Tetramorium nursei

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Tetramorium nursei
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Tetramorium
Species group: caespitum
Species: T. nursei
Binomial name
Tetramorium nursei
Bingham, 1903

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Specimen Labels

Nothing is known about the biology of Tetramorium nursei.

Identification

Bolton (1977) - This species belongs to the predominantly Palaearctic caespitum-group and has affinity with Tetramorium semilaeve Andre and its allies. The taxonomy of this group has never been satisfactorily worked out although the group itself is compact and well defined (see above). This definition of the group plus the above diagnosis of nursei should serve to separate this species from all others in the Oriental and Indo-Australian regions, although the latter may not be sufficient to separate it from other members of the caespitum-group, should any more be found in these regions.

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: India, Pakistan (type locality).
Palaearctic Region: China, Iran.

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.

  • nursei. Tetramorium nursei Bingham, 1903: 181, fig. 67 (w.) PAKISTAN. See also: Bolton, 1977: 93.

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

Description

Worker

Bolton (1977) - TL 3.0-3.2, HL 0.74-0.80, HW 0.66-0.74, CI 89-92, SL 0.56-0.60, SI 81-85, PW 0.44-0.48, AL 0.88-0.94 (4 measured).

Mandibles striate anterior clypeal margin entire. Frontal carinae very short, ending at the posterior level of the depres;ion accommodating the antennal insertions. Antennal scrobes absent. Maximum diameter of eyes c. 0·14. Occipital margin of head shallowly concave in full-face view, the sides of the head feebly convex. With the alitrunk in profile the site of the metanotal groove feebly impressed. Propodeal spines minute, triangular and dentiform. Metapleural lobes short and broadly triangular. Petiole in profile high and relatively narrow, the height of the tergal portion greater than the length of the dorsum. In dorsal view both petiole and postpetiole distinctly broader than long. Dorsum of head largely unsculptured, with some very fine, faint longitudinal rugulae medially and a few stronger rugulae between the eye and the antennal insertion. Dorsal alitrunk mostly unsculptured but the anterior pronotum with some superficial punctulation and elsewhere with sparse, very faint, almost effaced superficial shagreening. Dorsal surfaces of petiole, postpetiole and gaster unsculptured. All dorsal surfaces of head and body with numerous quite stout erect or suberect hairs, absent from the appendages. Colour uniform dark yellowish brown.

Type Material

Bolton (1977) - Syntype workers, Pakistan: N.W. Frontier, Quetta, 4·02 (Nurse) (The Natural History Museum) [examined].

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Bharti H., B. Guénard, M. Bharti, & E. P. Economo. 2015. An updated checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of India with their specific distributions in Indian states. Zookeys
  • 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.
  • Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
  • Li Q., Y. Chen, S. Wang, Y. Zheng, Y. Zhu, and S. Wang. 2009. Diversity of ants in subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest in Pu'er City, Yunnan. Biodiversity Science 17(3): 233-239.
  • Li Z.h. 2006. List of Chinese Insects. Volume 4. Sun Yat-sen University Press
  • Pajni H. R., and R. K. Suri. 1978. First report on the Formicid fauna (Hymenoptera) of Chandigarh. Res. Bull. (Science) Punjab University 29: 5-12.
  • Rasheed M. T., I. Bodlah, A. G. Fareen, A. A. Wachkoo, X. Huang, and S. A. Akbar. 2019. A checklist of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Pakistan. Sociobiology 66(3): 426-439.
  • Saranya S., A. Anu, J. K. Gigi, and T. Shaju. 2013. A Study on the Ant Diversity (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Periyar Tiger Reserve in South Western Ghats. The Indian Forester 139(10): 936-942.
  • Xia Yongjuan, and Zheng Zhemin. 1997. A survey of Formicidae form Xinjiang. Journal of Shaanxi Normal University 25(2): 64-66.