Pseudoneoponera rufipes

These large ants can produce a foamy secretion from their gaster that is used for a defense.

Photo Gallery
     

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Singapore. Oriental Region: India, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam. Palaearctic Region: China.

Nomenclature

 * . Ponera rufipes Jerdon, 1851: 119 (w.) INDIA (Karnataka/Kerala; “Malabar”).
 * Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
 * Type-locality: India: Malabar (T.C. Jerdon).
 * Type-depository: unknown (no material known to exist).
 * [Note: Donisthorpe, 1932c: 447, points out that two specimens (BMNH, OXUM) labelled as “type” are not type-material; correctly they are rufipes Jerdon, sensu Smith, F. 1857a: 67, sensu Smith, F. 1858b: 106.]
 * [Duplicated in Jerdon, 1854b: 102.]
 * [Misspelled as ruficeps by Chapman & Capco, 1951: 50.]
 * Combination in Pachycondyla: Smith, F. 1858b: 106;
 * combination in P. (Bothroponera): Emery, 1901a: 45;
 * combination in Bothroponera: Mayr, 1867a: 83; Wheeler, W.M. 1919e: 55;
 * combination in Pachycondyla: Brown, in Bolton, 1995b: 309;
 * combination in Pseudoneoponera: Schmidt, C.A. & Shattuck, 2014: 135.
 * Status as species: Smith, F. 1857a: 67; Smith, F. 1858b: 106; Roger, 1860: 287; Mayr, 1863: 450; Mayr, 1867a: 83 (redescription); Forel, 1886d: 246; Mayr, 1886c: 359; Emery, 1887b: 442 (in key, footnote); Emery, 1889b: 495; André, 1892b: 53; Dalla Torre, 1893: 36; Emery, 1895k: 459; Forel, 1900d: 326; Bingham, 1903: 96; Forel, 1906b: 91; Forel, 1907e: 17; Forel, 1908a: 1; Emery, 1911d: 76; Forel, 1915a: 22; Wheeler, W.M. 1919e: 55; Santschi, 1920h: 159; Santschi, 1924c: 96, 97; Mukerjee & Ribeiro, 1925: 206; Wheeler, W.M. 1927h: 84; Wheeler, W.M. 1928c: 5; Donisthorpe, 1929a: 445; Wheeler, W.M. 1930h: 59; Donisthorpe, 1932c: 447; Menozzi, 1939a: 328; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 50; Collingwood, 1962: 224; Collingwood, 1970: 372; Tang, C. & Li, 1982: 371; Radchenko, 1993a: 79; Bolton, 1995b: 309; Wu, J. & Wang, 1995: 45; Tang, J., Li, et al. 1995: 40; Tiwari, 1999: 28; Mathew & Tiwari, 2000: 288; Zhou, 2001b: 49; Ghosh, et al. 2005: 8; Jaitrong & Nabhitabhata, 2005: 31; Mohanraj, et al. 2010: 7; Zhou & Ran, 2010: 108; Guénard & Dunn, 2012: 61; Bharti, Guénard, et al. 2016: 53; Jaitrong, Guénard, et al. 2016: 43; Rasheed, et al. 2019: 435.
 * [Note: rufipes erroneously included in key to species of Brachyponera: Mathew & Tiwari, 2000: 286.]
 * Distribution: China, India (+ Andaman Is), Indonesia (Kalimantan, Simeulue), Laos, Malaysia (“Borneo”, Peninsula), Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam.
 * Current subspecies: nominal plus ceylonensis.

Description
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from Bingham (1903) described as Bothroponera rufipes.

