Tetraponera pilosa

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Tetraponera pilosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Pseudomyrmecinae
Genus: Tetraponera
Species: T. pilosa
Binomial name
Tetraponera pilosa
(Smith, F., 1858)

Tetraponera pilosa casent0217596 p 1 high.jpg

Tetraponera pilosa casent0217596 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

Habitats from which it has been recorded include second-growth rainforest, rainforest edge, “lower montane mixed dipterocarp forest”, and “rainforest along creek beds”. Colonies have been collected in dead twigs of Hevea brasiliensis, Vitex pubescens, Piper sp., and unidentifed vines and trees. (Ward 2001)

Identification

Ward (2001) - Tetraponera pilosa can be easily recognised by the features listed in the species-group diagnosis (next paragraph) and in the keys. In comparison with other Asian Tetraponera species, it shows relatively little variation in morphology.

The pilosa group contains a single, taxonomically isolated species whose workers are characterised by the presence of ocelli, large eyes (REL >0.40), subangulate humeri, shallow mesopropodeal impression, and dense punctate sculpture. The anteromedial lobe of the clypeus is poorly developed and standing pilosity is relatively sparse. Queens show the same traits (although the presence of ocelli is not discriminating since these are present in all Tetraponera queens). Males have very distinctive terminalia: the hypopygium is subrectangular in shape; the paramere bears a pair of digitiform lobes at its posterior end; and the aedeagus is subtriangular, with a row of fine teeth on the posteroventral margin.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 16.15° to -7.502778°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Borneo (type locality), Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore.
Oriental Region: India, Nicobar Island, Thailand, Vietnam.

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

Tetraponera-pilosaH5x.jpgTetraponera-pilosaL2x.jpgTetraponera-pilosaD2x.jpg
. Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Images from AntWeb

Tetraponera pilosa casent0902820 h 1 high.jpgTetraponera pilosa casent0902820 p 1 high.jpgTetraponera pilosa casent0902820 d 1 high.jpgTetraponera pilosa casent0902820 l 1 high.jpg
Holotype of Tetraponera pilosaWorker. Specimen code casent0902820. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.
Tetraponera pilosa casent0907448 h 1 high.jpgTetraponera pilosa casent0907448 p 1 high.jpgTetraponera pilosa casent0907448 d 1 high.jpgTetraponera pilosa casent0907448 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Sima nicobarensisWorker. Specimen code casent0907448. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Nomenclature

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

  • pilosa. Pseudomyrma pilosa Smith, F. 1858b: 160 (w.) BORNEO. Forel, 1915a: 23 (q.); Viehmeyer, 1916a: 117 (m.). Combination in Sima: Emery, 1887b: 449; in Tetraponera: Wheeler, W.M. 1919e: 65. Senior synonym of nicobarensis: Ward, 2001: 648.
  • nicobarensis. Sima nicobarensis Forel, 1903d: 402 (w.) INDIA (Nicobar Is). Combination in Tetraponera: Chapman & Capco, 1951: 80. Junior synonym of pilosa: Ward, 2001: 648.

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

Description

Worker

Ward (2001) - HW 1.14-1.51, HL 1.28-1.70, LHT 0.93-1.31, CI 0.86-0.93, FCI 0.09-0.13, REL 0.43-0.49, REL2 0.49-0.56, SI 0.56-0.59, SI3 1.02-1.18, FI 0.43-0.49, PLI 0.48-0.53, PWI 0.45-0.52, PDI 1.01-1.08, LHT/HW 0.81-0.87, CSC 5-9, MSC 3-6.

