Lepisiota pulchella

This species seems to be distributed in the Western Ghats and other parts of central India. Records from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and West Bengal (Bharti et al. 2016) seem to be a misidentification of Lepisiota opaca. The workers were mainly collected from honey baits and by beating vegetation. (Wachkoo et al., 2021)

Identification
This medium-sized ant resembles Lepisiota fergusoni and Lepisiota opaca. The main characters that enable distinguishing it from L. opaca are a combination of a dull and opaque body with a distinctly reticulate-punctate head and mesosoma. L. opaca is smooth and shiny with superficial reticulate sculpture. (Wachkoo et al., 2021)

Lepisiota pulchella differs from Lepisiota opaca in the sculpture of gaster, which is microreticulate and subopaque in the former while smooth and shiny in the latter (Harshana & Dey, 2022).

Distribution
China, India (Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra) (Forel 1894; Guénard & Dunn 2012; Dad et al. 2019; Wachkoo et al., 2021).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India, Sri Lanka. Palaearctic Region: China.

Nomenclature

 * . Acantholepis opaca r. pulchella Forel, 1892a: 43 (diagnosis in key) (w.) INDIA (Maharashtra).
 * Combination in Lepisiota: Bolton, 1995b: 228.
 * Subspecies of opaca: Emery, in Dalla Torre, 1893: 172 (footnote); Forel, 1894c: 414; Forel, 1895e: 458; Emery, 1925b: 27; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 210; Bolton, 1995b: 228; Guénard & Dunn, 2012: 34; Bharti, Guénard, et al. 2016: 28.
 * Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 172; Bingham, 1903: 318; Wu, J. & Wang, 1995: 129; Zhou, 2001b: 168; Wachkoo et al., 2021: 238.

Taxonomic Notes
This medium-sized ant originally described by Forel (1892) as an infraspecific taxon opaca r. pulchella was raised to species rank by Bingham (1903). Emery (1925) without any justification reverted it back to subspecies. It is a valid species, resembling more closely Lepisiota fergusoni than Lepisiota opaca and is therefore revived to species level. (Wachkoo et al., 2021)

Description
Worker

Bingham (1903): Resembles A. opaca, Forel, but the thorax, especially the pronotum, is narrower, and the region of the mesonotum is not so base covering; the 1st and anterior portion of the 2nd segment; sculpture as in opaca; pilosity and pubescence entirely wanting. Head rounder, more convex in front, the occiput arched, not transverse. Thorax and abdomen as in opaca.

Length: 2.5 - 3 mm

Wachkoo et al. (2021): Head subquadrate; slightly longer than wide, wider posteriorly than in front; lateral and posterior margins convex, posterolateral corners rounded; clypeus subcarinate in the middle; anterior clypeal margin complete and convex; eyes oval, weakly convex, placed at the middle-line of head, covering about one-third of lateral cephalic margin; three small ocelli present; antennal scape surpassing posterior head margin by about one third its length. In lateral view promesonotum convex, metanotum low, feebly concave; meso-metanotum demarcated; metanotal area distinct; meso-metanotum constricted; propodeum armed with a pair of posteriorly diverging, upward directed sharp spines; propodeal declivity steep. Petiole upright, with angular sides, dorsally emarginate, armed with a pair of divergent spines pointing upward and outward.

Head and mesosomal dorsum opaque; gaster polished, smooth and shining; head and mesosomal dorsum distinctly reticulate-punctate; propleuron relatively smooth and shiny, remainder of lateral mesosoma longitudinally striate; mesometanotal suture cross-ribbed; propodeal declivity transversally striate. Body abundantly covered with erect setae; pubescence very fine and sparse, least on mesosoma; antennal funiculus with subdecumbent to suberect pubescence. Head brown, mesosoma reddish-brown to dark brown; antenna, petiole and legs light to dark brown; gaster black with a light reddish-yellow patch anteriorly on first gastral tergite.

