Paratopula intermedia

Paratopula intermedia was collected from the forests of the Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot.

Identification
Sheela (2008) - The main differences between Paratopula ceylonica and Paratopula intermedia (each numbered character is shown as the character state for P. ceylonica, a forward-slash,  and a P. intermedia value). 1.) TL- 5.3mm / 6.8mm; 2.) Distance between propodeal spines at their base - 1.2 / 1.7x; 3.) Metasternal process at apex - rounded / tending to be hooked; 4.) Post petiole - broader than long / longer than broad.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India.

Nomenclature

 * . Paratopula intermedia Sheela & Narendran, 1998b: 24, figs. 1-4 (w.) INDIA (Kerala).
 * Type-material: holotype worker.
 * Type-locality: India: Kerala, Muthanga, 7.x.1995 (S. Sheela).
 * Type-depository: DZCU.
 * Status as species: Xu & Xu, 2011: 595 (in key); Bharti, Guénard, et al. 2016: 41; Luo & Guénard, 2017: 10 (in key).
 * Distribution: India.

Description
Worker

Colour uniformly brownish yellow; masticatory margin of mandible and anterior margin of mesosternum black; gaster testaceous, more brown: legs except tarsi pale yellow, tarsi brownish red; clypeus lighter in colour than surrounding region. Head, thorax, pedicel and gaster with short yellow, scattered hairs, tip of which not pointed; mandibles, clypeus, legs, scape of antennae, lateral and ventral side of gaster (dorsally visible only in certain reflections of light) with small appressed white pubescence, flagellum of antennae fully covered with short, appressed pubescence, in addition to a few short setae; outer margin of mandible with long incurved setae ventrally; head ventrally densely pubescent (mostly anteriorly) and moderately pilose; anteroventral side of thorax, coxae, trochanter, ventral side of pedicel. tip of gaster ventrally with a few long setae, setae nearer to sting longest; base of femur with two or three setae. Head thorax and pedicel rugoso-reticulate, spaces between sculpture superficially finely punctate, more clearly visible on sides of thorax, where reticulations weak, forecoxa transversely rugose, outer surface of tibiae with longitudinal striations, mandibles, gaster and legs except fore coxae, tibiae and apex of femora smooth; clypeus with longitudinal weak striations.

Head: Posteriorly widely emarginate, posterolateral corners rounded, sides almost straight up to level of posterior portions of antennal scapes: mandibles broad, large, minutely shagreened with hair pits, masticatory margin with 9 teeth; anterior margin of clypeus slightly indented medially and depressed at this part; clypeus broad, posterior margin arched, frontal area narrow. triangular, smooth, frontal lobes short, wide apart, frontal carina not distinct from adjacent carinae. Antennae slender, club not thick. 3-jointed scape extending beyond level of eye by 2.4 x its own length. Relative measurements of length and breadth of antennal segments- scape- 43:5.2; FI 9:4; F2-4:4; F3-3.2:4; F4-4:4; FS-4:4; F6-4:4.6; F7-4:4.6; F8-4:5.3; F9 10:6.4; F10-10.6:6 6; F11-18.6:8.

Thorax: Deeply emarginate at meso-metanotal suture, pronotum excluding neck slightly broader than long (18:17), thorax narrow behind pronotum; anterolateral corners of pronotum not angular, pronotum slightly depressed at its centre; propedum projecting at an angle just behind the suture (Fig. 1), mesepimeron separated from mesepisternum by deep perforated groove; I propodeal spiracles situated at mid-length of propodeum; propodeal spines blunt at apex, short, its length 2.4 x its basal width,17 x distance between its bases, metapleural lobes flat, shaped as in Fig. 1, straight above and rounded below.

Abdomen: Peduncle of petiole 1.1 x length of propodeal spine; petiole node 1.4 x length of peduncle; anterior face vertical, presence of two small tubercles on dorsal surface. on either side of median line forming a sharp angle at antero-dorsal junction in profile; dorsal side convex, smoothly joining with posterior face, in dorsal view posteriorly broad, postpetiole breadth 1.3 x breadth of petiole in dorsal view, anteriorly narrow. Gaster highly convex below, slightly convex above basal 1/4 longitudinally striate. first tergite covering almost entire dorsum, sting strong. anterior attachment of gaster dorsoventrally with ridges.

Measurements (Holotype): Total length - 6.8 mm; Head length 1.48 mm; Head width 1.2 mm; Cephalic index -81; Scape length - 1.02 mm, Scape index 85; Eye diameter. 0.80 mm; Pronotal width-0.86 mm; Alitrunk length - 2.1 mm.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * 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.