Relatively large species, with broad head (CI >0.85); clypeus short, the anteromedial lobe broad, flat, and weakly developed; distance between frontal carinae less than or equal to maximum scape width; eyes large and prominent; ocelli present; profemur relatively robust (see FI values); pronotum with lateral margins well developed, and with humeri subangulate, when seen in dorsal view; mesopropodeal impression consisting of a short, transverse furrow, only moderately incised; propodeum slightly higher than wide, the dorsal face broad and flattened, and rounding gradually into the declivitous face; petiole as illustrated, long and low, with gently sloping anterodorsal and posterodorsal faces, and with prominent recurved anteroventral tooth; petiole about twice as long as broad; postpetiole as long as or slightly longer than broad; metabasitarsal sulcus present, lying in a thin strip of slightly darkened cuticle, occupying about 0.5-0.6x the length of the basitarsus. Head, mesosoma and petiole densely punctate to reticulopunctate, and subopaque; punctures becoming finer on postpetiole and gaster. Standing pilosity relatively sparse (see CSC and MSC values), absent from propodeum; short, appressed pubescence common on body, becoming denser posteriorly, and forming a thick mat on abdominal tergite IV Body dark brown, mandibles, antennae and apices of legs tending to be lighter medium-brown.

Type Material

Ward (2001) - Syntype (unique?), worker, “Borneo” (The Natural History Museum).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
  • Crawley W.C. 1924. Ants from Sumatra, with biological notes by Edward Jacobson. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (9)13: 380-409
  • Dlussky G. M.; Radchenko A. G. 1990. The ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Vietnam. Subfamily Pseudomyrmicinae. Subfamily Myrmicinae (tribes Calyptomyrmecini, Meranoplini, Cataulacini). Pp. 119-125 in: Akimov, I. A.; Emelianov, I. G.; Zerova, M. D. et al. (eds.) 1990. News of faunistics and systematics. [In Russian.]. Kiev: Naukova Dumka, 184 pp.
  • Eguchi K.; Bui T. V.; Yamane S. 2011. Generic synopsis of the Formicidae of Vietnam (Insecta: Hymenoptera), part I — Myrmicinae and Pseudomyrmecinae. Zootaxa 2878: 1-61.
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  • Emery, C. "Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte terza. Formiche della regione Indo-Malese e dell'Australia (continuazione e fine)." Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria (Genova) (2) 5, no. 25 (1887): 427-473.
  • Emery, C. "Formiche raccolte da Elio Modigliani in Sumatra, Engano e Mentawei." Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria (Genova) (2) 20, no. 40 (1900): 661-722.
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  • Forel A. 1912. Einige neue und interessante Ameisenformen aus Sumatra etc. Zool. Jahrb. Suppl. 15: 51-78.
  • Forel A. 1915. Fauna Simalurensis. Hymenoptera Aculeata, Fam. Formicidae. Tijdschr. Entomol. 58: 22-43.
  • Hashimoto Y., M. Mohamed, and H. Sakata. 1999. The ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah. Tabin Scientific Expedition 69-74.
  • Hashimoto Y., and M. Mohamed. 2004. A preliminary survey of ant fauna at Crocker Range Park. In: Maryati Mohamed, Zulhazman Hamzah, T. Tachi & J. Nais (eds.). Crocker Range scientific expedition 2002. Kota Kinabalu: Universiti Malaysia Sabah, pp. 51-71.
  • Ito, F.; Yamane, S.; Eguchi, K.; Noerdjito, W. A.; Kahono, S.; Tsuji, K.; Ohkawara, K.; Yamauchi, K.; Nishida, T.; Nakamura, K. 2001. Ant species diversity in the Bogor Botanic Garden, West Java, Indonesia, with descriptions of two new species of the genus Leptanilla (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Tropics 10:379-404.
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  • Pfeiffer M.; Mezger, D.; Hosoishi, S.; Bakhtiar, E. Y.; Kohout, R. J. 2011. The Formicidae of Borneo (Insecta: Hymenoptera): a preliminary species list. Asian Myrmecology 4:9-58
  • Santschi F. 1928. Fourmis de Sumatra, récoltées par Mr. J. B. Corporaal. Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 71: 119-140.
  • Santschi F. 1932. Résultats scientifiques du voyage aux Indes orientales néerlandaises de LL. AA. RR. le Prince et la Princesse Léopold de Belgique. Hymenoptera. Formicidae. Mémoires du Musée Royal d'Histoire Naturelle de Belgique. (2)4: 11-29.
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