Strumigenys pydrax

Strumigenys pydrax
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Strumigenys
Species:	S. pydrax
Binomial name
Strumigenys pydrax (Bolton, 2000)

The type material, the only known collection, was found in a lowland secondary rainforest litter-sample.

Identification

Bolton (2000) - A member of the Strumigenys semicompta-group. Immediately diagnosed within the group by its complete lack of standing hairs on head and alitrunk and lack of humeral hairs on the pronotum; see also notes under Strumigenys carnassa.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Strumigenys of East Asia (as Pyramica)

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Indonesia, New Guinea (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.

Nomenclature

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

• pydrax. Pyramica pydrax Bolton, 2000: 466 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Combination in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 126

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 2.0, HL 0.60, HW 0.54, CI 90, ML 0.09, MI 15, SL 0.24, SI 44, PW 0.27, AL 0.58. Clypeus and cephalic dorsum with minute appressed simple hairs. In full-face view the entire dorsolateral margin of the head without projecting simple hairs. In profile cephalic dorsum entirely lacking standing hairs. Head, and remainder of body, entirely lacking flagellate hairs. Leading edge of scape with a few minute inconspicuous appressed hairs. Outer margins of fully closed mandibles intersect anterior clypeal margin some distance mesad of the anterolateral clypeal angles. Dorsum of head lacking rugulose or reticulate-punctate sculpture, almost smooth. Pronotal dorsum transversely flattened and strongly marginate laterally. Entire dorsum and side of alitrunk, petiole node and disc of postpetiole, smooth and shining. First gastral tergite unsculptured except for the basigastral costulae, the latter very short, barely extending beyond the posterior margin of the limbus. Standing hairs absent from promesonotum, pronotal humeral hairs absent. First gastral tergite with a few standing short hairs near base that tend to be inclined toward the postpetiole. Orifice of propodeal spiracle surrounded by a broad pale cuticular annulus that posteriorly extends into the broad lamella of the declivity. Node of petiole in profile with a short, near-vertical anterior face and a much longer, shallowly convex dorsum. Lateral spongiform lobe of petiole large, extending almost the entire length of its side. Ventral lobe of petiole and both lobes of postpetiole large in profile. Petiole node in dorsal view much longer than broad, as long as the postpetiole disc. In dorsal view tissue around the postpetiole disc more lamelliform than spongiform, completely surrounding the disc; the latter with its anterior margin transverse and its sides weakly converging posteriorly.

Type Material

Holotype worker, Indonesia: Irian Jaya, PT Freeport Concession, Siewa camp, 3.04°S, 136.38°E, 200 ft, 13.iv.1998, #98-75, lowland secondary rainforest, ex sifted leaf litter (R. R. Snelling) (Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History).

References

• Baroni Urbani, C. and 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 466, worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Janda M., G. D. Alpert, M. L. Borowiec, E. P. Economo, P. Klimes, E. Sarnat, and S. O. Shattuck. 2011. Cheklist of ants described and recorded from New Guinea and associated islands. Available on http://www.newguineants.org/. Accessed on 24th Feb. 2011.