Technomyrmex butteli

Technomyrmex butteli
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dolichoderinae
Genus:	Technomyrmex
Species:	T. butteli
Binomial name
	Technomyrmex butteli; Forel, 1913 Specimen Labels

All T. butteli material examined was collected on vegetation, usually tree trunks or low canopy (Bolton, 2007). In Thailand (Jaitrong & Yamane, 2014) ,nests were collected from decayed wood, dead twigs and dead stems of trees. Foragers were collected from tree trunks and lower vegetation.

Identification

Bolton (2007) - A member of the T. albipes complex in the Technomyrmex albipes group. Morphological intercastes between workers and queens are present in which one or three ocelli are developed and in which the mesoscutel1um occurs as a projecting separate or semi-separate sclerite in otherwise worker-like forms.

At first glance workers of this species resemble Technomyrmex albipes specimens in which the mesosomal sclerites have become bloated, swollen and more rounded, and the two species are certainly closely related. However, workers of butteli tend to be somewhat larger than those of albipes (HW 0.58 - 0.61 in the former, as opposed to HW 0.52 - 0.58 in the latter) and always have longer scapes, with SI 114 - 124 in butteli and SI 91 - 102 in albipes. Also, in butteli the longest setae on the first gastral tergite are longer than the maximum diameter of the eye and the propodeal dorsum in profile rounds broadly into the declivity. The pronotum of butteli is relatively broader than that of albipes, so that in the former PW is 0.77 – 0.80 x HW, while in the latter PW is 0.69 - 0.74 x HW.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 6.199999809° to 0.883333325°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia (type locality).
Oriental Region: Thailand.

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

Jaitrong & Yamane (2024), Fig. 9. Technomyrmex butteli (worker and intercaste). A–C, worker; D–F, intercaste; A, D, head in full-face view; B, E, body in profile; C, F, body in dorsal view. Photos by Yudthana Samung.

Nomenclature

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

butteli. Technomyrmex butteli Forel, 1913k: 97, fig. C (w.m.) WEST MALAYSIA. See also: Bolton, 2007a: 75.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Bolton (2007) - TL 3.0 - 3.4, HL 0.64 - 0.69, HW 0.58 - 0.61, SL 0.68 - 0.72, PW 0.45 - 0.48, WL 0.92 - 1.00 (12 measured). Indices: CI 85 - 92, SI 114 - 124, OI 25 - 28, EPI 80 - 92, DTI 123 - 136.

Frontal carina with 2 setae: in profile the anterior seta above the torulus, the posterior seta approximately at the level of the anterior margin of the eye, Dorsum of head posterior to this entirely lacks setae. With head in full-face view the anterior clypeal margin at most with a slight median indentation or small shallow concavity (approximately transverse in the most worker-like intercastes); posterior margin of head approximately transverse or with a slight median indentation, Eyes located just in front of midlength; outer margin of eye just touches or very slightly interrupts the outline of the side in full-face view. With mesosoma in profile the mesonotum appears somewhat swollen and its dorsal outline is strongly convex. Number of setal pairs on mesosoma: pronotum 3 - 4 (usually 3); mesonotum 1, located on the posterior half of the strongly curved surface; propodeal dorsum 0; lateral margins of propodeal declivity 2 - 3. Propodeum in profile appears swollen and somewhat hypertrophied, the shallowly convex and quite short dorsum curves broadly into the declivity, the two surfaces not separated by an angle. Dorsum of mesosoma is usually uniformly blanketed by very tine and very dense reticulate-punctulation; in some samples this sculpture is weaker on the pronotal dorsum than elsewhere. Gastral tergites 1 - 4 each with numerous setae, distributed everywhere on the sclerites; maximum length of setae on first gastral tergite is greater than the maximum diameter of the eye. Head, mesosoma, petiole and gaster dark brown to blackish brown. Coxae, femora and tibiae uniformly dark brown to blackish brown, approximately the same colour as the mesosoma or gaster; never with strongly contrasting lighter coxae. Tarsi of middle and hind legs dull yellowish to pale brown, lighter than the tibiae.

Type Material

Bolton (2007) - Syntype workers and males, Malaysia: Malacca, Taiping, Maxwell's Hill, No. 79a (v. Buttel-Reepen) (Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève) [examined].