Worker

Dull black; the mandibles, antennae and legs castaneous red, the apical two or three abdominal segments bright ferruginous; the whole insect covered with an abundant pale reddish-yellow pilosity. Head, thorax and node of the pedicel in front coarsely punctured, cribrate; the basal two abdominal segments rugose with remarkably coarse longitudinal ridges, the intervals between them coarsely punctured; the apical segments finely punctured, the yellowish-red hair on them long and thick. Mandibles obsoletely, finely, longitudinally striate and marked with some coarse shallow punctures, the teeth on the masticatory margin often worn and obsolete; clypeus with a medial, often ill-defined, short carina at base; antenna? densely pubescent, finely rugulose, opaque; eyes comparatively small: occiput slightly emarginate, the anterior border of the emargination and the posterior lateral angles of the head rounded. Thorax massive, as broad in front as the head, convex; the apical truncated face of the metanotum concave, smooth and shining, and strongly margined above and on the sides; legs opaque, densely pilose and pubescent. Node of the pedicel about twice as broad as long, convex and rounded above, the spinous processes on the posterior margin above irregular, not very acute; the posterior face of the node deeply concave, smooth and shining; abdomen very massive, cylindrical, the constriction between the basal two segments well marked.

Length: 13-15 mm.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * André E. 1892. Voyage de M. Chaper à Bornéo. Catalogue des fourmis et description des espèces nouvelles. Mém. Soc. Zool. Fr. 5: 46-55.
 * Basu P., N. Tak, and A. K. Sanyal. 2013. Ants (insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Bethuadahari wildlife sanctuary, Nadia, West Bengal, India. Rec. zool, Surv. India: 113(4): 17-22.
 * 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.
 * Bharti H., Y. P. Sharma, and A. Kaur. 2009. Seasonal patterns of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Punjab Shivalik. Halteres 1(1): 36-47.
 * Bui T.V., and K. Eguchi. 2003. Ant survey in Hoang Lien Son Nature Reserve, Lao Cai, N. Vietnam. ANeT Newsletter 5: 4-11.
 * Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
 * Chen Y. Q., Q. Li, Y. L. Chen, Z. X. Lu, X. Y. Zhou. 2011. Ant diversity and bio-indicators in land management of lac insect agroecosystem in Southwestern China. Biodivers. Conserv. 20: 3017-3038.
 * Chen Y., C. W. Luo, H. W. Li, Y. J. Liu, H. F. Zheng, and F. C. Yang. 2013. Investigation of ant species and distribution on Wuliang Mountain. Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences 42(5): 118-122.
 * Collingwood C.A. 1970. Formicidae (Hymenopter: Aculeata) of Nepal. Himalaya Khumbu Himal, 3: 371-388.
 * 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.
 * Dias R. K. S. 2002. Current knowledge on ants of Sri Lanka. ANeT Newsletter 4: 17- 21.
 * Dias R. K. S., and H. P. G. R. C. Ruchirani. 2014. Nest density of Aneuretus simoni Emery (Sri Lankan Relict Ant) and Stereomyrmex horni Emery in three forest regions in western and southern Sri Lanka. Asian Myrmecology 6: 83-90.
 * Emery C. 1911. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum 118: 1-125.
 * Fellowes J. R., and D. Dudgeon. 2003. Common ants of lowland forests in Hong Kong, Tropical China. Proceedings of the 2nd ANeT Workshop and Seminar, p. 19-43.
 * Fontanilla A. M., A. Nakamura, Z. Xu, M. Cao, R. L. Kitching, Y. Tang, and C. J. Burwell. 2019. Taxonomic and functional ant diversity along tropical, subtropical, and subalpine elevational transects in southwest China. Insects 10, 128; doi:10.3390/insects10050128
 * Forel A. 1900. Les Formicides de l'Empire des Indes et de Ceylan. Part VII. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 13: 303-332.
 * Forel A. 1906. Les fourmis de l'Himalaya. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles 42: 79-94.
