Tetramorium schneideri

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Tetramorium schneideri
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Tetramorium
Species group: strativentre
Species: T. schneideri
Binomial name
Tetramorium schneideri
Emery, 1898

Tetramorium schneideri casent0280928 p 1 high.jpg

Tetramorium schneideri casent0280928 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

For the social parasite formerly known as Teleutomyrmex schneideri, see Tetramorium inquilinum.

Radchenko and Scupola (2015) - Distributed mainly on plains and foothills, it prefers desert and semi-desert biotopes and is one of the commonest ant species in many places. Nests build in a soil, sometimes under stones. Consumes mainly plant seeds, but also collects living and dead small invertebrates. Nuptial flight is in May - early June (for more details see Zakharov, 1976; Dlussky, 1981; Dlussky et al., 1990).

Identification

Radchenko and Scupola (2015) - Preceding authors (e. g. Ruzsky, 1905 a, b; Dlussky et al., 1990) had separated Tetramorium striativentre and Tetramorium schneideri by the sculpture on the head dorsum and the length of the propodeal teeth. These features are normally useful, but occasionally they may be quite variable and sometimes single specimen of both species may be hardly distinguishable. The sculpture on the head dorsum in T. striativentre is generally coarser than in T. schneideri. The number of longitudinal rugae level with the eyes in the first species is 16–21 (mean 18) and 17–33 (mean 23) it the latter one; at the same time, the length of propodeal spines are rather variable in both species, despite they are generally shorter in T. striativentre (mean ESLI 0.10 with the range 0.05–0.18 vs. mean 0.19 with the range 0.15–0.25 in T. schneideri).

Radchenko (1992 a) added as an important feature for the separation of these species the shape of the petiolar node: transversal in T. striativentre (PndI > 1.20) and subcircle in T. schneideri (PndI < 1.15).

In the course of the current revision we paid an attention to one more very distinct feature never used before for the separation of T. striativentre and all other species with the completely striato-punctated first gastral tergite (e. g. T. schneideri, Tetramorium saudicum and Tetramorium sabatinellii): the frontal carinae in T. striativentre are not curved, gradually converging anteriorly so that the frontal lobes are not extended (FLI 1.00–1.06, mean 1.01), but in three other species the frontal carinae are curved above the antennal insertions and the frontal lobes are distinctly extended (FLI ≥ 1.08, means 1.12 … 1.17).

Finally, T. striativentre well differs from three above mentioned species by the more regular, longitudinally-concentric rugae on the dorsum of the petiolar node and postpetiole.

T. schneideri well differs from two other species with the completely sculptured first gastral tergite (Tetramorium saudicum and Tetramorium sabatinellii) first of all by the subcircle petiolar node (it is distinctly transversal in the latter species), and by the finer longitudinal rugosity on the head dorsum (number of rugae between the frontal carinae level with the eyes > 15, mean 23, same in the latter species < 15, means 12 … 13).

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Central Asia, southern Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Iran.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 44.82° to 37.343333°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Afghanistan, China, Iran, Kazakhstan (type locality), Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.

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

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Tetramorium schneideri casent0904828 h 1 high.jpgTetramorium schneideri casent0904828 p 1 high.jpgTetramorium schneideri casent0904828 d 1 high.jpgTetramorium schneideri casent0904828 l 1 high.jpg
Holotype of Tetramorium schneideriWorker. Specimen code casent0904828. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.

Nomenclature

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

  • schneideri. Tetramorium schneideri Emery, 1898c: 145 (w.) KAZAKHSTAN. Subspecies of striativentre: Ruzsky, 1905a: 518; Ruzsky, 1905b: 767; Emery, 1909d: 706. Revived status as species: Dlussky & Zabelin, 1985: 232. Material of the unavailable name longispina referred here by Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 207.

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

Description

Worker

Radchenko and Scupola (2015) - (n = 30), ordered as: min-max [mean +/- SD] (see also fig. 10, a–d) : HL 0.66–0.90 [0.83 +/- 0.055], HW 0.65–0.90 [0.81 +/- 0.065], FW 0.26–0.34 [0.31 +/- 0.022], FLW 0.30–0.39 [0.36 +/- 0.025], OL 0.14–0.23 [0.20 +/- 0.018], GnL 0.13–0.24 [0.19 +/- 0.028], SL 0.52–0.72 [0.65 +/- 0.056], ML 0.86–1.16 [1.05 +/- 0.075], PNW 0.40–0.57 [0.52 +/- 0.040], PL 0.32–0.46 [0.38 +/- 0.041], PW 0.19–0.27 [0.24 +/- 0.023], PH 0.22–0.32 [0.28 +/- 0.023], PndL 0.18–0.27 [0.23 +/- 0.020], PPL 0.20–0.26 [0.23 +/- 0.017], PPW 0.23–0.32 [0.28 +/- 0.023], PPH 0.23–0.31 [0.29 +/- 0.015], ESL 0.11–0.19 [0.15 +/- 0.018], ESD 0.17–0.26 [0.22 +/- 0.022], HTL 0.49–0.70 [0.64 +/- 0.020], rug-frons 17–33 [23 +/- 4.484].

Indices: CI 0.99–1.09 [1.02 +/- 0.028], SI1 0.71–0.83 [0.78 +/- 0.035], SI2 0.71–0.85 [0.80 +/- 0.035], FI 0.36–0.43 [0.38 +/- 0.017], FLI 1.09–1.23 [1.17 +/- 0.037], OI1 0.22–0.27 [0.24 +/- 0.005], OI2 0.91–1.23 [1.03 +/- 0.085], PI1 1.19–1.56 [1.36 +/- 0.090], PI2 0.25–0.31 [0.29 +/- 0.013], PndI 0.89–1.11 [1.02 +/- 0.065], PPI1 0.75–0.90 [0.81 +/- 0.039], PPI2 0.31–0.39 [0.35 +/- 0.021], ESLI 0.15–0.25 [0.19 +/- 0.026].

