Leptanilla bifurcata

Leptanilla bifurcata is only known from males collected at light traps.

Identification
Kugler (1987) - Male Leptanilla bifurcata is easily recognisable by its gonostylus, bifurcated in 2 long arms, one band-like, the other horn-like. Gonostylus divided into 2 long arms is also characteristic of the male of Leptanilla minuscula Santschi 1907, but in this species the arms are similar. In L. bifurcata the united gonapophyses are widely separated distally, while in L. minuscula they are only slightly separated at tip. In addition, L. bifurcata differs from L. minuscula by having eyes strongly convex instead of flat. According to Petersen (1968), L. minuscula has only a subcostal and a marginal vein in the forewing. In L. bifurcata a radial and an anal vein are also present.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Israel.

Castes
Known only from the male caste.

Nomenclature

 *  bifurcata. Leptanilla bifurcata Kugler, J. 1987: 48, figs. 5-9 (m.) ISRAEL.

Male
Length: 1.4-1.5 mm.

Colour: Dark brownish black, mandibles and legs brown, genitalia yellow.

Head: 1.3 times longer than wide; posterior margin concave, lateral margins convex; eyes near base of mandibles, circular, diameter 1/3 of head length, strongly convex, hairy; ocelli circular; antennae 13-segmented, scapus 4 times as long as wide, most funicular segments 3 times as long as wide; 1st funicular segment twice as long as wide; last segment 4 times as long as wide; clypeal area very short; mandibles short, broad, not reaching one another, toothless, with spoon-like dorsal excavation.

Alitrunk: Compressed laterally; mesonotum not bulging anteriorly above pronotum; scutum 3 times as long as wide; the dorsal margin of the propodeum in lateral view is a slightly convex oblique unbroken line.

Wings: Fore wing with narrow short sub costa, long thick marginalis, very short straight radialis and fine short analis; posterior wing veinless.

Legs: Fore femur straight, slightly longer, only slightly thicker than mid-femur; mid-tibia with one short simple spur, hind tibia with 2 spurs, one similar to spur of mid-tibia, the other much longer, combed.

Petiole: Petiolar node in dorsal view as long as maximal width, slightly narrower anteriorly than posteriorly, in lateral view peariform without ventral appendage.

Gaster: Dorso-ventrally compressed with 6 visible tergites, in dorsal view widening from anterior to posterior margin.

Genitalia: Large, not retractile; gonocoxites large, valve-like, widely separated, between them the shield-like united gonapophyses; ventrally the gonocoxites nearly touch one another; gonostyli bifurcated, anterior arm band-like flat, bent inwardly beneath the gonapophyses, the posterior arm hornlike, less bent inwards, emerging from the base of the anterior arm. The shield-like united gonapophyses separate widely distally, forming 2 horn-like arms; the inner sides of the arms are dorsally depressed and form a semicircular area; genital opening in the middle of this area; volsella invisible.

Type Material
Holotype male and 1 paratype male, Israel, Shluhot, 26.VI.1984; 1 paratype 0, same locality, 16.IX.1984, 1 paratype 0, Lod 6.x.1985 (all collected by a light trap). The holotype and paratypes are deposited in the TAU.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
 * Boudinot B. E. 2015. Contributions to the knowledge of Formicidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata): a new diagnosis of the family, the first global male-based key to subfamilies, and a treatment of early branching lineages. European Journal of Taxonomy 120: 1-62.
 * Kugler J. 1987. The Leptanillinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Israel and a description of a new species from India. Israel Journal of Entomology 20: 45-57.
 * Scupola A., and R. Ballarin. 2009. The genus Leptanilla Emery, 1870 in Sicily (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecologische Nachrichten 12: 129-132.
 * Vonshak M., and A. Ionescu-Hirsch. 2009. A checklist of the ants of Israel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Israel Journal of Entomology 39: 33-55.