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Strumigenys epipola
| Strumigenys epipola | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Strumigenys |
| Species: | S. epipola |
| Binomial name | |
| Strumigenys epipola (Bolton, 2000)
| |
Known from the type collections: from a tree in a disturbed forest and from a litter sample in a rainforest.
Identification
Bolton (2000) - A member of the Strumigenys capitata-group. This species falls into a complex of small forms that also includes Strumigenys phasma, Strumigenys trauma, Strumigenys tethys, Strumigenys themis and Strumigenys charybdis, and is currently known only from Samoa. It is most likely that epipola occurs elsewhere in the Malesian region.
Like tethys this species combines small size with stout specialised hairs on head and pronotal humeri, and has only a single pair of such hairs on the mesonotum. The two are easily separated as tethys has costulate pronotal sides, is dark brown to black, and has a massively developed postpetiole that is extremely broad in dorsal view. S. epipola on the other hand lacks lateral pronotal costulae, is light reddish-brown and has the postpetiole more conventionally sized.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: -13.83333302° to -13.91666985°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Samoa (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
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- epipola. Pyramica epipola Bolton, 2000: 399 (w.) SAMOA. Combination in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 119
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Worker
Holotype. TL 2.2, HL 0.55, HW 0.46, CI 84, ML 0.12, MI 22, SL 0.27, SI 59, PW 0.28, AL 0.58. Apicoscrobal hair stout, feebly remiform apically and weakly upcurved. Dorsum of head with a transverse row of 4 standing hairs close to occipital margin and with a single pair of similar hairs just in front of the highest point of the vertex. Pronotal humeral hair stout, approximately straight. Mesonotum with a single pair of standing remiform hairs. Petiole node with 1 pair of posteriorly inclined stout hairs, the postpetiole with 6 similar hairs: a pair anteriorly and a transverse row of 4 posteriorly on the dorsum. First gastral tergite with erect to suberect stout standing hairs that tend to be somewhat thickened apically. Dorsal outline of propodeum in profile only very slightly convex, not markedly humped behind the level of the metanotal groove. Mesopleuron and most of metapleuron smooth, head and alitrunk otherwise finely reticulate-punctate everywhere. Ventral spongiform strip of petiole well developed and extends the length of the segment. Petiole node in dorsal view reticulate-punctate, slightly broader than long but not transversely rectangular. Disc of postpetiole in dorsal view smooth and shining, transversely roughly ovate but not twice broader than long. Basigastral costulae short, sharply developed and very conspicuous.
Paratypes. TL 2.1-2.2, HL 0.54-0.56, HW 0.45-0.46, CI 82-84, ML 0.12, MI 21-22, SL 0.26-0.28, SI 57-60, PW 0.27-0.28, AL 0.57-0.59 (3 measured).
Type Material
Holotype worker, Samoa: Upolu, Afiamalu, 11.iii.1962, Berlesate, tree forest, 8 ft from ground, disturbed forest, acc. 262 (R. W. Taylor) (Australian National Insect Collection).
Paratypes. 3 workers with same data as holotype (ANIC, The Natural History Museum).
- Holotype, worker, Afiamalu, Upolu, Samoa, Taylor,R.W., ANIC32-017697, Australian National Insect Collection.
- Paratype, 4 workers, Afiamalu, Upolu, Samoa, Taylor,R.W., ANIC32-001161, Australian National Insect Collection.
- Paratype, 1 worker, Lauli I., N coast, Upolo, Samoa, Woodward,T.E., ANIC32-001162, Australian National Insect Collection.
References
- Baroni Urbani, C. & De Andrade, M.L. 2007. The ant tribe Dacetini: limits and constituent genera, with descriptions of new species. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale “G. Doria” 99:1-191.
- Bolton, B. 2000. The ant tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute. 65:1-1028. (page 399, worker described)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- CSIRO Collection
- Wetterer, James K. and Vargo, Donald Vargo L. 2003. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Samoa. Pacific Science. 57(4):409-419.