 * Forel A. 1907. Formiciden aus dem Naturhistorischen Museum in Hamburg. II. Teil. Neueingänge seit 1900. Mitt. Naturhist. Mus. Hambg. 24: 1-20.
 * Forel A. 1915. Fauna Simalurensis. Hymenoptera Aculeata, Fam. Formicidae. Tijdschr. Entomol. 58: 22-43.
 * Forel, A. 1908. Fourmis de Ceylan et d'Égypte récoltées par le Prof. E. Bugnion. Lasius carniolicus. Fourmis de Kerguelen. Pseudandrie? Strongylognathus testaceus. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 44: 1-22
 * Ghosh S. N., S. Sheela, B. G. Kundu, S. Roychowdhury, and R. N. Tiwari. 2006. Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae. Pp. 369-398 in: Alfred, J. R. B. (ed.) 2006. Fauna of Arunachal Pradesh. (Part -2). [State Fauna Series 13.]. New Delhi: Zoological Survey of India, iv + 518 pp.
 * Ghosh S. N., S. Sheela, and B. G. Kundu. 2005. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Rabindra Sarovar, Kolkata. Records of the Zoological Survey of India. Occasional Paper 234: 1-40.
 * Ghosh S. N., and S. Sheela. 2008. On a collection of Formicidae (Hymenoptera: Vespoidea) from Buxa Tiger Reserve, West Bengal, India, with new records of one rare genus and a rare species. Asian Myrmecology 2: 99-102.
 * Gumawardene, N.R., J.D. Majer and J.P. Edirisinghe. 2008. Diversity and richness of ant species in a lowland wet forest reserve in Sri Lanka. Asian Myrmecology 2:71-83
 * Gunawardene N. R., J. D. Majer, and J. P. Edirisinghe. 2008. Diversity and richness of ant species in a lowland wet forest reserve in Sri Lanka. Asian Myrmecology 2: 71-83.
 * Gunawardene N. R., J. D. Majer, and J. P. Edirisinghe. 2012. Correlates of ant 5Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and tree species diversity in Sri Lanka. Myrmecological News 17: 81-90.
 * Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
 * Hua Li-zhong. 2006. List of Chinese insects Vol. IV. Pages 262-273. Sun Yat-sen university Press, Guangzhou. 539 pages.
 * IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
 * Imai H. T., C. Baroni Urbani, M. Kubota, G. P. Sharma, M. H. Narasimhanna, B. C. Das, A. K. Sharma, A. Sharma, G. B. Deodikar, V. G. Vaidya, and M. R. Rajasekarasetty. 1984. Karyological survey of Indian ants. Japanese Journal of Genetics 59: 1-32.
 * Jaitrong W., B. Guenard, E. P. Economo, N. Buddhakala, and S. Yamane. 2016. A checklist of known ant species of Laos (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Asian Myrmecology 8: 1-32. DOI: 10.20362/am.008019
 * Jaitrong W.; Nabhitabhata, J. 2005. A list of known ant species of Thailand. The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 1(1): 9-54.
 * Kaleeswaran B., S. Ezil, B. P. Ganesh, and S. Bhavatarini. 2008. Biodiversity and niches of Ants in Alagar hills, Tamil nadu Wildlife Biodiversity Conservation Published by Day publishing house pp 188-208.
 * Leong C. M., S. F. Shiao, and B. Guenard. 2017. Ants in the city, a preliminary checklist of Formicidae (Hymenoptera) in Macau, one of the most heavily urbanized regions of the world. Asian Myrmecology 9: e009014.
 * Li Z.h. 2006. List of Chinese Insects. Volume 4. Sun Yat-sen University Press
 * Liu X. 2012. Taxonomy, diversity and spatial distribution characters of the ant family Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) in southeastern Tibet. PhD Thesis 139 pages
 * Liu X., Z. Xu, N. Yu, and C. Zhang. 2016. Distribution patterns of ant species ( Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Galongla Mountains and Medog Valley of Southeastern Tibet. Scientia Silvae Sinicae 52(11): 88-95.
 * Lu Z., K. Li, N. Zhang, and Y. Chen. 2017. Diversity and indicator species of leaf-litter ants in Eucalyptus grandis plantations and secondary natural forests. Forest Research 29(4): 576-580
 * Lu Z., Y. Chen, Q. Li, S. Wang, C. Liu, and W. Zhang. 2012. Effect of population of Kerria yunnanensis on diversity of ground dwelling ant. Acta Ecologica Sinica 32(19): 6195-6202.
