Technomyrmex cheesmanae

Technomyrmex cheesmanae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dolichoderinae
Genus:	Technomyrmex
Species:	T. cheesmanae
Binomial name
	Technomyrmex cheesmanae; Donisthorpe, 1945 Specimen Labels

Nothing is known about the biology of Technomyrmex cheesmanae.

Identification

Bolton (2007) - A member of the T. cheesmanae complex in the Technomyrmex albipes group. An Australian series from Bellenden Ker has the anterior clypeal margin more deeply indented medially than does the type-series. Colour of the middle and hind coxae is variable within series, ranging from as brown as the femora to dull yellow. Specimens from Ivimka Research Station, Papua New Guinea (UCDC), have longer scapes (SI 119 - 122) than the other material (SI 100 - 104) and have the posterior pair of setae on the dorsum of the head shorter, slightly less than the maximum diameter of the eye, whereas in other series these setae tend to be longer than the maximum diameter of the eye. Among all series there is variation in the degree of curvature between propodeal dorsum and declivity, but the junction is always rounded, never a distinct angle. These variations may imply that cheesmanae, as defined here, may be a complex of sibling species, but further analysis will have to await the amassing of more material.

A few other species share with cheesmanae the characters of rounded propodeum and a pair of long setae located anterior to the posterior margin of the head. Australian species with these features (Technomyrmex quadricolor, Technomyrmex sophiae, Technomyrmex nitens, Technomyrmex furens) all have the head capsule glassy smooth, whereas cheesmanae has the usual blanketing fine microreticulate-shagreenate sculpture present. Technomyrmex albicoxis, originally described as a variety of cheesmanae, has only 4 - 5 pairs of setae in total on the dorsal head and does not have setae at the level of the posterior margin of the eye. Other species in the albipes group that have a more rounded propodeum, such as Technomyrmex prevaricus, Technomyrmex indicus, Technomyrmex pluto and Technomyrmex hades, have very different arrangements of cephalic setae.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -6.3° to -18.99°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia.
Indo-Australian Region: Indonesia (type locality), New Guinea.

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

Worker

Images from AntWeb


Holotype of Technomyrmex cheesmanae. Worker. Specimen code casent0903038. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

Nomenclature

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

cheesmanae. Technomyrmex cheesmanae Donisthorpe, 1945b: 57 (w.) NEW GUINEA. See also: Bolton, 2007a: 76.

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 2.8 - 2.9, HL 0.59 - 0.66, HW 0.56 - 0.62, SL 0.56 - 0.72, PW 0.38 - 0.47, WL 0.80 - 0.88 (9 measured). Indices: CI 92 - 95, SI 100 - 122, OI 25 - 27, EPI 78 - 85, DTI 131 - 135.

Frontal carina with 3 - 4 setae: in profile the posteriormost at the level of the anterior margin of the eye. Dorsum of head behind this with 3 - 4 pairs of setae, terminating posteriorly in the longest pair, which is located well in front of the posterior margin of the head; these setae usually longer than the maximum diameter of the eye. A pair of very short setae may sometimes be present behind the longest pair, at the posterior margin itself. With head in full-face view the anterior clypeal margin with a slight to moderate median indentation; sides of head shallowly convex and the posterior margin shallowly concave; eyes located in front of midlength (EPI above) and their outer margins just touch the outline of the sides of the head. With mesosoma in profile the mesonotal outline is a shallowly convex slope. Number of setal pairs on mesosoma: pronotum with 2 longer (exceeding maximum diameter of eye) and 2 - 3 shorter; mesonotum 2, one located anteriorly and the other posteriorly; propodeal dorsum 0; lateral margin of propodeal declivity 2 - 3. With propodeum in profile the dorsum rounds into the declivity, the two surfaces never meet in a distinctly defined angle. Gastral tergites 1 - 4 each with numerous setae, distributed everywhere on the sclerites; maximum length of setae on first gastral tergite greater than the maximum diameter of the eye. Head, mesosoma, petiole and gaster uniformly blackish brown to black. Femora and tibiae of middle and hind legs dark brown; tarsi of middle and hind legs dull yellow, paler than the femora and tibiae. Middle and hind coxae varying from dull yellow, higher than the femora, to brown, about the same shade as the femora.

Type Material

Bolton (2007) - Holotype and paratype workers, Indonesia: Irian Jaya ("Dutch New Guinea"), Mt Nomo, S ofMt Bougainville, 600 - 1500 ft, xi.1936 (I. E. Cheesman); paratype workers, Irian Jaya ("E. Dutch New Guinea"), Humboldt Bay, Hollandia, iv.1936 (I. E. Cheesman) (The Natural History Museum) [examined].

Holotype, worker, Mt. Nomo, S Mt. Bougainville, Irian Jaya, Indonesia, The Natural History Museum.
Paratype, workers, Hollandia, Humboldt Bay, Irian Jaya, Indonesia, The Natural History Museum.
Paratype, workers, Mt. Nomo, S Mt. Bougainville, Irian Jaya, Indonesia, The Natural History Museum.

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.
Donisthorpe, H. 1945b. A new species and a new variety of Technomyrmex Mayr (Hym., Formicidae) from New Guinea. Entomol. Mon. Mag. 81: 57-58 (page 57, worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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.
Donisthorpe H. 1945. A new species and a new variety of Technomyrmex Mayr (Hym., Formicidae) from New Guinea. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 81: 57-58.
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.
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.