Temnothorax antera

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Temnothorax antera
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Temnothorax
Species: T. antera
Binomial name
Temnothorax antera
(Terayama & Onoyama, 1999)


Common Name
Fushinaga-muneboso-ari
Language: Japanese

Nothing is known about the biology of Temnothorax antera.

Identification

Terayama and Onoyama (1999) - Total length of workers around 2.5-3 mm. Body color black to blackish brown. Scapes long, exceeding posterior margin of head in full-face view. Dorsal outline of mesonotum almost straight. Metanotal groove shallowly incised dorsally. Propodeal spines acute and long, each about 4 times as long as its basal width. Petiolar peduncle relatively the longest among Japanese species of Temnothorax. Petiolar node reverse U-shaped, but its anterior slope much steeper than posterior slope.

Temnothorax anira resembles Temnothorax spinosior, but distinguished by the petiolar peduncle distinct from the node.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Japan (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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.
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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.
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Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • antera. Leptothorax antera Terayama & Onoyama, 1999: 78, fig. 16 (w.) JAPAN. Combination in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 271.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype. HL 0.69 mm; HW 0.60 mm; CI 87; SL 0.55 mm; SI 92; WL 0.80 mm; PW 0.38 mm; PtW 0.15 mm; PtH 0.23 mm; TL 2.8 mm.

Head 1.2 times as long as wide, with weakly convex posterior margin in full-face view. Mandibles longitudinally rugulose. Antennae with 12 segments; scapes long, slightly exceeding posterior margin of head in full-face view. Anterior margin of clypeus moderately convex. Eyes 0.13 mm in maximum diameter.

Dorsal outline of pronotum gently convex. Mesonotal dorsum feebly convex. Metanotal groove shallowly incised dorsally. Propodeal dorsum in profile almost straight; propodeal spines acute and long, each about 4 times as long as its basal width and pointing posteriorly.

Petiolar peduncle very long as in Fig. 16; node reverse U-shaped, its anterior slope much more steep than posterior slope. Subpetiolar process small, triangular. Postpetiolar node higher than long, with relatively strongly convex dorsal margin in profile; in dorsal view, 1.5 times as wide as long.

Head dorsum longitudinally rugulose with a few cross-meshes the spaces between densely punctula te; mesosomal dorsum and pronotal sides rugose, mesosomal and propodeal sides densely punctate with a few rugulae; petiole densely punctulate, postpetiole more weakly punctulate, but its dorsum weakly longitudinally striate; gaster smooth and shining.

Dorsal surfaces of head with moderately abundant erect hairs; similar hairs present on mesosoma (about 15), petiole (2 pairs), and postpetiole (3 pairs); the longest hair on mesosoma 0.11 mm; propodeal spines each with a long erect hair; gaster with moderately abundant suberect hairs.

Body including head black to blackish brown; mandibles, antennae, and legs dark brown.

Type Material

Holotype. Worker, Gusuku, Amami-oshima I., Kagoshima Pref., 29.III.1980, M. Terayama leg. Paratypes. 1 worker, same data as holotype; 2 workers, Tokunoshima I., Kagoshima Pref., 20.III.1980, M. Terayama leg.; 4 workers, Hachijo Botanical Garden, Hachijo-jima, Tokyo Pref., 1. IV. 1984, K. Onoyama leg.

Determination Clarifications

This species corresponds to Leptothorax sp. 11 of Terayama et al. (1992).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Fukumoto S. and Sk. Yamane. 2015. Records of ants from Uke–jima, Amami Islands, Japan (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Nature of Kagoshima 41: 195–197.
  • Fukumoto S., Sk. Yamane, and M. Hira. 2016. Records of ants from Yoro-Shima, Amami Gunto, Japan (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Nature of Kagoshima 42: 461–464.
  • Terayama M., S. Kubota, and K. Eguchi. 2014. Encyclopedia of Japanese ants. Asakura Shoten: Tokyo, 278 pp.
  • Terayama M., and S. Kubota. 2002. Ants of Tokyo, Japan. ARI 26: 1-32.
  • Terayama M.; Onoyama, K. 1999. The ant genus Leptothorax Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Japan. Memoirs of the Myrmecological Society of Japan 1:71-97.
  • Yamane S. 2016. How many species of Ants in Amami Islands? (in Japanese). Part 2, chapter 1 in How many species of Ants in Amami Islands? Pp. 92-132.
  • Yamane S., S. Ikudome, and M. Terayama. 1999. Identification guide to the Aculeata of the Nansei Islands, Japan. Sapporo: Hokkaido University Press, xii + 831 pp. pp, 138-317.
  • Yamane S.; Ikudome, S.; Terayama, M. 1999. Identification guide to the Aculeata of the Nansei Islands, Japan. Sapporo: Hokkaido University Press, xii + 831 pp. pp138-317.