.jpg){kind=logo}
Tetramorium azcatltontlium
| Tetramorium azcatltontlium | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Crematogastrini |
| Genus: | Tetramorium |
| Species: | T. azcatltontlium |
| Binomial name | |
| Tetramorium azcatltontlium Marques, Vásquez-Bolaños & Quesada, 2011
| |
Marques et al. (2011) - Specimens were collected in a tropical dry forest remnant on the Pacific coast of Jalisco state, Mexico, into the region of Chamela. The landscape consists of low hills (50–180 m elevation) with steep convex slopes dominated by tropical dry forest. The climate is highly seasonal with a pronounced dry season. Individual workers were sampled by epigaeic pitfall traps baited with sardine and honey.
Identification
Marques et al. (2011) - A member of the Tetramorium tortuosum species group. Tetramorium azcatltontlium is smaller than any other species of the group from the Americas. Tetramorium placidum has HW 0.66-0.72 mm, TL 3.4 mm and T. azcatltontlium, HW 0.58-0.68 mm, TL 2.8 mm. Unlike T. placidum, this species has short, triangular and standing propodeal spines; a rugolose dorsal surface of the petiole; and sparse pilosity on the dorsal surface of alitrunk.
The species of the tortosum group are primarily distributed in rainforests and temperate forests of high altitude in Mexico and the U.S. (Bolton 1979; Vásquez-Bolaños 2007). T. azcatltontlium is the first known from tropical dry forest.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Jalisco, Mexico.
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 19.52416667° to 17.9933333°.
| 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. |
|
Biology
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.
- azcatltontlium. Tetramorium azcatltontlium Marques, et al. 2011: 118, figs. 1, 2 (w.) MEXICO.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Worker
Holotype (mm): TL 2.74, HL 0.70, HW 0.64, CI 91.4, SL 0.56, SI 87.5, PW 0.52, WL 0.84. Paratypes: TL 2.4-2.8, HL 0.62-0.76, HW 0.58-0.68, CI 82.9-97.1, SL 0.48-0.56, SI 82.4-93.3, PW 0.42-0.50, WL 0.76-0.80, (15 measured).
Mandibles triangular with longitudinal fine striations and 7 teeth on the masticatory border. Frontal carina extending beyond posterior margin of eye. The eyes are smaller than 25% of head length, diameter of 0.12 mm. The propodeal spines short, triangular, not reaching the node of the petiole. Head in dorsal view, longitudinal striate; mesosoma and petiole finely reticulated; postpetiole without ornamentation; first gastral tergite without punctuation. In dorsal view, the pilosity of the body is sparse, short, thin and standing, the same diameter of eyes. The pilosity of scape and tibiae is shorter than diameter of the respective appendage. head, mesosoma, petiole, postpetiole and gaster uniform reddish-brown.
Type Material
Holotype worker, Mexico: Jalisco, La Huerta municipally, Cuixmala farm, epigaeic pitfall trap, 19°24’297”N 104°58’968”W, TDF, 180 m of altitude, 18 October 2009, Marques, T. col., deposited in Centro de Estudios en Zoología de la Universidad de Guadalajara Paratypes: 15 workers, Mexico: Jalisco, La Huerta municipally, Cuixmala farm, epigaeic pitfall trap, 19°24’297”N 104°58’968”W, TDF, 180 m of altitude, 18 October 2009, Marques, T. col., deposited in Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau (1), CZUG (7), Instituto de Ecología (1), Laboratório de Ecologia de Comunidades (1), Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (1), Instituto de Zoologia Agricola (1), University of Texas at El Paso Centennial Museum (1), Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo (1), Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History (1).
Etymology
The specific name is a junction from Nahuatl words “azcatl,” meaning ant, and “tontli,” small. This name alludes to the trait that most differentiates this species from any other Tetramorium tortuosum group. Nahuatl is the language spoken in Central Mexico since at least the seventh century C.E and was the language of the Aztecs.
References
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Castano-Meneses, G., M. Vasquez-Bolanos, J. L. Navarrete-Heredia, G. A. Quiroz-Rocha, and I. Alcala-Martinez. 2015. Avances de Formicidae de Mexico. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.
- Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
- Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133