Temnothorax kipyatkovi

Specimens were collected in rhododendron-oak forest (Quercus leucotrichophora A. Camus and Rhododendron arboreum Sm.), on the road along the edge of the cliff. Nests in the soil, under rocks.

Identification
Temnothorax kipyatkovi differs from all Himalayan species of the genus by the long, straight and apically obliquely truncate propodeal spines (ESLI mean 0.32) and the rough reticulate sculpture of the head and thorax. This species is close to Temnothorax kashmirensis and Temnothorax rothneyi, but clearly differs from the first species by the uniformly dark brown colour and completely rugulose head, and from the latter by its very weak metanotal groove, long antennal scape, head and mesosoma sculpture, and colouration.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India.

Nomenclature

 * . Temnothorax kipyatkovi Yusupov, Dubovikoff & Lopatina, 2020: 354, figs. 1-6 (w. q.) INDIA (Uttarakhand).

Description
Worker

Head longer than broad, with weakly convex sides, feebly convex occipital margin and widely rounded occipital corners. Anterior clypeal margin convex, gradually rounded, without a medial notch. Eyes rather big, equal to length of genae, situated approximately at midlength of sides of head. Frontal lobes little extended, so that distance between their outer margins slightly more than to width of frons. Scape relatively long, reaching or slightly surpassing the posterior margin of head when fully retracted. Masticatory margin of mandibles with 5 teeth, apical and preapical ones are the largest.

Mesosoma of moderate length, with a shallow metanotal groove, its dorsum convex, promesonotal suture developed (seen from above). Propodeum with spines that are relatively long, straight, slightly widened at the base, their tips are obliquely truncate. Petiole quite high, with distinct, very long peduncle, its anterior surface concave, petiolar node distinct, with well developed horizontal or somewhat posteriorly inclined dorsal plane. Postpetiole subglobular, slightly longer than height.

Sculpture and Pilosity: Whole head dorsum reticulately rugulose and with sinuous longitudinal rugae. Seen in profile, genae with large reticulate rugae, temples with reduced sculpture and rare rugae, appearing shiny. Clypeus with central and several lateral longitudinal carinae, surface of clypeus smooth and shiny. Mandibles with fine superficial striation. Whole mesosoma and waist with sinuous longitudinal rugae and reticulately rugulose. Mesopleurae, sides on propodeum and waist with smaller reticulate rugae, rest surface of mesosoma with reticulate rugae of different sizes. Gaster smooth and shiny. Whole body with numerous straight, moderately long and blunt standing hairs, legs with fine decumbent pubescence, scape with abundant short subdecumbent pilosity. Mesosoma and waist dark brown, head blackish-brown, appendages and mandibles yellowish-brown. First gastral tergite completely blackish-brown, without lighter spot at the base.

Measurements (n = 20), ordered as holotype (min–max) [mean]: HL 0.7 (0.6–0.7) [0.66], HW 0.57 (0.49–0.58) [0.54], SL 0.56  (0.47–0.56)  [0.52], OL  0.15  (0.12–0.15)  [0.14], FW  0.19  (0.16–0.2)  [0.18], FLW  0.21  (0.17–0.22)  [0.2], AL  0.93  (0.78–0.93)  [0.87], AH  0.4  (0.33–0.42)  [0.37], PNW  0.40  (0.35–0.42)  [0.38], PL  0.32  (0.26–0.32)  [0.29], PW  0.16  (0.14–0.16)  [0.16], PH  0.21  (0.19–0.21)  [0.21], PPL  0.23  (0.21–0.23)  [0.22], PPW  0.26  (0.22–0.26)  [0.24], PPH  0.22  (0.19–0.22)  [0.21], ESL  0.19  (0.15–0.19)  [0.17], ESD 0.22 (0.18–0.23) [0.21]. Indices: CI 1.22 (1.18–1.25) [1.22], SI1 0.8 (0.77–0.82) [0.8], SI2 0.97 (0.94–1.01) [0.97], FLI 1.11 (1–1.2) [1.12], OI1 0.22 (0.19–0.23) [0.22], OI2 0.26  (0.24–0.28)  [0.26], PI  1.53  (1.3–1.53)  [1.42], PPI  1.06  (1.06–1.14)  [1.08], ESLI  0.34  (0.29–0.35)  [0.32], ESDI 1.14 (1.12–1.36) [1.22], AI 2.31 (2.17–2.52) [2.35].

