Strumigenys rallarhina

Known from rainforest litter-samples. One collection record notes it is a nest series but the nest details are not detailed. In Hong Kong it is a relatively widespread species collected in a wide range of habitats and elevation, including grassland, roadside trees, shrubland, bamboo forest, secondary forest and Feng Shui woods at elevation ranging from 56 to 589 m (Tang et al., 2019).

Identification
Bolton (2000) - A member of the feae complex in the Strumigenys mayri-group. S. rallarhina is very closely related to Strumigenys exilirhina but the two have the preapical mandibular tooth very different. In exilirhina the preapical tooth is triangular, in full-face view it is much shorter than the maximum width of the mandible and in fact is slightly shorter than the width of the mandible at the point where it arises. By contrast, in rallarhina the preapical tooth is elongate and distinctly spiniform, quite obviously longer than the maximum width of the mandible.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: Vietnam. Palaearctic Region: China.

Nomenclature

 *  rallarhina. Strumigenys rallarhina Bolton, 2000: 891 (w.) CHINA.

Worker
Holotype. TL 2.2, HL 0.64, HW 0.43, CI 67, ML 0.30, MI 47, SL 0.40, SI 93, PW 0.26, AL 0.60. Characters of the feae-complex. Preapical tooth spiniform and feebly curved, distinctly longer than the maximum width of the mandible. Outer margin of mandible in full-face view shallowly convex from close to base to level of preapical tooth. Apicoscrobal hair flagellate; a second flagellate hair present on upper scrobe margin anterior to this. Cephalic dorsum with 4-6 erect sub flagellate or looped hairs along the occipital margin, a similar but shorter pair at level of highest point of vertex. Preocular notch absent but ventrolateral margin of head narrowed immediately in front of eye. Maximum diameter of eye about equal to the maximum width of the scape; 3-4 ommatidia across the greatest diameter. Pronotal humeral hair flagellate; pronotal dorsum superficially punctulate, sculpture may be partially effaced in places. Pronotum without erect hairs except for those at the humeri; mesonotum with 2 pairs of erect flagellate hairs. Dorsal surfaces of waist segments and first gastral tergite with flagellate hairs. Pleurae and side of propodeum smooth. One or two long fine erect flagellate hairs present on the dorsal (outer) surface of the hind basitarsus and another on the hind tibia; similar pilosity present on the other legs. Petiole in profile with anterior face of node slightly shorter than length of dorsum, or the two subequal. Disc of postpetiole smooth. Basigastral costulae about the same length as, or slightly shorter than, disc of postpetiole.

Paratypes. TL 2.1-2.2, HL 0.59-0.63, HW 0.41-0.43, CI 67-70, ML 0.28-0.30, MI 47-48, SL 0.36-0.39, SI 88-91, PW 0.25-0.26, AL 0.56-0.60 (3 measured).

Dimensions of non-paratypic workers. HL 0.64-0.65, HW 0.43-0.44, CI 67-68, ML 0.30, MI 47-48, SL 0.38, SI 86-88 (3 measured).

Type Material
Holotype worker, China: Guilin, Yaoshan, ix.1980 (P. Hammond). Paratypes. 1 worker, China: Hong Kong, New Territories, vi.1978 (P. Hammond); 2 workers, Hong Kong, K.A.R.C., 12.vi.1994 (J. R. Fellowes) (BMNH,, ).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Alcantara M. J., S. Modi, T. C. Ling, J. Monkai, H. Xu, S. Huang, and A. Nakamura. 2019. Differences in geographic distribution of ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) between forests and rubber plantations: a case study in Xishuangbanna, China, and a global meta-analysis. Myrmecological News 29: 135-145.
 * Bolton, B. 2000. The Ant Tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 65
 * Eguchi K.; Bui T. V.; Yamane S. 2011. Generic synopsis of the Formicidae of Vietnam (Insecta: Hymenoptera), part I  Myrmicinae and Pseudomyrmecinae. Zootaxa 2878: 1-61.
 * 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
 * Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
 * Liu C, B. Guénard, F Hita Garcia, S. Yamane, B. Blanchard, and E. Economo. New records of ant species from Yunnan, China. Submitted to Zookeys
 * 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.
 * Tang K.L., Pierce M.P., and B. Guénard. 2019. Review of the genus Strumigenys (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae) in Hong Kong with the description of three new species and the addition of five native and four introduced species records. ZooKeys 831: 1-48.
 * Tian M., L. Deharveng, A. Bedos, Y. Li, Z. Xue, B. Feng, and G. Wei. 2011, Advances of cave biodiversity survey: a result based mainly on invertebrates. Proceedings of the 17th National Congress of Speleology, Yinshuidong, Hubei, 1-3 Nov 20111, p 149-163.
 * Zhou S.-Y. and Xu Z. 2003. Taxonomic study on Chinese members of the ant genus Strumigenys F. Smith (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the mainland of China. Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica28(4): 737-740.