Measurements (n = 15): HL 0.56–0.64; HW 0.51– 0.59; EL 0.17–0.20; SL 0.60–0.68; PnW 0.35–0.42; ML 0.77–0.87; PFL 0.45–0.53; PFW 0.12–0.14 mm. Indices: CI 90–94; SI 111–119; REL 30–31

Harshana and Dey (2022):

Head: Head slightly longer than broad, subquadrate, sides of head weakly convex, posterior margin straight with posterolateral corners rounded (Fig. 8F) and head covered with appressed pubescence; posterior margin of head with 4–5 erect setae (including a pair of erect setae between lateral ocelli), three pairs of setae at middle of head; palp formula 6,4 and third maxillary segment from base longest of all segments, sixth maxillary segment distinctly longer than fifth segment; mandible with five teeth on masticatory margin, third tooth from apex smaller than fourth tooth; antennae 11 segmented with scape extending to posterior margin of head not more than 1/3rd of its length; antennal insertions touching posterior clypeal margin; antennae covered with appressed to decumbent pubescence; clypeus dorsally convex, subcarinate at middle, having decumbent pubescence, posterior margin having a pair of long yellowish erect setae while anterior margin with two pairs of long yellowish erect setae with a downwardly directed long median seta; anterior clypeal margin convex; compound eyes broadly oval and positioned at about mid-length of head; three ocelli present. Metasoma: Petiole upright, dorsally bispinose, and deeply emarginate (Fig. 8D), lateral sides of petiole weakly convex in frontal view with a pair of long setae little above petiolar spiracles; gastral segments sparsely covered with yellowish erect setae mostly on posterior half except first gastral segment which is almost completely covered with erect setae; gaster with sparse decumbent pubescence; acidopore well-developed and fringed with hairs.

Mesosoma: Promesonotum convex in profile view, metanotum little lower than promesonotum (Fig. 8D); propodeal spine broad at the base and blunt at apex, propodeal declivity steep; fore tibiae with a pectinate spur at the distal end and basitarsus with a notch at the proximal end; dorsum of pronotum with more than 10 erect yellowish setae, mesonotum with two pairs of erect yellowish setae, metanotum with a pair of erect yellowish setae and propodeum with three pairs of erect yellowish setae; mesosoma with very sparse appressed to decumbent pubescence.

Sculpture and colour: Dorsum of head and mesosoma reticulate-punctate (Fig. 8E–F); mesopleuron rugose; mandible, clypeus smooth and shiny; gaster microreticulate and subopaque. Body bicoloured; head brown to dark brown; antennal scape yellowish-brown while antennal funicles brown; mesosoma, and petiole golden brown to dark brown, first gastral segment golden brown to brown while remaining gaster black in most studied specimens. The first gastral segment was golden brown in the Pachmarhi population with the remaining segments being black while from the Jabalpur population four specimens had complete black gaster.

Measurements and indices (n = 6). EL: 0.17–0.19; HL: 0.58–0.64; HW: 0.52–0.59; MML: 0.27– 0.29; PH: 0.31–0.36; PRW: 0.39–0.43; SL: 0.62–0.67; TL: 2.60–2.80; WL: 0.83–0.91; CI: 89–92; OI: 31–33; REL: 27–30; SI: 114–118.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Bharti H., Y. P. Sharma, M. Bharti, and M. Pfeiffer. 2013. Ant species richness, endemicity and functional groups, along an elevational gradient in the Himalayas. Asian Myrmecology 5: 79-101.
 * Cheng D., Z. Chen, and S. Zhou. 2015. An analysis on the ant fauna of Jinzhongshan Nature Reserve in Gunagxi, China. Journal of Guangxi Normal University: Natural Science Edition 33(3): 129.137.
 * Dad J. M., S. A. Akbar, H. Bharti, and A. A. Wachkoo. 2019. Community structure and ant species diversity across select sites ofWestern Ghats, India. Acta Ecologica Sinica 39: 219–228.