Vollenhovia mawrapensis

Vollenhovia mawrapensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Vollenhovia
Species:	V. mawrapensis
Binomial name
	Vollenhovia mawrapensis; Dhadwal, Rilta & Bharti, 2023

Vollenhovia mawrapensis is known from a single collection of 3 workers made in Maghalaya, India. It is the only Vollenhovia so far known from the Meghalaya region of Eastern India (Akbar et al., 2023; Dhadwal et al., 2023).

Photo Gallery

Akbar et al. (2023), Fig. 6. Vollenhovia mawrapensis, holotype worker from India (PUAC T710, photographer: Himender Bharti). A. Head, full face view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Habitus, dorsal view. D. Forest trail to Mawrap, Meghalaya.

Identification

Dhadwal, Rilta and Bharti (2023) - This species resembles Vollenhovia taylori but can be distinguished from it by the following characteristics: in V. mawrapensis head as long as broad (CI 89.58-91.66), clypeal margin broadly convex, mandibles with 7-teeth, subpetiolar process, elongate and rectangular, mesopleuron and metapleuron transversely striate; petiole and postpetiole reticulate rugose; dorsal surface of first gastral tergite coarsely punctated and remaining gastral tergites with piligerous punctures, body less pilose, covered with few erect and suberect short hairs. While in V. taylori the head is longer than broad (CI 85.18-86.20), the clypeal margin is convex and pointed in the middle, mandibles with 6-teeth, laterally mesosoma coarsely punctated; petiole and postpetiole finely punctated; the dorsal surface of the first gastral tergite sparsely punctated up to the middle of tergite and remaining gastral tergites smooth and shiny, body covered with dense, long, erect and sub-erect hairs.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Akbar et al. (2023), Fig. 1. Distribution map of the species of Vollenhovia from India.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 25.2° to 25.2°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: Dhadwal et al., 2023

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: India (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.

mawrapensis. Vollenhovia mawrapensis Dhadwal, Rilta & Bharti, in Dhadwal et al., 2023: 3, figs. 4-6 (w.) INDIA (Meghalaya).

Holotype: HL 0.48; HW 0.44; SL 0.30; EL 0.11; ML 0.56; PRNW 0.32; PTL 0.15; PPTL 0.14; PTW 0.16; PPTW 0.19; PTH 0.20; PPTH 0.18; GL 0.63; TL 1.96 mm; CI 91.66; SI 68.18. Paratypes: HL 0.44-0.48; HW 0.40-0.43; SL 0.28-0.30; EL 0.11-0.12; ML 0.56-0.60; PRNW 0.32-0.34; PTL 0.15-0.17; PPTL 0.14-0.16; PTW 0.14-0.16; PPTW 0.16-0.19; PTH 0.19-0.20; PPTH 0.15-0.18; GL 0.63-0.66; TL 1.92-2.07 mm; CI 89.58-90.90; SI 69.76-70.00 (n = 2).

In full-face view, head is as long as broad (CI 89.58-91.66), posterior head margin concave in middle, occipital corners rounded, lateral margins slightly convex anteriorly; head posteriorly broader than the front; clypeus broad, anterior margin convex; mandibles triangular, masticatory margin with 7-teeth; antennae 12-segmented, with a club of apical 3-larger segments, scape short and falling short of reaching posterior head; eyes small and placed laterally below the mid-length of the head.

In dorsal view, mesosoma is broad anteriorly; promesonotal suture indistinct; metanotal groove present; propodeal declivity weakly concave medially and laterally emarginated; petiolar node as long as broad; postpetiole broader than long; gaster subglobose.

In lateral view, the mesosoma is feebly convex and almost straight; posterodorsal corners of propodeum rounded; propodeal lobe subtriangular; petiolar node subrectangular with anterior margin straight and posterior margin slightly concave; subpetiolar process, elongate and rectangular; postpetiole node as longer than high.

Head coarsely punctated; a narrow, smooth band extended up to the middle of eyes; clypeus smooth and with divergent carinae; mandibles smooth and with few punctures; pronotum and mesonotum longitudinally rugulose and densely punctated; propodeal declivity with coarsely small punctures; laterally pronotum coarsely punctate, mesopleuron and metapleuron transversely striate; petiole and postpetiole reticulate rugose; dorsal surface of first gastral tergite coarsely punctated and remaining gastral tergites with piligerous punctures.

Body covered with few erect and sub-erect short hairs and gaster with dense and long hairs; appressed pubescence sparse on the body except on antennae and appendages.

Head, mesosoma, and gaster dark brown; mandibles, antennae, and appendages reddish yellow.

Type Material

Holotype worker: India: Meghalaya, Mawrap, 600 m, 25.1628° N, 91.3830° E, 12.ix.19 (Holotype - PUAC T710; Paratypes - PUAC T714-T715).
Paratype, 2 workers, same data as holotype. Winkler extraction. Tarun Dhadwal leg.

Etymology

The species is named after the type locality.

References