Queen

Radchenko and Scupola (2015) - HL 0.91, HW 0.96, FW 0.37, FLW 0.43, OL 0.25, GnL 0.19, SL 0.75, PL 0.53, PW 0.35, PH 0.49, PndL 0.25, PPL 0.25, PPW 0.43, PPH 0.37, ESL 0.11, ESD 0.35, HTL 0.72, ML 1.49, MH 0.74, SCL 1.03, SCW 0.85, rug-frons 27.

Indices: CI 0.95, SI1 0.82, SI2 0.78, FI 0.39, FLI 1.15, OI1 0.26, OI2 1.32, PI1 1.37, PI2 0.37, PndI 1.39, PPI1 0.59, PPI2 0.45, ESLI 0.11, MI 2.46, SCI 1.22.

Male

Radchenko and Scupola (2015) - 1 male, Uzbekistan, Kuldzhuktau, 9.05.1961 (ZMMU).

HL 0.61, HW 0.63, OL 0.26, GnL 0.04, SL 0.31, PL 0.443, PW 0.22, PH 0.22, PPL 0.24, PPW 0.36, PPH 0.32, HTL 0.83, ML 1.69, MH 0.94, SCL 1.20, SCW 0.94.

Indices: CI 0.96, SI1 0.51, SI2 0.49, OI1 0.42, OI2 6.00, PI1 2.00, PI2 0.35, PPI1 0.67, PPI2 0.58, MI 1.81, SCI 1.28.

Head somewhat wider than length, broadly rounded above eyes, occipital margin convex. Anterior clypeal margin slightly prominent medially. Eyes big, situated distinctly below midlength of sides of head, so that genae very short. Scape length about half of head width. Mandibles with five sharp teeth, apical one much longer than others. Sculpture of head dorsum quite coarse: frons and clypeus with longitudinal rugosity, surface between and behind lateral ocelli with transversal rugae, remaining part of head dorsum coarsely and densely punctated. Occipital margin and temples with not abundant, relatively short erect to suberect hairs.

Mesosoma very long and low, scutum and scutellum very feebly convex, forming with propodeum more or less regular arch, notauli well developed. Petiole very long and low, twice longer than height, with almost straight anterior face and very widely rounded node dorsum. Petiole quite narrow, its node subcircle (seen from above), postpetiole > 1.6 times wider than petiole. Scutum and scutellum finely and densely longitudinal ruguloso-striated, surface between rugulae finely, but densely punctated, lateral parts of dorsum of scutum smooth and shiny. Sides of mesosoma finely, but densely longitudinally striato-punctated. Petiolar node laterally with short longitudinal rugulae, its dorsum finely punctated, postpetole dorsally quite coarsely longitudinally rugose.

Stipites of genitalia very smoothly curved inward apically (seen dorsally or ventrally), their apices convex, not excavated (seen from behind).

Mesosoma and waist with sparse and quite short erect hairs. In contrast to known males of other species from striativentre-group, surface of first gastral tergite finely, but densely longitudinally striato-punctated (this sculpture is similar to that in workers and queens, but is much finer), remainder tergites with fine, but very obvious superficial microreticulation.

Body colour dark reddish-brown, clypeus, mandibles and appendages brownish-yellow.

Type Material

Worker, Uzbekistan.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
  • Emery, C. "Beiträge zur Kenntniss der palaearktischen Ameisen." Öfversigt af Finska Vetenskaps-Societetens Förhandlingar (Helsinki) 20 (1898): 124-151.
  • Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
  • Huang Jian-hua, and Zhou Shan-yi. 2007. Checklist of Family Formicidae of China - Myrmicinae (Part III). (Insecta; Hymenoptera). Journal of Guangxi normal University: Natural Science Edition 25(3): 88-96.
  • Karavaiev V. 1911. Ameisen aus Transkaspien und Turkestan. Tr. Rus. Entomol. Obshch. 39: 1-72.
  • Marikovsky P. I. 1979. Ants of the Semireche Desert. [In Russian.]. Alma Ata: Nauka, 263 pp.
  • Mokrousov M. V., and V.A. Zryanin. 2015. Materials on the early spring wasps and ants fauna of Uzbekistan (Hymenoptera: Vespomorpha: Chrysidoidea, Scolioidea, Pompiloidea, Vespoidea, Apoidea [Spheciformes], Formicoidea). Entomological research Russia and its neighboring regions 5: 36–48.
  • Paknia O., and M. Pfeiffer. 2014. Niche-based processes and temporal variation of environment drive beta diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in dryland ecosystems of Iran. Myrmecological News 20: 15-23.
  • Pisarski B. 1964. Fauna Mrowek Afganistanu. Bibliogr. k. 160-166, Nieoprawiony maszynopis pracy, Praca doktorska. Instytut Zoologiczny PAN, 1964, Bibliogr. p. 160-166
  • Pisarski B. 1967. Fourmis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) d'Afghanistan récoltées par M. Dr. K. Lindberg. Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 24: 375-425.
  • Radchenko A. G., and A. Scupola. 2015. Taxonomic revision of the striativentre species group of the genus Tetramorium (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Vestnik Zoologii 49(3):219-244.