Temnothorax punctaticeps

Temnothorax punctaticeps
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Temnothorax
Species group:	sallei
Species:	T. punctaticeps
Binomial name
Temnothorax punctaticeps (Mackay, W.P., 2000) Specimen Labels

The nest of the type series was found in a log in a pine forest with few other types of trees. The soil was a dark loam.

Identification

Prebus (2017) - A member of the sallei clade.

Mackay (2000) - A light brown colored species, with a large dark splotch or band on the dorsum of the first tergum. The sculpture consists mostly of dense punctures, especially on the dorsum of the head. The medial clypeal carina is poorly developed, several lateral carinae are prominent. The antenna has 12 segments. The petiole is thick as seen in profile with a blunt, rounded node. The dorsum of the first gastral tergite is smooth and polished. This species could be confused with Temnothorax punctatissimus or with Temnothorax terrigena. See the Temnothorax punctatissimus identification section for the details used to distinguish these three species.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Temnothorax hispidus species group workers
• Key to the New World Temnothorax

Distribution

Mexico: Nuevo Leon.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 24.07583333° to 24.01386°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Mexico (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.

Habitat

Pine Forest

Abundance

Only known from types.

Castes

Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

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

• punctaticeps. Leptothorax (Myrafant) punctaticeps Mackay, W.P., 2000: 388, figs. 38, 149 (w.) MEXICO. Combination in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 272.

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

Description

Worker

Mandibles with 5 teeth, most apical 3 well defined, basal most pair poorly developed; anterior border of clypeus concave, nearly forming a notch, clypeus with numerous longitudinal carinae, medial carina not more developed than others; sides of head broadly convex; vertex nearly straight; eyes large, extending past sides of head; scape extending slightly past posterior corner of head; sutures of mesosoma not obvious when seen in profile; propodeal spines small, but well formed; petiole with relatively long peduncle, with large subpetiolar process; anterior petiolar face concave, posterior face convex, petiolar node broadly rounded. . Erect hairs with blunt tips abundant on nearly all surfaces, except legs and scapes, where they are nearly decumbent; those on funiculus somewhat more erect; decumbent pubescence only present as long hairs on gaster.

Sculpture consisting mostly of coarse, dense punctures, especially obvious on dorsum of head, mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole, rugae present on mandibles, sides of head and side of pronotum; gaster entirely smooth and polished.

Concolorous light reddish-brown, but with a broad, dark band on first tergum.

Worker measurement (mm): HL 0.79-0.82, HW 0.70-0.79, SL 0.67-0.68, EL 0.18-0.21, WL 1.03-1.07, PW 0.19-0.23, PL 0.31-0.36, PW 0.30-0.31, PPL 0.17-0.23. Indices: CI 89-96, SI 83-85, PI 53-74, PPI 130-182.

Type Material

MEXICO, Nuevo Leon: 61 KNE Dr. Arroyo, 10 June 1988, 2540 meters, W. Mackay #11004. Holotype worker (Museum of Comparative Zoology) and 26 paratype workers (William and Emma Mackay Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History,Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, MCZC, National Museum of Natural History, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico).

Etymology

Morphological, for the densely punctate head.

References

• Alatorre-Bracamontes, C.E., Vásquez-Bolaños, M. 2010. Lista comentada de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) del norte de México. Dugesiana 17(1): 9-36.
• Bolton, B. 2003. Synopsis and Classification of Formicidae. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 71: 370pp (page 272, Combination in Temnothorax)
• MacKay, W. P. 2000. A review of the New World ants of the subgenus Myrafant, (genus Leptothorax) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology 36: 265-444 (page 388, figs. 38, 149 worker described)
• Prebus, M. 2017. Insights into the evolution, biogeography and natural history of the acorn ants, genus Temnothorax Mayr (hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bmc Evolutionary Biology. 17:250. doi:10.1186/s12862-017-1095-8 (The doi link to the publication's journal webpage provides access to the 24 files that accompany this article).
• Prebus, M.M. 2021. Taxonomic revision of the Temnothorax salvini clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a key to the clades of New World Temnothorax. PeerJ 9, e11514 (doi:10.7717/peerj.11514).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
• Fernandes, P.R. XXXX. Los hormigas del suelo en Mexico: Diversidad, distribucion e importancia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
• Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133