References

Bolton, B. 2007. Taxonomy of the dolichoderine ant genus Technomyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) based on the worker caste. Contributions of the American Entomological Institute. 35(1):1-149.
Forel, A. 1913l. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse einer Forschungsreise nach Ostindien ausgeführt im Auftrage der Kgl. Preuss. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin von H. v. Buttel-Reepen. II. Ameisen aus Sumatra, Java, Malacca und Ceylon. Gesammelt von Her (page 97, fig. C worker, queen, male described)
Hasin, S., Tasen, W. 2020. Ant community composition in urban areas of Bangkok, Thailand. Agriculture and Natural Resources 54: 507-514 (doi:10.34044/j.anres.2020.54.5.07).
Jaitrong, W., Yamane, S. 2024. A revision of the ants Technomyrmex Mayr, 1872 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) in Thailand and Laos. Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society 66 (1): 29–118.
Khachonpisitsak, S., Yamane, S., Sriwichai, P., Jaitrong, W. 2020. An updated checklist of the ants of Thailand (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 998, 1–182 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.998.54902).
Yamane, S., Tanaka, H.O., Hasimoto, Y., Ohashi, M., Meleng, P., Itioka, T. 2021. A list of ants from Lambir Hills National Park and its vicinity, with their biological information: Part II. Subfamilies Leptanillinae, Proceratiinae, Amblyoponinae, Ponerinae, Dorylinae, Dolichoderinae, Ectatomminae and Formicinae. Contributions from the Biological Laboratory, Kyoto University 31, 87–157.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Baroni Urbani C. 1977. Katalog der Typen von Formicidae (Hymenoptera) der Sammlung des Naturhistorischen Museums Basel (2. Teil). Mitt. Entomol. Ges. Basel (n.s.) 27: 61-102.
Bolton B. 2007. Taxonomy of the dolichoderine ant genus Technomyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) based on the worker caste. Contributions of the American Entomological Institute 35(1): 1-150.
Bolton, B. "Taxonomy of the dolichoderine ant genus Technomyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) based on the worker caste." Contributions of the American Entomological Institute 35, no. 1 (2007): 1-149.
CSIRO Collection
Huong N. T. T., P. V. Sang, and B. T. Viet. 2015. A preliminary study on diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) at Hon Ba Nature Reserve. Environmental Scientific Conference 7: 614-620.
Ito, F.; Yamane, S.; Eguchi, K.; Noerdjito, W. A.; Kahono, S.; Tsuji, K.; Ohkawara, K.; Yamauchi, K.; Nishida, T.; Nakamura, K. 2001. Ant species diversity in the Bogor Botanic Garden, West Java, Indonesia, with descriptions of two new species of the genus Leptanilla (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Tropics 10:379-404.
Jaitrong W., and T. Ting-Nga. 2005. Ant fauna of Peninsular Botanical Garden (Khao Chong), Trang Province, Southern Thailand (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 1(2): 137-147.
Jaitrong W.; Nabhitabhata, J. 2005. A list of known ant species of Thailand. The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 1(1): 9-54.
Pfeiffer M.; Mezger, D.; Hosoishi, S.; Bakhtiar, E. Y.; Kohout, R. J. 2011. The Formicidae of Borneo (Insecta: Hymenoptera): a preliminary species list. Asian Myrmecology 4:9-58
Shattuck S. O. 1994. Taxonomic catalog of the ant subfamilies Aneuretinae and Dolichoderinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). University of California Publications in Entomology 112: i-xix, 1-241.
Sitthicharoenchai D., and N. Chantarasawat. 2006. Ant species diversity in the establishing area for Advanced Technology Institute at Lai-Nan Sub-district, Wiang Sa district, Nan Province, Thailand. The Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University 6(2): 67-74
Tanaka H.O., Sk. Yamane, T. Nakashizuka, K. Momose, and T. Itioka. 2007. Effects of deforestation on mutualistic interactions of ants with plants and hemipterans in tropical rainforest of Borneo. Asian Myrmecology 1: 31-50.
Yamane S., T. Itino, and A.R. Nona. 1996. Ground ant fauna in a Bornean dipterocarp forest. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 44(1): 253-262.
Yamane Sk., T. Itino, and A. Rahman Nona. 1996. Ground ant fauna in a Bornean dipterocarp forest. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 44(1): 253-262.