 * Lu Z., and Y. Chen. 2016. Effects of habitat on ant functional groups: a case study of Luchun County, Yunnan Province, China. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture 24(5): 801-810.
 * Mathew R. 1984. Some new records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Tripura. Bull. Zool. Surv. India 6(1-3): 307-308.
 * Mathew R. 2003. On Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Nongkhyllem Wild Life Sanctuary, Ri-Bhoi District, Meghalaya. Records of the Zoological Survey of India 101:195-207.
 * Mathew R., and R. N. Tiwari. 2000. Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae. Pp. 251-409 in: Director; Zoological Survey of India (ed.) 2000. Fauna of of Meghalaya. Part 7. [State Fauna Series 4.] Insecta 2000. Calcutta: Zoological Survey of India, 621 pp.
 * Mathew, R. 2000. Insecta : Hymenoptera : Formicidae. State Fauna Series., Fauna of Tripura , Zool. Surv. India. 7 (3) : 347-354.
 * Mohanraj P., M. Ali, and K. Veerakumari. 2010. Formicidae of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Indian Ocean: Bay of Bengal). Journal of Insect Science 10: Article 172
 * Mohanraj, P., M. Ali and K. Veenakumari. 2010. Formicidae of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Indian Ocean: Bay Of Bengal). Journal of Insect Science 10:172.
 * Mukherji D., and S. Ribeiro. 1925. On a collection of ants (Formicidae) from the Andaman Islands. Records of the Indian Museum 27: 205-209.
 * Musthak Ali T. M. 1991. Ant Fauna of Karnataka-1. Newsletter of IUSSI Indian Chapter 5(1-2): 1-8.
 * Narendra A., H. Gibb, and T. M. Ali. 2011. Structure of ant assemblages in Western Ghats, India: role of habitat, disturbance and introduced species. Insect Conservation and diversity 4(2): 132-141.
 * Narendra A., and T. V. Ramachandra. 2008. Remote detection and distinction of ants using nest-site specific LISS-derived normalised difference vegetation index. Asian Myrmecology 2: 51-62.
 * Parui A. K., S. Chatterjee, and P. Basu. 2015. Habitat characteristics shaping ant species assemblages in a mixed deciduous forest in Eastern India. Journal of Tropical Ecology: 1-14. doi:10.1017/S0266467415000036
 * Radchenko A. G. 1993. Ants from Vietnam in the collection of the Institute of Zoology, PAS, Warsaw. I. Pseudomyrmicinae, Dorylinae, Ponerinae. Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 44: 75-82.
 * Rajan P. D., M. Zacharias, and T. M. Mustak Ali. 2006. Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae. Fauna of Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (Karnataka). Conservation Area Series, Zool. Surv. India.i-iv,27: 153-188.
 * Ramachandra T. V., M. D. Subash Chandran, N. V. Joshi, A. Narendra, and T. M. Ali. 2012. Ant species composition and diversity in the Sharavathi Rivers basin, central Western Ghats. Sahyadri Conservation Series 3, ENVIS Technical Report 20. 51 pages.
 * Rasheed M. T., I. Bodlah, A. G. Fareen, A. A. Wachkoo, X. Huang, and S. A. Akbar. 2019. A checklist of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Pakistan. Sociobiology 66(3): 426-439.
 * Santschi F. 1920. Fourmis d'Indo-Chine. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 60: 158-176.
 * Santschi F. 1924. Fourmis d'Indochine. Opuscules de l'Institut Scientifique de l'Indochine 3: 95-117
 * Sheela S. 2008. Handbook of Hymenoptera, Formicidae. Zoological Survey of India, 56 pages
 * Sitthicharoenchai D., and N. Chantarasawat. 2006. Ant species diversity in the establishing area for Advanced Technology Institute at Lai-Nan Sub-district, Wiang Sa district, Nan Province, Thailand. The Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University 6(2): 67-74
 * Tak N., and S. I. Kazmi. 2013. On some ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Nagaland, India. Rec. zool. Surv. India: 113(1): 169-182.
 * Tang J., Li S., Huang E., Zhang B. and Chen Y. 1995. Hymenoptera: Formicidae (1). Economic Insect Fauna of China 47: 1-133.
 * Thapa V. K. 2000. An Inventory of Nepal's Insects, Vol. III. IUCN Nepal, Kathmandu, xi + 475 pp.
