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Strumigenys basiliska
| Strumigenys basiliska | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Strumigenys |
| Species: | S. basiliska |
| Binomial name | |
| Strumigenys basiliska Bolton, 2000
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The type material was collected from a rainforest litter sample.
Identification
Bolton (2000) – A member of the Strumigenys biroi-group. Very easy to distinguish by its lack of a lamella on the propodeal declivity and extremely reduced sculpture and pilosity. Both Strumigenys biroi and Strumigenys pulchra have the head and dorsal alitrunk densely sculptured, have a broad spongiform lamella on the propodeal declivity and have erect flagellate hairs present on the hind basitarsi. In Strumigenys undras the alitrunk is smooth but the cephalic dorsum is densely reticulate-punctate with abundant very broadly spatulate ground pilosity.
It also has a broad propodeal lamella and the lateral spongiform lobe on the petiole is restricted to the posterior half of the node.
In fact, basiliska is so different from the other species of this group that I suspect it resembles them by convergent shortening and broadening of the mandibles and loss of cephalic and pronotal specialised hairs; its origin remains equivocal.
Sarnat and Economo (2012) - Strumigenys basiliska is a distinctive species that can be recognized by the highly polished dark reddish brown color, reduced pilosity, very short arcuate mandibles, and lack of propodeal lamellae. Although the overall appearance of this species is relatively uniform across the archipelago, the number of erect setae on the mesosoma varies among specimens. It is difficult to ascertain, however, how much of the observed variation reflects true taxonomic differences rather than the result of specimen damage. There are some relatively large series in which the number and placement of erect setae are consistent among all specimens. For example, all the specimens known from Gau have a pair of erect setae at the posterior margin of the promesonotum but lack a pair of erect setae on the humeri. The same condition is found on most of a nest collection from Mt. Tomanivi (Viti Levu). However, there are specimens from Vanua Levu and Koro with erect setae on both the posterior margin of the promesonotum and the humeri, and there are also specimens from many islands on which no erect hairs can be seen.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Fiji. Sarnat and Economo (2012) - widespread throughout the inner islands of the archipelago, though no records from Taveuni or Kadavu are known.
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: -16.583° to -18.6°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Fiji (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. |
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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
Worker
Images from AntWeb
   
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| Not Provided. Worker. Specimen code casent0185864. Photographer Eli M. Sarnat, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by EMSC. |
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X-ray micro-CT scan 3D model of Strumigenys basiliska (worker) prepared by the Economo lab at OIST.
See on Sketchfab. See list of 3D images.
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- basiliska. Strumigenys basiliska Bolton, 2000: 750 (w.) FIJI IS.
Worker
Holotype. TL 2.7, HL 0.68, HW 0.50, CI 74, ML 0.20, MI 29, SL 0.34, SI 68, PW 0.32, AL 0.74. Dorsolateral margin of head merely with minute simple ground pilosity, without spatulate hairs, without freely laterally projecting hairs anywhere on margin. Cephalic dorsum without standing hairs, with minute inconspicuous ground pilosity that is sparse and closely applied to the surface. Pronotal humeral hair absent; mesonotum with a single pair of stiff erect hairs. Ground-pilosity on pronotum as on head but slightly longer and very sparse. Dorsum of head unsculptured except for fine superficial reticular patterning; side of head within scrobe with weak reticulate-punctate sculpture, more strongly sculptured than cephalic dorsum; ventral surface of head with a few widely spaced foveolate punctures. Dorsum and sides of alitrunk entirely smooth and shining. Propodeum with a pair of triangular teeth that are subtended down the declivity only by very narrow carinae; without a lamella on declivity. Dorsal (outer) surfaces middle and hind tibiae and basitarsi without long erect hairs. Anterior coxae smooth and shining. Dorsum of petiole node and disc of postpetiole entirely smooth. With petiole in profile the anterior face of the node shorter than the long, shallowly convex dorsum; lateral spongiform lobe extends the length of the node at about its midheight. Standing hairs on first gastral tergite short, simple and sparse. Basigastral costulae superficial but long, extending over the basal third or so of the tergite and longer than the postpetiole disc.
Paratypes. TL 2.5-2.7, HL 0.64-0.68, HW 0.46-0.50, CI 72-74, ML 0.18-0.20, MI 28-30, SL 0.32-0.33, SI 67-70, PW 0.29-0.32, AL 0.68-0.74 (3 measured).
Type Material
Holotype worker, Fiji Is: Viti Levu, Nadarivatu Reserve, 11.vii.1987, QM Berlesate no. 775, 17.34'S, 177.57'E, 800 m., rainforest, sieved litter (G. Monteith) (Australian National Insect Collection).
Paratypes. 3 workers with same data as holotype (ANIC, The Natural History Museum).
- Holotype, worker, Nadarivatu Reserve, Viti Levu, Fiji, Monteith,G., ANIC32-017751, Australian National Insect Collection.
- Paratype, 2 workers, Nadarivatu Reserve, Viti Levu, Fiji, Monteith,G., ANIC32-017752, Australian National Insect Collection.
References
- Bolton, B. 2000. The ant tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute. 65:1-1028. (page 750, worker described)
- Liu, C., Sarnat, E.M., Friedman, N.R., Hita Garcia, F., Darwell, C., Booher, D., Kubota, Y., Mikheyev, A.S., Economo, E.P. 2020. Colonize, radiate, decline: Unraveling the dynamics of island community assembly with Fijian trap‐jaw ants. Evolution 74, 1082–1097 (doi:10.1111/EVO.13983).
- Sarnat, E. M. and Economo, E. P. 2012. The ants of Fiji. University of California Publications in Entomology. 132:1-384.
- Sarnat, E.M., Hita-Garcia, F., Dudley, K., Liu, C., Fischer, G., Economo, E.P. 2019. Ready species one: Exploring the use of augmented reality to enhance systematic biology with a revision of Fijian Strumigenys (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insect Systematics and Diversity 3(6): 6; 1–43 (doi:10.1093/isd/ixz005).
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Bolton, B. 2000. The Ant Tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 65
- CSIRO Collection
- Sarnat Eli M. 2009. The Ants [Hymenoptera: Formicdiae] of Fiji: Systematics, Biogeography and Conservation of an Island Arc Fauna. 80-252
- Ward, Darren F. and James K. Wetterer. 2006. Checklist of the Ants of Fiji. Fiji Arthropods III 85: 23-47.