Strumigenys nankunshana

Strumigenys nankunshana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Strumigenys
Species:	S. nankunshana
Binomial name
	Strumigenys nankunshana; (Zhou, 2011)

The type colony was found nesting under a stone.

Identification

Tang and Guénard (2023) - A member of the Strumigenys leptothrix-group that is provisionally assigned to the elegantula complex.

Zhou (2011) - Strumigenys nankunshana resembles Strumigenys elegantula but differs from the later by its cephalic dorsum with 3 pairs of long simple standing hairs in profile view, dorsum of pronotum with distinct transverse striations and without a median long stria, and disc of petiole with transverse rugae. It differs from P. leptothrix Wheeler by its leading edge of scape without anteriorly projecting straight suberect simple hair, standing hairs on cephalic dorsum much less, dorsal surface of body without standing hairs.

Keys including this Species

Key to Strumigenys of East Asia (as Pyramica)

Distribution

Nankunshan National Forest Park, Guangdong Province, China.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: China (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 worker caste.

Nomenclature

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

nankunshana. Pyramica nankunshana Zhou, 2011: 420, figs. 1-3 (w.) CHINA. Combination in Strumigenys: unpublished.

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 2.8, HL 0.70, HW 0.50, CI 71, ML 0.10, MI 14, SL 0.33, SI 66, PW 0.25, AL 0.70. Head with mandibles subtriangular, narrower in front than behind, occipital margin deeply concave, occipital corners bluntly rounded. Mandibles with a row of small teeth. Clypeus as broad as long, anterior border roundly convex. Antennae 3rd to 6th segments in a ratio of 2.5 : 2.0 : 4.0 : 12.0; 3rd segment 1.1× as long as broad; 4th segments as long as broad; 5th segment 1.5× as long as broad; apical segment 3 × as long as broad.

Pronotum marginate dorsolaterally, its dorsum flat, lateral borders subparallel in dorsal view. Propodeal spines subtended by broad lamellae, strongly developed, narrowly triangular, tip upturned. Petiolar disc 1.8× as long as broad, postpetiolar disc 1.4× as broad as long dorsally.

Head with numerous, curved, slender, spatulate hairs. In profile view, cephalic dorsum with 3 pairs of standing hairs: 1st pair of hairs close to occipital margin; 2nd pair are in front of, and out of the 1st pair; and the 3rd pair on the upper margin of antennal scrobe just behind the eyes. In full face view, lateral clypeal dorsum with decumbent hairs. Anterior margin of antennal scapes with arranged, slender, spatulate hairs which are curved anteriorly. Dorso-lateral borders of alitrunk with 4 pairs of long erect hairs, humeral hair straight and simple, projecting laterally; masonotum with 3 pairs of standing simple hairs. Dorsal surfaces of middle and hind tibiae with suberect long straight simple projecting hairs, the longest of them distinctly longer than the maximum tibial width. First gastral tergite with more than 30 long erect hairs, restricted to 5-6 transverse rows.

Dorsal surface of head reticulate and rugose. Antennal scapes microreticulate. Dorsum of alitrunk finely microreticulate, with distinct transverse striations, without longitudinal median stria. Lateral surface of pronotum smooth and shining, mesonotum and propodeum microreticulate. Lateral surface of petiole microreticulate, disc finely reticulate and rugose transversely. Postpetiolar disc and gaster smooth and shining.

Color reddish brown; clypeus, mandibles, antennae, and legs yellowish brown.

Paratype workers. TL 2.7-2.8, HL 0.70-0.72, HW 0.49-0.50, CI 69-71, ML 0.10-0.11, MI 14-15, SL 0.33-0.34, SI 66-68, PW 0.25-0.27, AL 0.68-0.70 (5 individuals measured).

Type Material

Holotype worker. Nankunshan National Forest Park, Guangdong Province, South of China, August 22, 2010, Shanyi Zhou leg. Paratype 20 workers.

Etymology

The species is named after its type-locality, Nankunshan.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
Zhou S. 2011. A new species of the genus Pyramica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Nankunshan National Forest Park of Guangdong, South of China. Sociobiology 57: 419-424.