Strumigenys doriae group

Strumigenys doriae group Bolton (2000)

Species

Malesian-Oriental-East Palaeartic

Worker Diagnosis

Apical fork of mandible of 2 teeth, without intercalary teeth or denticles. Preapical teeth or denticles usually absent but sometimes 1-2 minute teeth or inconspicuous denticles may occur. MI 46-55.

Labrum in ventral view with lateral arms long, freely projecting laterally below base of mandibles when mandibles fully closed; projecting apex of labral arm visible below mandible base in oblique dorsal view.

Anterior clypeal margin broadly shallowly evenly concave across its width.

Head in full-face view long and quite narrow, CI 57-74.

Scape slender and subcylindrical, long to very long, SI 86-128.

Apical antennomere spindle-shaped, constricted basally.

Ventrolateral margin of head without a preocular notch; dorsal and ventral surfaces of head without transverse impressions except for the weak postbuccal groove. In profile occipital region of head strongly dorsoventrally flattened.

Mesopleural gland forming an enormous broad hair-lined arch in the anterior margin of the mesopleuron. Side of pronotum and sometimes other places on lateral alitrunk with depressed, apparently glandular patches that are often filled with dense pubescence or a whitish flocculent to granular deposit.

Propodeal teeth short when apparent, not free, mostly to entirely embedded in, or replaced by, spongiform tissue; lamella broad and spongiform.

Petiole node in profile long, usually low and subclavate; in dorsal view at least as long as broad and usually longer than broad.

Spongiform appendages of waist segments all present.

Pilosity. Entirety of head, alitrunk, waist segments and gaster with abundant long erect hairs that are slender and soft, filiform to flagellate. Apicoscrobal and pronotal humeral hairs present but identical to the other fine pilosity and only slightly longer. Upper scrobe margin with numerous freely laterally projecting fine hairs. Ground pilosity simple, soft and short, sometimes dense. Hind tibia and basitarsus with numerous elongate fine erect hairs. Leading edge of scape with extremely fine small decumbent to appressed hairs. No spatulate, spoon-shaped, remiform or otherwise bizarre hairs anywhere.

Sculpture. Head and alitrunk coarsely and densely reticulate-punctate, sometimes also with feeble reticulation, rugulae, or granulate sculpture present. Mesopleuron punctate to reticulate-punctate. Disc of postpetiole always sculptured, usually strongly so. Gaster unsculptured except for basigastral costulae, which are shorter than the length of the postpetiole disc.

Notes

Large, slender, elongate ants with long legs and a spectacularly long-haired aspect. The greatly enlarged arc of the mesopleural gland on the side of the alitrunk is immediately diagnostic.

The seven species of the group fall into two complexes based on the shape of the mandibular apical fork.

doriae complex

With mandible in frontal (anterior) view the apicodorsal and apicoventral teeth are close together and meet basally in a V-shape or very narrow-based U-shape. Apicodorsal fork tooth is longer than the apicoventral.

magnifica complex

With mandible in frontal (anterior) view the apicodorsal and apicoventral teeth are widely separated and meet basally in a very broad U-shape. Apicodorsal and apicoventral fork teeth are subequal in length.

References

Bolton, B. 2000. The ant tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute. 65:1-1028.