Tetraponera concava

Tetraponera concava
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Pseudomyrmecinae
Genus:	Tetraponera
Species:	T. concava
Binomial name
	Tetraponera concava; Xu, Z. & Chai, 2004

Known from two higher elevation forest collections.

Identification

Xu & Chai (2004) - Close to Tetraponera rufonigra, but median lobe of clypeus broad and shorter, anterior margin distinctly concave. In dorsal view, humeral corners of pronotum bluntly angled and much more than 90°. Scape shorter with Sl 56-57. Propodeum relatively lower with PDI 90-94. Pronotum black in contrast to the orange remainder of alitrunk.

Keys including this Species

Key to Tetraponera of China

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 21.92002778° to 21.92002778°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: China (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

Nomenclature

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

concava. Tetraponera concava Xu & Chai, 2004: 65, figs. 6-10 (w.) CHINA.

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 9.7, HL 1.90, HW 1.73, CI 91, SL 0.97, SI 56, PW 1.17, AL 2.80, EL 0.60, REL 32, PDH 0.87, MTW 0.97, PDT 90, PL 1.23, PH 0.53, DPW 0.57, PLI 43, PWI 46. Head nearly square and weakly narrowed forwards, slightly longer than broad. In full-face view, occipital margin straight, occipital corners rounded. Anterior half of lateral side slightly concave and posterior half weakly convex. Mandible broad and robust, with 5 teeth on the masticatory margin and 1 denticle on the basal margin. Median lobe of clypeus distinct, broad and shorter, anterior margin concave in the middle, lateral lobelets roundly convex. Apex of scape reached to 3/5 of the distance from antennal socket to occipital corner. Eyes relatively smaller and not reached to lateral sides of head. Vertex with 3 distinct ocelli. In profile view, pronotum moderately convex, lateral margins blunt. Promesonotal suture impressed. Mesonotum flat and slope down backward. Metanotal groove deeply impressed. Anterior end of propodeum raised up, dorsum relatively straight and weakly slope down backward. Posterodorsal corner blunt. Declivity straight and shorter the dorsum. In dorsal view, humeral corners of pronotum bluntly angled and much more than 90°. Dorsum of propodeum relatively flat. In posterior view, pronotum moderately convex, laterodorsal corners bluntly angled. In profile view, petiole with short down-curved peduncle, anteroventral corner with a blunt tooth. Anterior and posterior faces of petiolar node sloped, dorsum long and moderately convex. Postpetiolar node as high as petiolar node.

Mandible with longitudinal rugae. Head and pronotum densely and coarsely punctate, distance between punctures about equal to puncture diameter. Punctures on occipital area sparse, distance between punctures about 2-3 times of the puncture diameter. Interspace appears as microreticulations. Lateral sides of pronotum, mesonotum and dorsum of propodeum densely and finely punctured. Lateral sides of propodeal dorsum with dense large punctures. Metanatal groove with short longitudinal rugae. Mesopleuron, metapleuron, and lateral sides of propodeum densely and longitudinally striate. Declivity and dorsum of petiolar node sparsely and finely punctate. Lateral sides of petiole with sparse large punctures. Postpetiole and gaster relatively smooth. Head, prothorax and mesothorax with sparse erect hairs and dense decumbent pubescences. Propodeum, petiole, postpetiole and gaster with abundant erect hairs and dense decumbent pubescences. Scapes and tibiae with sparse suberect hairs and dense decumbent pubescences. Head, pronotum, procoxae, postpetiole and gaster black. Mesothorax, metathorax, propodeum and petiole orange. Mandibles, scapes, coxae, femora and tibiae blackish brown. Flagella and tarsi yellowish brown.

Paratype. TL 10.2, HL 2.10, HW 1.87, CI 89, SL 1.07, SI 57, PW 1.30, AL 3.07, EL 0.63, REL 30, PDH 1.07, MTW 1.13, PDI 94, PL 1.37, PH 0.67, DPW 0.70, PLI 49, PWI 51 ( 1 individual measured). As holotype, but mandibles reddish brown, scapes and lower half of postpetiole yellowish brown, upper half of postpetiole blackish brown.

Type Material

Holotype. worker, No. A95-53, 1100 m, Tongbiguan Nature Reserve, Tongbiguan Town, Yingjiang County, Yunnan Province, 23 Apr. 1995, collected by Mr. Yang Bi-Lun in a mountain rain forest. Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China

Paratype. Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province: 1 worker, No. A98-279, 1600 m, Papo Village, Meng' a Town, Menghai County, 8 Mar. 1998, collected by Mr. HE Yun-Feng in a deciduous broad-leaf forest.

References

Xu, Z.-H, and Chai, Z.-Q. 2004. Systematic study on the ant genus Tetraponera F. Smith (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of China. Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica 29(1): 63-76. (page 65, new species)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
Xu Z. and Z.-Q. Chai. 2004. Systematic study on the ant genus Tetraponera F. Smith (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of China. Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica 29(1): 63-76.