Queen

Head about as in the workers, but wider. Scape shorter than as workers and slightly not reaching the posterior margin of head. Mesosoma relatively long and low, propodeal spines relatively long. Petiole about as in the workers. Sculpture of head dorsum the same in the workers. Pronotum, mesopleurae and propodeum with sinuous longitudinal and reticulate rugae, scutum with sinuous longitudinal rugulosity, scutellum in the upper part rugulose, rest smooth, petiole and postpetiole reticulate and sinuously longitudinaly rugulose. The body surface appears shiny.

Colour of body about as in the workers

Measurements (n = 2): HL 0.76 (0.75), HW 0.68 (0.68), SL 0.58 (0.58), OL 0.23  (0.22), FW  0.25  (0.23), FLW  0.26  (0.25), AL  1.3  (1.32), AH 0.74 (0.77), SCW 0.72 (0.75), SCL 0.98 (0.98), PL 0.37 (0.37), PW 0.25 (0.23), PH 0.29 (0.28), PPL 0.35 (0.35), PPW 0.36 (0.36), PPH 0.32 (0.3), ESL 0.26 (0.23), ESD 0.35 (0.33). Indices: CI 1.11 (1.10), SI1 0.77  (0.76), SI2  0.85  (0.84), FLI  1.05  (1.05), OI1  0.31  (0.29), OI2  0.34  (0.32), PI  1.28  (1.32), PPI 1.08 (1.13), ESLI 0.38 (0.34), ESDI 1.31 (1.41), AI 1.75 (1.71), SCI 1.34 (1.29).

Male

unknown

Measurements

HL – maximum length of the head in dorsal view, measured in a straight line from the most anterior point of clypeus to the mid-point of occipital margin; HW – maximum width of the head in dorsal view behind (above) the eyes; SL – maximum straight-line length of the scape from its apex to the articulation with condylar bulb; OL – maximum length of the eye; FW – minimal width of the frons between the frontal carinae; FLW – maximum distance between the outer borders of the frontal lobes; AL – diagonal length of the mesosoma (seen in profile) from the anterior end of the neck shield to the posterior margin of the propodeal lobes; AH – measured in profile from the imaginary line connecting uppermost points of promesonotum and propodeum perpendicularly to the lowermost point of mesopleuron; PNW – maximum width of the pronotum in dorsal view; PL – maximum length of the petiole in dorsal view, measured from the posterodorsal margin of petiole to the articulation with propodeum (just below the posterior visible margin of propodeum); the petiole should be positioned so that measured points lay on the same plane; PW – maximum width of the petiole in dorsal view; PH – maximum height of petiole in profile, measured from the uppermost point of the petiolar node perpendicularly to the imaginary line between the anteroventral (just behind the subpetiolar process) and posteroventral points of petiole; PPL – maximum length of postpetiole in dorsal view between its visible anterior and posterior margins; PPW – maximum width of the postpetiole in dorsal view; PPH – maximum height of the postpetiole in profile from the uppermost to the lowermost point, measured perpendicularly to the tergo-sternal suture; ESL – length of propodeal spine, measured in lateral view from its tip to the center of propodeal stigma; ESD – distance between the tips of propodeal spine in dorsal view; SCW – maximum width of scutum in dorsal view (queens and males); SCL – length of scutum + scutellum in dorsal view (queens and males);

Indices: CI (cephalic index) – HL/HW; FLI (frontal lobeindex) – FLW/FW; SI1 (scape index 1) – SL/HL; SI2 (scape index 2)  – SL/HW; OI1  (ocular index  1)  – OL/HL; OI2 (ocular index 2) – OL/HW; PI (petiolar index) – PL/PH; PPI (postpetiolar index) – PPL/PPH; ESLI (propodeal spine length index)  – ESL/HW; ESDI  (propodeal spinedistance index) – ESD/ESL; AI (mesosomal index) – AL/AH; SCI (scutum index) – SCL/SCW.