 * Tiwari R. N. 1999. Taxonomic studies on ants of southern India (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Memoirs of the Zoological Survey of India 18(4): 1-96.
 * Tiwari R. N., B. G. Kundu, S. Roy Chowdhury, and S. N. Ghosh. 2003. Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae. Fauna of Sikkim. Part 4. State Fauna Series. 9.Zool.Surv.India. i-iii, 1-512. Chapter pagination: 467-506.
 * Tiwari R.N., B.G. Kundu, S. Roychowdhury, S.N. Ghosh. 1999. Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae. Pp. 211-294 in: Director; Zoological Survey of India (ed.) 1999. Fauna of West Bengal. Part 8. Insecta (Trichoptera, Thysanoptera, Neuroptera, Hymenoptera and Anoplura). Calcutta: Zoological Survey of India, iv + 442 pp.
 * Tiwari, R.N. 1999. Taxonomic studies on ants of southern India (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Memoirs of the Zoological Survey of India 18(4):1-96
 * Tiwary R. N., D. K. Guha, and P. K. Maiti. 1977. New records of Ponerine ants from Arunachal Pradesh (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Newsl Zool Surv India 3(3): 49-50
 * Wang W. R., S. Q. Zhang, and Z. H. Xu. 2012. A faunistic and taxonomic study of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Shenzhen Municipality. Journal of Southwest Forestry University 32(1): 64-73.
 * Wang W., S. Zhang, and Z Xu. 2012. Distribution patters of ant species in Shenzhen City. Journal of Southwest Forestry University 32(3): 70-74.
 * Wang W., S. Zhang, and Z. Xu. 2012. Distribution Patterns of Ant Species in Shenzhen City. Journal of Southwest Forestry University 32(3): 69-74.
 * Wang Yu-ling. 2008. Survey on species diversity, ants in Zoukou Region. Chinese Bulletin of Entomology 45(1): 145-149
 * Wheeler W. M. 1921. Chinese ants. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 64: 529-547.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1928. Ants collected by Professor F. Silvestri in China. Bollettino del Laboratorio di Zoologia Generale e Agraria della Reale Scuola Superiore d'Agricoltura. Portici 22: 3-38.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1930. A list of the known Chinese ants. Peking Natural History Bulletin 5: 53-81.
 * Wu B., Y. Lu, G. Liang, and L. Zeng. 2010. Influence of the red inported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on the diversity of ant communities in a newly infested longan orchard and grass areas nearby. Acta Ecologica Sinica 30(8): 2075-2083.
 * Yamane S.; Bui T. V.; Ogata K.; Okido H.; Eguchi K. 2002. Ant fauna of Cuc Phuong National Park, North Vietnam (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the Institute of Tropical Agriculture Kyushu University 25: 51-62.
 * Zhang R., X. Zhou, Q. Tang, and S. Zhou. 2016. Morphometrics of thirteen species of the genus Pachycondyla (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in China. Chinese Journal of Applied Entomology 53(5): 1130-1137.
 * Zhang N. N., Y. Q. Chen, Z. X. Lu, W. Zhang, and K. L. Li. 2013. Species diversity, community structure difference and indicator species of leaf-litter ants in rubber plantations and secondary natural forests in Yunnan, southwestern China. Acta Entomologica Sinica 56(11): 1314-1323.
 * Zhang R. J., L. W. Liang, and S. Y. Zhou. 2014. An analysis on the ant fauna of Nonggang Nature Reserve in Guangxi, China. Journal of Guangxi Normal university: Natural Science Edition 32(3): 86-93.
 * Zhang Xiang, and Hou You-Ming. 2009. Five new record genus and thirty one new records species of ants (Hymenoptera; Formicidae) in Fujian Province. Journal of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University 38(5): 479-484.
 * Zhao S., F. L. Jia, G. Q. Liang, Y. L. Ke, W. J. Tian. 2009. Ants and their distribution in Guangdong Province, China. Journal of Environmental Entomology 31(2): 156-161.
 * Zhou S.-Y. 2001. Ants of Guangxi. Guangxi Normal University Press, Guilin, China, Guilin, China. 255 pp.