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Strumigenys gorgon
| Strumigenys gorgon | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Strumigenys |
| Species: | S. gorgon |
| Binomial name | |
| Strumigenys gorgon Fisher, 2000
| |
Collected in rainforest litter samples and a rotten log.
Identification
Bolton (2000) - A member of the dexis complex in the Strumigenys dexis-group. Within the dexis-complex, the species gorgon, Strumigenys peyrierasi and Strumigenys rabesoni form a close cluster. The three together differ from Strumigenys dexis in possessing simple labral trigger-hairs, where dexis has them replaced by a pair of fan-like thin cuticular lamellae. Strumigenys coveri separates from gorgon, peyrierasi and rabesoni by having the petiole node longer than broad, the pronotum only as broad as long and the eye somewhat larger, with 11-13 ommatidia in total. In gorgon, peyrierasi and rabesoni the petiole node and the pronotum are both broader than long in dorsal view, and the eye is somewhat smaller, with 7-10 ommatidia in total. S. gorgon is distinguished from peyrierasi and rabesoni by the presence in the former of broad spoon-shaped hairs laterally on the dorsal surfaces of the occipital lobes, absent in the latter. S. gorgon is distinguished from rabesoni by the densely crowded punctate sculpture of the vertex in rabesoni, which in gorgon is much fainter and more widely spaced. Finally, gorgon is distinguished from peyrierasi by the presence of a single pair of short straight standing hairs on the mesonotum in peyrierasi, absent in gorgon.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Malagasy Region: Madagascar (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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| Paratype of Strumigenys gorgon. Worker. Specimen code casent0005549. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA. |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- gorgon. Strumigenys gorgon Fisher, in Bolton, 2000: 642 (w.) MADAGASCAR.
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 2.4, HL 0.60, HW 0.52, CI 87, ML 0.15, MI 25, SL 0.28, SI 54, PW 0.34, AL 0.64. Characters of dexis-complex. With head in full-face view the dorsal surfaces of the occipital lobes with broad spoon-shaped hairs similar in shape and size to those projecting from the upper scrobe margins; these hairs occupy a longitudinal strip on each side from the apices of the upper scrobe margins to the apices of the occipital lobes, but absent from the vertex proper. Punctures on cephalic vertex shallow and poorly defined, not crowded together. Eye with 8 ommatidia in total. Punctures on pronotal dorsum shallow and faint, almost effaced, very widely scattered so that most of the dorsum is smooth. Pronotum in dorsal view distinctly broader than long. Petiole node in dorsal view (excluding spongiform tissue) broader than long. Disc of postpetiole smooth and shining. Basigastral costulae moderately long and sharply defined, extending backwards over one-quarter the length of the first gastral tergite.
Paratypes. TL 2.4-2.5, HL 0.60-0.64, HW 0.52-0.55, CI 86-89, ML 0.15-0.17, MI 25-27, SL 0.28-0. 30, SI 51-55, PW 0.34-0.36, AL 0.64-0.68 (4 measured). As holotype but eye with 8-10 ommatidia in total.
Type Material
Holotype worker, Madagascar: 6.9 km. NE Ambanizana, 15°34'S, 50°00'E, 825 m., 2.xii.1993, sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood) rainforest, #976 (41)-1 (B. L. Fisher) (Museum of Comparative Zoology).
Paratypes. 4 workers with same data as holotype but coded (37)-1, (44)-1, (48)-1 (South African Museum, The Natural History Museum).
References
- Fisher, B.L. 2000. The Malagasy fauna of Strumigenys. Pp. 612-696 in: Bolton, B. 2000. The ant tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute. 65:1-1028. (page 642, worker described)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Fisher B. L. 2003. Formicidae, ants. Pp. 811-819 in: Goodman, S. M.; Benstead, J. P. (eds.) 2003. The natural history of Madagascar. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, xxi + 1709 pp.