Cardiocondyla paradoxa

This is a rain forest species often collected from leaf litter and foraging on ground. According to Wilson (1959) it digs its nests to about 20 cm in the soil and constructs a single entrance gallery concealed by leaf litter.

Identification
Seifert (2022) - Worker: Large, CS 583 µm. Head much elongated, CL/CW 1.170. Postocular head sides strongly converging, postocular distance rather small (PoOc 0.436). Anterior clypeal margin deeply and broadly excavated, depth of excavation 1.7–4.3% CL. Anterior clypeal margin deeply and broadly excavated. Scape very long, SL/CS 0.978. Eye rather small, EYE 0.229. Frons narrow (FRS/CS 0.258); planes of frontal laminae sloping mediad by 40°, frontal carinae thus much elevating above the level of posterior clypeus. Mesosoma slender and in dorsal view with very prominent and sharp pronotal corners each forming an angle of 72–85°. Dorsal mesosomal profile in overall impression rather straight but metanotal depression very deep (MGr/CS 6.22%). Spines moderately long, in dorsal view with a rather low basal distance and slightly incurved (SP/CS 0.283, SPBA/CS 0.255); spine axis in lateral view weakly diverging from longitudinal mesosomal axis. Petiole very narrow (PeW/CS 0.233) and extremely elongated, in dorsal view 3–4 fold longer than wide; in lateral view very low (PeH/CS 0.275), the node much elongated and with shallowly convex dorsal profile. Postpetiole moderately wide (PpW/CS 0.456) but rather high (PeH/CS 0.310), with a prominent ventral bulge and in dorsal view with a strongly concave anterior margin. Head in overall appearance smooth and very shiny, with foveolae of 16–21 µm diameter and 30–70 µm nearest-neighbor distance; foveolar interspaces very shiny but with fine fragments of microreticular structures. Clypeus smooth. Frontal laminae smooth except for few well-defined foveolae. Mesosoma, waist, and gaster tergites almost glabrous but with a very delicate microreticulum. Tergite pubescence extremely short and very dilute (PLG/CS 3.28%, sqPDG 8.04). Whole head dark brown but with a warm tinge; antennae light yellowish brown; mesosoma, waist and whole legs yellow, gaster dark brown. A deviating color morph has a dark brown head and mesosoma, and the waist, legs and gaster medium brown.

Cardiocondyla paradoxa is an unmistakable member of the C. thoracica group. The disagreements between the labelling of putative type specimens of C. paradoxa and C. brevispinosa and the statements in the original descriptions are obvious. However, C. paradoxa and C. brevispinosa are taxa with such extreme characters that an identification and synonymization by the original description alone seems to have a low risk of error.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: New Guinea.

Nomenclature

 * . Cardiocondyla paradoxa Emery, 1897c: 589, pl. 15, figs. 22, 23 (w.) NEW GUINEA (Papua New Guinea).
 * Type-material: 5 syntype workers.
 * Type-locality: Papua New Guinea: Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen (= Madang) (L. Biró).
 * Type-depositories: HNHM, MSNG.
 * Status as species: Viehmeyer, 1914c: 518; Emery, 1922e: 126; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 83; Smith, M.R. 1955d: 305; Bolton, 1995b: 133.
 * Senior synonym of brevispinosa: Smith, M.R. 1955d: 305; Bolton, 1995b: 133.
 * Distribution: Indonesia (Irian Jaya), Papua New Guinea.
 * brevispinosa. Pheidole (Pheidolacanthinus) brevispinosa Donisthorpe, 1948d: 593 (w.) NEW GUINEA (Indonesia).
 * Type-material: 4 syntype workers.
 * Type-locality: Indonesia: Irian Jaya (“Dutch New Guinea”): Maffin Bay, 10.vi.1944 (E.S. Ross).
 * Type-depositories: BMNH, CASC.
 * Combination in Cardiocondyla: Smith, M.R. 1955d: 305.
 * Status as species: Donisthorpe, 1949b: 494; Donisthorpe, 1950a: 338; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 137.
 * Junior synonym of paradoxa: Smith, M.R. 1955d: 305; Bolton, 1995b: 132.

Type Material
Cardiocondyla paradoxa - The published type locality is “Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen” (=Madang/Papua New Guinea, 5.22° S, 145.79° E). A worker labelled “Cardiocondyla paradoxa” (Emery’s handwriting), “N. Guinea Biró 1899”, “Sattelberg Huon-Golf” and “TYPUS”, deposited in MCSN Genova and depicted under specimen identifier CASENT0904465 in www.antweb.org cannot be considered as type according to collecting date. (Seifert, 2022)

Cardiocondyla brevispinosa - This taxon has been described under the name Pheidole brevispinosa from Mafin Bay / Irian Jaya (=“Dutch New Guinea”). Investigated by Seifert (2022) were two type workers from BMNH London, labelled “Maffin Bay, Dutch N. Guinea, VIII-I-44 E.S: Ross Coll.” The labelling of these is not fully coincident with the data published by Donisthorpe: “Described from four workers, Maffin Bay, Dutch New Guinea, June 10, 1944 E.S.Ross Coll.”

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * CSIRO Collection
 * Donisthorpe H. 1948. A third instalment of the Ross Collection of ants from New Guinea. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (11)14: 589-604.
 * Donisthorpe H. 1949. A fifth instalment of the Ross Collection of ants from New Guinea. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (12)1: 487-506.
 * Donisthorpe H. 1950. An eighth instalment of the Ross Collection of ants from New Guinea. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (12)3: 338-341.
 * Emery C. 1897. Formicidarum species novae vel minus cognitae in collectione Musaei Nationalis Hungarici quas in Nova-Guinea, colonia germanica, collegit L. Biró. Természetrajzi Füzetek 20: 571-599.
 * Janda M., G. D. Alpert, M. L. Borowiec, E. P. Economo, P. Klimes, E. Sarnat, and S. O. Shattuck. 2011. Cheklist of ants described and recorded from New Guinea and associated islands. Available on http://www.newguineants.org/. Accessed on 24th Feb. 2011.
 * Room P. M. 1975. Diversity and organization of the ground foraging ant faunas of forest, grassland and tree crops in Papua Nez Guinea. Aust. J. Zool. 23: 71-89.
 * Smith M. R. 1955. The correct taxonomic status of Pheidole (Pheidolacanthinus) brevispinosa Donisthorpe (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 57: 305.
 * Snelling R. R. 2000. Ants of the Wapoga river area, Irian Jaya, Indonesia. In Mack, Andrew L. and Leeanne E. Alonso (eds.). 2000. A Biological Assessment of the Wapoga River Area of Northwestern Irian Jaya, Indonesia. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment 14, Conservation International, Washington, DC.
 * Viehmeyer H. 1912. Ameisen aus Deutsch Neuguinea gesammelt von Dr. O. Schlaginhaufen. Nebst einem Verzeichnisse der papuanischen Arten. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlichen Zoologischen und Anthropologische-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden 14: 1-26.
 * Viehmeyer H. 1914. Papuanische Ameisen. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1914: 515-535.
 * Wilson E. O. 1959. Patchy distributions of ant species in New Guinea rain forests. Psyche (Cambridge) 65: 26-38.
 * Wilson E. O. 1959. Some ecological characteristics of ants in New Guinea rain forests. Ecology 40: 437-447.