Tetramorium microgyna

Tetramorium microgyna
Conservation status
	; Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Tetramorium
Species:	T. microgyna
Binomial name
	Tetramorium microgyna; Santschi, 1918 Specimen Labels

Occurrence records are sparse for this inquiline. This ant has only been found in the nests of Tetramorium sericeiventre and Tetramorium sepositum. Female T. microgyna are smaller than their host workers.

At a Glance

• Social parasite

Identification

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Angola, South Africa (type locality), Zimbabwe.

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

Images from AntWeb


Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0280926. Photographer Shannon Hartman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

Nomenclature

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

microgyna. Tetramorium microgyna Santschi, 1918b: 132 (q., not w.) SOUTH AFRICA. See also: Arnold, 1926: 253; Santschi, 1928f: 207; Bolton, 1980: 329.

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

Description

Queen

Bolton (1980) - TL 3.0-3.5, HL 0.72-0.76, HW 0.62-0.66, CI 84-89, SL 0.68-0.70, SI 106-109, PW 0.48-0.56, AL 1.00-1.12 (6 measured).

An inquiline species known only from females (queens) found in nests of sericeiventre and sepositum in Rhodesia and South Africa and differing radically from the true queens of these species. Females of microgyna are much smaller than the host workers, whereas the real females of the hosts are larger than their workers. In terms of colour and sculpture the queens of sericeiventre and sepositum resemble their workers, but inquiline females of microgyna are much lighter, usually dull yellow with brown gaster and are much more delicately and finely sculptured. All surfaces of the head, alitrunk and pedicel segments in microgyna are exceedingly finely and incredibly densely shagreened so that the surfaces look dull and very finely granular. Rugulose sculpture is generally absent but in a few individuals some exceptionally fine rugular traces are present on the dorsum of the head between the frontal carinae and more rarely laterally on the mesoscutum. Gaster in most cases is as finely sculptured as the rest of the body but in some there are extremely fine costulae discernible.

Type Material

Bolton (1980) - Holotype female, South Arrica: Natal, 1895 (Haviland) (Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel) [examined].

References

Arnold, G. 1926. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Appendix. Ann. S. Afr. Mus. 23: 191-295 (page 253, see also)
Bolton, B. 1980. The ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The genus Tetramorium Mayr in the Ethiopian zoogeographical region. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology. 40(3):193-384.
Santschi, F. 1918b. Nouveaux Tetramorium africains. Bull. Soc. Hist. Nat. Afr. Nord 9: 121-132 (page 132, queen described)
Santschi, F. 1928f. Descriptions de nouvelles fourmis éthiopiennes (suite). Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr. 16: 191-213 (page 207, see also)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Santschi F. 1937. Résultats de la Mission scientifique suisse en Angola (2me voyage) 1932-1933. Fourmis angolaises. Revue Suisse de Zoologie. 44: 211-250.
Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VIII. A synonymic list of the ants of the Ethiopian region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 711-1004