Aenictus porizonoides

Aenictus porizonoides is known from a small number of males collected in southern India and Sri Lanka. These males have yet to be associated with workers.

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

Castes
Known only from the male caste.

Nomenclature

 * . Enictus porizonoides Walker, 1860: 306 (m.) SRI LANKA.
 * Type-material: 2 syntype males.
 * Type-locality: Sri Lanka: (no further data) (F. Walker).
 * Type-depository: BMNH.
 * [Misspelled as porozonoides by Smith, F. 1871a: 336.]
 * Status as species: Mayr, 1863: 394; Smith, F. 1871a: 336; Donisthorpe, 1932b: 576; Bolton, 1995b: 60; Bharti, Guénard, et al. 2016: 21.
 * Senior synonym of greeni: Donisthorpe, 1932b: 576; Bolton, 1995b: 60.
 * Distribution: India, Sri Lanka.
 * greeni. Aenictus greeni Bingham, 1903: 11 (m.) SRI LANKA.
 * Type-material: holotype male.
 * Type-locality: Sri Lanka: (no further data) (Green).
 * Type-depository: BMNH.
 * Status as species: Emery, 1910b: 30; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 15; Wilson, 1964a: 482.
 * Junior synonym of porizonoides: Donisthorpe, 1932b: 576; Bolton, 1995b: 59.

Description
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from (Bingham 1903), described as Aenictus greeni but is now considered as a junior synonym of Aenictus porizonoides.

Male

Length 5 mm.

Resembles Aenictus grandis in colour and in the shape of the pedicel, but is very much smaller and more pubescent. Dark castaneous brown, the head black, the mandibles, antennae and legs deep shining yellow; the head in front, the thorax, pedicel and abdomen covered with dense, very short, erect, yellow hairs. Head not quite twice as broad as long; the cheeks behind the eyes not constricted, rounded and well developed; the mandibles flat and proportionately broader, though not so long as in Aenictus grandis, the tooth on the inner side at base distinct and acute. Thorax very gibbous in front, more so than in any other known Indian species; the scutellum broad and rounded posteriorly; legs with the femora and tibiae gradually thickening from base to apex. The pedicel flat or slightly convex in the middle; abdomen cylindrical, not enlarged towards the apex nor curved downwards; pygidium convex, shining, punctured at base, its apical margin rounded, entire; hypopygium broad, posteriorly widely emarginate.

Hab. Ceylon (Green).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * 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
 * Chapman, J.W. and S.R. Capco. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monographs of the Institute of Science and Technology (Manila) 1: 1- 327
 * 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. 2006. Current taxonomic status of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Sri Lanka. The Fauna of Sri Lanka: 43-52. Bambaradeniya, C.N.B. (Editor), 2006. Fauna of Sri Lanka: Status of Taxonomy, Research and Conservation. The World Conservation Union, Colombo, Sri Lanka & Government of Sri Lanka. viii + 308pp.
 * Dias R. K. S. 2013. Diversity and importance of soil-dweeling ants. Proceedings of the National Symposium on Soil Biodiversity, chapt 4, pp 19-22.
 * Dias R. K. S., K. R. K. A. Kosgamage, and H. A. W. S. Peiris. 2012. The Taxonomy and Conservation Status of Ants (Order: Hymenoptera, Family: Formicidae) in Sri Lanka. In: The National Red List 2012 of Sri Lanka; Conservation Status of the Fauna and Flora. Weerakoon, D.K. & S. Wijesundara Eds., Ministry of Environment, Colombo, Sri Lanka. p11-19.
 * Emery C. 1910. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Dorylinae. Genera Insectorum 102: 1-34.