Strumigenys tisiphone

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

This is a rare species in Hong Kong, collected only within secondary forest but through a wide elevational range extending from 141 to 816 m (Tang et al., 2019).

Identification

Bolton (2000) - A member of the argiola complex in the Strumigenys argiola group. Closest related to Strumigenys hexamera but with only a single preapical tooth on the mandible, a narrower head, and a posterior mesonotum that does not overhang the metanotal groove.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Strumigenys of China (as Pyramica)
• Key to Strumigenys of East Asia (as Pyramica)

Distribution

The Hong Kong record confirms the distribution of S. tisiphone within China and represents the south-easternmost record for the species. The previous record in China is from Gutian, central Guangdong (24.2N, 116.6E) (Bolton 2000; Tang et al., 2019).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 22.4288° to 22.2751778°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

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.

Nomenclature

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

• tisiphone. Pyramica tisiphone Bolton, 2000: 390 (w.) CHINA. Combination in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 129

Type Material

• Holotype, worker, central Guangdong, Gutian, China, 3.iv.1997, J. R. Fellowes, The Natural History Museum.

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 0.50, HW 0.48, CI 96, ML 0.20, MI 40, SL 0.22, SI 46, PW 0.28, AL 0.53. Apicodorsal tooth of mandible elongate and spiniform. Mandible with a single minute preapical tooth, located very close to the apicodorsal tooth and may be difficult to see. Dorsal surface of mandible with 3 longitudinal rows of scale-like to spoon-shaped hairs; hairs of the inner row largest and sparsest, inclined into the space between the mandibles. Hairs on leading edge of scape curved toward apex of scape. Clypeus, cephalic dorsum and scape dorsum with orbicular hairs; on the head there is a small hairless patch on each side, mesad of the lateral margin in the area where the margins are most strongly divergent. CI < 100. Mesonotum in profile not bulging posteriorly over base of propodeum, not overhanging metanotal groove.

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 390, worker described)
• Tang, K. L., Guénard, B. 2023. Further additions to the knowledge of Strumigenys (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) within South East Asia, with the descriptions of 20 new species. European Journal of Taxonomy 907, 1–144 (doi:10.5852/ejt.2023.907.2327).
• Tang, K.L., Pierce, M.P., Guénard, B. 2019. Review of the genus Strumigenys (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae) in Hong Kong with the description of three new species and the addition of five native and four introduced species records. ZooKeys 831: 1–48 (DOI 10.3897/zookeys.831.31515).
• Xu, Zheng-Hui; Zhou, Xing-Guo 2004. Systematic study on the ant genus Pyramica Roger (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of China. Acta Zootaxon. Sin. 29(3): 440-450 (page 449, transferred from Epitritus)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Bolton, B. 2000. The Ant Tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 65
• Xu Z. H., and X. G. Zhou. 2004. Systematic study on the ant genus Pyramica Roger (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of China. Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica 29: 440-450.
• Xu Z. and X.-G. Zhou. 2004. Systematic study on the ant genus Pyramica Roger (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of China. Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica 29(3): 440-450