Tetramorium aptum

Tetramorium aptum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Tetramorium
Species:	T. aptum
Binomial name
Tetramorium aptum Bolton, 1977 Specimen Labels

This species has been collected from litter samples in forest habitats. Heterick & Kitching (2022) collected this species in a pitfall trap within a lowland dipterocarp forest in Brunei.

Identification

A member of the Tetramorium scabrosum-species group.

Bolton (1977) - Amongst the species of the scabrosum-group T. aptum is easily distinguished as it is the only species having both petiole and postpetiole completely sculptured. In one or two other species of the group the post petiole may be faintly sculptured, but here the petiole is either broader than long or the relative size of the eye is outside the above range, or both.

Non-type specimens from West Malaysia: Malaya, Salangor, Kepong Waterworks Reserve, 22.viii.67 (R. Crozier) (MCZC; BMNH) match the description but the extreme apices of the propodeal spines are somewhat upcurved.

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 21.96563889° to 2.819684°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore.
Oriental Region: Thailand (type locality), Vietnam.
Palaearctic Region: China.

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.

Nomenclature

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

• aptum. Tetramorium aptum Bolton, 1977: 115 (w.) THAILAND.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype. TL 2.6, HL 0.60, HW 0.58, CI 97, SL 0.40, SI 69, PW 0.42, AL 0.70.

Mandibles striate; anterior clypeal margin entire. Frontal carinae distinct, extending back well beyond the level of the eyes but occipitally becoming confused with the reticulate sculpture. Antennal scrobes broad and shallow but easily discernible. Eyes relatively small, maximum diameter c. 0.12 so that the diameter of the eye is about 0.20 x HW. Propodeal spines moderate, quite stout, acute apically; metapleural lobes long, acute and triangular, about 0.66 x propodeal spine length. Petiole in profile with the node relatively long and low, the dorsal length of the node greater than the height of the tergal portion. In dorsal view the petiole node about as broad as long, narrowest in front and broadening posteriorly, and more narrowly rounded in front than behind. Dorsum of head weakly longitudinally rugulose to the level of the posterior margins of the eyes, behind this with increasingly numerous cross-meshes and the occipital region finely reticulate-rugulose. Spaces between the rugulae with fine, superficial punctulation, not conspicuous. Dorsal alitrunk finely reticulate-rugulose, most strongly developed on pronotum. Dorsal surfaces of both petiole and postpetiole covered with rugulose or reticulate-rugulose sculpture and with some punctulation. Gaster unsculptured. All dorsal surfaces of head and body with numerous erect or suberect hairs of varying length. On the head the longest hairs arise from the frontal carinae and on the alitrunk the longest hairs arise in a line along the sides of the dorsum. Antennal scapes with very short, curved pubescence and with a sparse series of longer, stouter hairs which are erect and project vertically. Dorsal (outer) surfaces of hind tibiae with erect or suberect short, stout hairs. Colour uniform light brown, and appendages yellowish.

Paratypes. As holotype but TL 2.6-2.7, HL 0.60-0.62, HW 0.56-0.60, CI 93-96, SL 0.38-0.40, SI 66-68, PW 0.42-0.44, AL 0.70-0.72 (2 measured). Maximum diameter of eye varies c. 0.12-0.13 which gives an eye diameter about 0.20-0.23 x HW.

Type Material

Holotype worker, Thailand: Nong Hoi, 21.vii.1975 (D. Jackson) (The Natural History Museum). Paratypes. 2 workers with same data as holotype (BMNH; Museum of Comparative Zoology).

References

• Bolton, B. 1977. The ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The genus Tetramorium Mayr in the Oriental and Indo-Australian regions, and in Australia. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology. 36:67-151. (page 115, worker described)
• 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).
• 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).
• Wang, W.Y., Soh, E.J.Y., Yong, G.W.J., Wong, M.K.L., Benoit Guénard, Economo, E.P., Yamane, S. 2022. Remarkable diversity in a little red dot: a comprehensive checklist of known ant species in Singapore (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with notes on ecology and taxonomy. Asian Myrmecology 15: e015006 (doi:10.20362/am.015006).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Fontanilla A. M., A. Nakamura, Z. Xu, M. Cao, R. L. Kitching, Y. Tang, and C. J. Burwell. 2019. Taxonomic and functional ant diversity along tropical, subtropical, and subalpine elevational transects in southwest China. Insects 10, 128; doi:10.3390/insects10050128
• Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
• Hashimoto Y., Y. Morimoto, and M. Mohamed. 2002. Species list of ground and leaf litter ants collected in Lower Kinabatangan. Lower Kinabatangan : scientific expedition 2002/ 13-18.
• Hashimoto Y., Y. Morimoto, and M. Mohamed. 2003. Species List of Ground and Leaf Litter Ants Collected in Lower Kinabatangan. Pp 13-18. In Lower Kinabatangan Scientific Expedition 2002, 176 pp. ISBN-13: 983-2369-11-8
• Lu Z., K. Li, N. Zhang, and Y. Chen. 2016. Effects of lac-corn agroforest ecosystem on ground-dwelling ant diversity and functional groups. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture 24(1): 81-89.
• Lu Z., K. Li, N. Zhang, and Y. Chen. 2017. Diversity and indicator species of leaf-litter ants in Eucalyptus grandis plantations and secondary natural forests. Forest Research 29(4): 576-580
• 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
• Roncin E. 2002. Two new Tetramorium species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Vietnam with a discussion of the mixtum, tonganum, and scabrosum groups. Sociobiology 40: 281-292.
• Xu Z. 1998. A report of fourty-one ant species newly recorded in China from Xishuangbanna District of Yunnan Province (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zhongguo Xue Shu Qi Kan Wen Zhai 4: 1119-1121.
• 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.
• Zryanin V. A. 2011. An eco-faunistic review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). In: Structure and functions of soil communities of a monsoon tropical forest (Cat Tien National Park, southern Vietnam) / A.V. Tiunov (Editor). – M.: KMK Scientific Press. 2011. 277 р.101-124.