazakhstan, has very small queens (AL < 1.20 versus > 1.60 in other species).

S. kabakovi well differs from all species of this group by its small queen size, except for S. minutus . On the other hand, it well distinguishes from the latter by the combination of features, which is emphasized below.

Strongylognathus kabakovi	Strongylognathus minutus
Occipital margin of the head distinctly thought not strongly concave	Occipital margin of the head almost straight
Much less hairy species	Much more hairy species
dorsal surface on the head with only two long setae on the occipital corners, and with similar ones on the clypeus ventral surface of the head completely hairless alitrunk and gaster with a few scattered long hairs	both dorsal and ventral surfaces of the head with numerous erect hairs of various length mandibles with erect to suberect hairs on the distal third of their inner margin alitrunk and gaster with abundant long erect hairs
Sculpture finer	Sculpture coarser
only lower part of frons with fine longitudinal striation medial part of scutum finely striatopunctated, scutellum smooth and shiny	frons entirely with not coarse longitudinal rugulosity medial part of scutum not coarsely longitudinally rugose, scutellum with longitudinally-concentric rugulosity, only its central part smooth and shiny

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Afghanistan (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

Known only from the queen caste.

Nomenclature

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

kabakovi. Strongylognathus kabakovi Radchenko & Dubovikoff, 2011: 808, figs. 1, 3, 5 (q.) AFGHANISTAN.
- Type-material: holotype queen.
- Type-locality: Afghanistan: Prov. Ghoz, Tulak, 2500 m., 29.x.1969 (O.N. Kabakov).
- Type-depository: ZISP.
- Distribution: Afganistan.

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

Description

Queen

HL 0.80, HW 0.70, SL 0.50, AL 1.19, AH 0.55, SCL 0.88, SCW 0.47, PL 0.32, PH 0.33, PW 0.25, PPL 0.24, PPH 0.36, PPW 0.39; HL/HW 1.14, SL/HL 0.63, SL/HW 0.72, AL/AH 2.18, SCL/SCW 1.34, PL/HW 0.46, PL/PH 0.98, PW/HW 0.36, PPL/HW 0.34, PPL/PPH 0.65, PPW/HW 0.56, PPW/PW 1.56.

Head longer than broad, somewhat widened posteriorly, with very weakly convex sides, narrowly rounded occipital corners; occipital margin shallowly, but distinctly concave medially, posterio-lateral corners of head rounded, not prominent; anterior clypeal margin straight. Scape short, does not reach the level of lateral ocelli. Alitrunk long and low, mesonotal dorsum flattened, dorsal surface of propodeum distinctly shorter than posterior one, propodeum with short, while sharp triangular denticles. Anterior surface of petiole concave, posterior one steep, slightly convex, meets with anterior surface at an acute angle to form transversal dorsal crest, peduncle quite short; ventral surface of petiole anteriorly with small rounded lamina. Postpetiole distinctly higher than length.

Body generally with fine sculpture, surface appears shiny. Lower part of frons with fine longitudinal striation, genae and temples with somewhat coarser longitudinal striation; surface of head dorsum in addition finely superficially micropunctated (except for central strip of frons, frontal triangle and clypeus smooth). Surface of gaster with fine superficial polygonal microsculpture.

Central part of scutum with fine longitudinal striation and micropunctures, the rest of scutum and scutellum smooth. Sides of alitrunk, whole propodeum and waist finely punctated.

Not hairy species. On head, two long erect curved setae present on occipital corners, and a few similar ones – on clypeus; ventral surface of head hairless. Alitrunk and gaster with a few scattered long setae (they more abundant on the posterior gastral segments), petiolar node with four very long curved setae, postpetiole with four similar setae and two much shorter erect hairs. Head, alitrunk and waist without decumbent pubescence; gaster with short and very sparse decumbent pubescence, distance between hairs 3-4 times longer than their length. Scape and legs with short, not abundant decumbent hairs.

Body colour brownish-red, appendages somewhat lighter.

Type Material

Holotype, queen, Tulak, Prov. Ghoz, 2500m, Afghanistan, 29 October 1969, O. Kabakov, Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St.-Petersburg.

Etymology

The species is dedicated to the Russian entomologist, O. N. Kabakov (St.Petersburg), who collected the type specimen.

References

Radchenko, A. & Dubovikoff, D. 2011. First record of the ant genus Strongylognathus Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Afghanistan, with description of a new species. Annales Zoologici. 61(4):807-810. (http://dx.doi.org/10.3161/000345411X622615).