Technomyrmex kraepelini

Technomyrmex kraepelini
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dolichoderinae
Genus:	Technomyrmex
Species:	T. kraepelini
Binomial name
Technomyrmex kraepelini Forel, 1905 Specimen labels

A relatively well collected species for this genus, it occurs in a range of forest habitats and is apparently fairly tolerant of disturbance. Most collections have been made from litter samples but there are also records from baits and sweeping samples. Heterick & Kitching (2022) collected this species in the canopy of a lowland dipterocarp forest in Brunei. In Thailand, Jaitrong & Yamane (2014) found that this species inhabits both primary and secondary forests, and nests in rotten wood, dead twigs, and leaf litter.

At a Glance

• Limited invasive

Identification

Bolton (2007) - A member of the Technomyrmex bicolor group. T. kraepelini is closely related to Technomyrmex sundaicus and Technomyrmex rector, the three of which are, within the Technomyrmex bicolor group, mainly darkly coloured, have relatively short scapes and a relatively shorter, broader, mesosoma. T. sundaicus is distinguished from kraepelini by its uniform drab brown colour, which includes all leg segments except for the trochanters and the middle and hind tarsi, which are dull yellow. The middle and hind coxae of sundaicus are the same colour as the mesosoma, whereas in krapelini the coxae are much lighter and contrast strongly with the mesosoma. T. rector, currently known only from a single worker from southern India, appears to have fewer gastral setae than kraepelini and has yellow middle and hind tibiae that are the same colour as the tarsi. The clypeal notch of rector is broader and more shallow than in kraepelini. Other relatives with darkly coloured heads and bodies, Technomyrmex obscurior and Technomyrmex antennus, generally have longer scapes and a narrower, more elongate mesosoma, that only overlap kraepelini at the lowest end of their scale: in obscurior and antennus SI is 122 – 143 and DTI is 156 - 168.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Micronesian Ants
• Key to Oriental Technomyrmex
• Key to Technomyrmex of Thailand and Laos

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 18.41666667° to -7.502778°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Brunei Darussalam, Guam, Indonesia (type locality), Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Palau, Philippines, Singapore.
Oriental Region: Laos, Thailand.

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

• 

  Jaitrong & Yamane (2024), Fig. 24. Distribution of Technomyrmex kraepelini in Thailand and Laos.

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.

Castes

• 

  Jaitrong & Yamane (2024), Fig. 23. Technomyrmex kraepelini (worker). A, body in profile; B, head in full-face view; C, 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.

• kraepelini. Technomyrmex kraepelini Forel, 1905c: 23 (w.) INDONESIA (Java). See also: Bolton, 2007a: 88.

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 2.5 - 3.7, HL 0.67 - 1.04, HW 0.59 - 1.02, SL 0.68 - 0.92, PW 0.41 0.57, WL 0.88 - 1.10 (15 measured). Indices: CI 87 - 98, SI 90 - 125, OI 23 - 28, EPI 64 -73, OTI 132 - 157.

Head behind clypeus, dorsum of mesosoma, declivity of propodeum and first gastral tergite all entirely lack setae. Gastral tergites 2 - 4 with long stout setae present that are longer than the maximum diameter of the eye: second gastral tergite with 2 - 3 pairs, third and fourth tergites each with 3 - 4 pairs. Anterior clypeal margin with a distinct median notch the margins of which meet the lateral portions of the anterior margin through rounded curves, not sharp angles. Posterior margin of head concave medially, the extent of the indentation becomes more pronounced In larger workers and in full-face view the head becomes distinctly more cordate with increased size. With head in full-face view the outer margins of the eyes fail to touch the outline of the sides of the head; the latter convex, more stronger so in larger workers. Scape index 125 or less. Clypeal sculpture fine between posterior margin of notch and clypeal suture. In dorsal view the metathoracic spiracles close to, or even abutting, the metanotal groove; distance separating them usually less than one spiracle diameter. Mesosoma with DTI 132 - 157. In profile the straight-line length of the propodeal dorsum at most equal to the depth of the declivity to the spiracle and usually somewhat less; dorsal outline of propodeum usually weakly convex, without a conspicuous notch or indentation at about its midlength. In profile the head, mesosoma, petiole and gaster all the same shade of dark brown to blackish brown, or very nearly so. Anterior coxa brown; middle and hind coxae off-white to yellow and strongly contrasting with the mesosoma and femora. All trochanters yellow. Femora and tibiae brown, same colour as the mesosoma or slightly lighter; often the extreme apex of each segment lighter. Tarsi off-white to yellow, lighter than the femora and tibiae.

Type Material

Bolton (2007) - Syntype workers, Indonesia: Java, Tjompea, leg. 11.iii.1904, ded. 8.vi.1904 (K. Kraepelin) (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. 1905f. Ameisen aus Java. Gesammelt von Prof. Karl Kraepelin 1904. Mitteilungen aus dem Naturhistorischen Museum in Hamburg 22: 1-26. (page 23, worker 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).
• Heterick, B.E., Kitching, R.L. 2022. The ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of a one-hectare plot of lowland dipterocarp forest. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine 158(4), 261–272 (doi:10.31184/m00138908.1584.4153).
• Imai, H.T., Kihara, A., Kondoh, M., Kubota, M., Kuribayashi, S., Ogata, K., Onoyama, K., Taylor, R.W., Terayama, M., Yoshimura, M., Ugawa, Y. 2003. Ants of Japan. 224 pp, Gakken, Japan.
• 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).
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• 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

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• 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
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• Field Museum Collection, Chicago, Illinois (C. Moreau)
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