Tetraponera polita

Tetraponera polita
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Pseudomyrmecinae
Genus:	Tetraponera
Species:	T. polita
Binomial name
Tetraponera polita Ward, 2001 Specimen Labels

The type collection (Danum Valley, Sabah) was taken from a colony found in a secondary forest. Other Borneo collections include rainforest edge and secondary vegetation. Workers were found on vegetation and in stems of Uncaria.

Identification

Ward (2001) - This attractive species can be recognised by the conspicuous short standing pilosity covering most body surfaces and the scarcity of appressed pubescence, especially on the gaster. Other hairy species are either larger (nigra-complex) and/or have denser pubescence on the gaster. Other characteristic features of T. polita include the relatively small eyes and long scapes, broad petiole and postpetiole, and the black shiny appearance.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Tetraponera of the Oriental and Australian regions
• Key to Tetraponera queens of the Oriental and Australian regions

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 4.966666667° to 4.966666667°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Borneo (type locality), Indonesia, Malaysia.

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.

Nomenclature

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

• polita. Tetraponera polita Ward, 2001: 640, figs. 70, 78 (w.) BORNEO.

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

Description

Worker

HW 0.82-0.89, HL 1.01-1.11, LHT 0.70-0.76, CI 0.79-0.81, FCI 0.15-0.16, REL 0.33-0.36, REL2 0.42-0.45, SI 0.61-0.65, SI3 1.35-1.48, FI 0.46-0.49, PLI 0.62-0.68, PWI 0.61-0.66, PDI 0.98-1.04, LHT/HW 0.85-0.87, CSC 20-28, MSC 38-54.

Medium-sized, black shiny species; anterior clypeal margin broadly convex, very slightly crenulate medially; distance between frontal carinae slightly exceeding maximum scape width; eyes relatively small, much shorter than scape length; profemur moderately robust (see FI values); lateral margins of pronotum not well defined; mesopropodeal impression with an open, transverse strip of integument anteriorly, with fine longitudinal carinae or rugulae (most pronounced on sides), posterior to this is a pit-like depression, whose interior surface is mostly smooth and shining; propodeum about as high as wide (PDI - 1.00), the summit broadly rounded when seen in posterior view; in lateral profile, dorsal face rounding gradually into the declivitous face; petiole about 1.5x longer than high or wide, and with a short robust anterior peduncle; postpetiole broader than long, in dorsal view; metabasitarsal sulcus somewhat inconspicuous but occupying more than two-thirds the length of the metabasitarsus. Integument smooth and shiny, with scattered fine punctures of variable size; punctures coarsest on malar area (up to 0.02 mm in diameter) and accompanied here by irregular longitudinal rugulae immediately above the mandibular insertions. Short, standing pilosity common on body and appendages; setae on dorsum of head and mesosoma mostly 0.04-0.08 mm long; appressed pubescence sparse and generally inconspicuous (except on the mesopleuron); appressed hairs on abdominal tergite IV separated by much more than their lengths. Body black; legs dark brownish-black, becoming slightly paler apically; mandible, scape and first funicular segment medium-brown to reddish-brown, and contrasting with dark brown funicular segments 2-11.

Type Material

Holotype. Worker, Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia, 30.viii.1995 (S. Yamane) (Universiti Malaysia Sabah). Paratypes. 7 workers, same data as holotype (Australian National Insect Collection, The Natural History Museum, KUES, Philip S. Ward Collection, UMSC).

References

• Ward, P. S. 2001. Taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of the ant genus Tetraponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Oriental and Australian regions. Invertebrate Taxonomy. 15:589-665. (page 640, figs. 70, 78 worker described)
• Kreider, J.J., Chen, T.W., Hartke, T.R., Buchori, D., Hidayat, P., Nazarreta, R., Scheu, S., Drescher, J. 2021. Rainforest conversion to monocultures favors generalist ants with large colonies. Ecosphere 12 (doi:10.1002/ecs2.3717).
• Subedi, I.P., Budha, P.B., Thapa, V.K. 2022. Ant genus Tetraponera Smith, 1852 in Nepal, with two new records and keys to workers (Formicidae: Pseudomyrmecinae). Journal of Institute of Science and Technology, 27(1): 93-99 (doi:10.3126/jist.v27i1.46661).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• 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
• Ward P. S. 2001. Taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of the ant genus Tetraponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Oriental and Australian regions. Invertebrate Taxonomy 15: 589-665.
• Ward, P. S. 2001. Taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of the ant genus Tetraponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Oriental and Australian regions. Invertebrate Taxonomy 15:589-665.