Calyptomyrmex beccarii

This is by far the most widespread species in the genus, occurring from Singapore north-east to the Philippines and south to Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. As with most other species within this genus, beccarii is found in rainforest and is most often encountered in leaf litter samples, although one nest was found in a carton termite nest. (Shattuck 2011)

Identification
Shattuck (2011) - Hairs on head and body spatulate (noticeably narrower near the body and expanded distally and with a rounded tip) and appressed closely to the underlying body surface, gaster finely and indistinctly sculptured, propodeum unarmed, posterior margin of head more rounded, especially its lateral corners. This species is most similar to Calyptomyrmex loweryi but differs in having the head narrower above the level of the antennal scrobe and in being smaller (head width < 1.10mm rather than greater than 1.13mm).

Australian populations do show slight differences when compared to more northern populations. Specifically, the spatulate hairs on the head and mesosoma of northern populations are narrower and more slender compared to the broader and more rounded hairs found in other Australian specimens.

An East Timor specimen differs in having the spatulate hairs on the head and mesosoma more erect and raised distinctly above the surface of the body. In specimens from other regions these hairs are at most only slightly raised above the surface. As with Australian specimens, no other differences were detected and this specimen is here considered to belong to beccarii.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia. Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore. Oriental Region: Thailand.

Nomenclature

 *  beccarii. Calyptomyrmex beccarii Emery, 1887b: 472, pl. 2, fig. 23 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Szabó, 1910a: 365 (q.). Senior synonym of rufobrunnea: Brown, 1951: 101; of schraderi: Taylor, 1991b: 600; of emeryi, glabratus: Shattuck, 2011: 5.
 * emeryi. Calyptomyrmex emeryi Forel, 1901h: 51 (w.m.) BORNEO. Wheeler, W.M. 1919e: 90 (q.). Junior synonym of beccarii: Shattuck, 2011: 5.
 * schraderi. Calyptomyrmex schraderi Forel, 1901h: 50 (q.m.) AUSTRALIA. Junior synonym of beccarii: Taylor, 1991b: 600.
 * glabratus. Calyptomyrmex beccarii var. glabratus Viehmeyer, 1916a: 128 (w.) SINGAPORE. Raised to species: Baroni Urbani, 1975a: 410 (in key). Junior synonym of beccarii: Shattuck, 2011: 5.
 * rufobrunnea. Weberidris rufobrunnea Donisthorpe, 1949a: 281, fig. 1 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Combination in Calyptomyrmex: Donisthorpe, 1949f: 186; Brown, 1949f: 84. Junior synonym of beccarii: Brown, 1951: 101.

Taxonomic Notes
Although this species is not particularly morphologically variable, it has been described no fewer than five times. For example, Taylor (1991) recognised that schraderi was conspecific with beccarii and also speculated that glabrata might be a junior synomym as well, although he did not study this last problem in detail and left the taxonomic status of these taxa unchanged. These proposals, as well as the synonymy of emeryi, were supported by Shattuck (2011).

Taylor’s (1991) synonymy of the Australian-based schraderi with beccarii was confirmed by Shattuck (2011). However, it should be noted that the Australian populations do show slight differences when compared to more northern populations. Specifically, the spatulate hairs on the head and mesosoma of northern populations are narrower and more slender compared to the broader and more rounded hairs found in Australian specimens. However, hairs on the gaster are essentially identical and no further differences were found. Thus the available evidence suggests that these differences are little more than population-based geographic variation.

Comparable differences are also present in the single specimen of this taxon from East Timor. While very similar to other specimens examined during this study, this specimen differs in having the spatulate hairs on the head and mesosoma more erect and raised distinctly above the surface of the body. In specimens from other regions these hairs are at most only slightly raised above the surface. As with Australian specimens, no other differences were detected and this specimen was considered by Shattuck (2011) to belong to beccarii.

The types of glabratus, the western-most samples known for this species, show only slight differences from other specimens placed in this taxon by Shattuck (2011). These differences include the petiolar node in lateral view being slightly higher and more angular and the pronotal corners in dorsal view being more angular compared to specimens from further east. However, these differences are slight and are not unexpected for such a wide-spread species. Because no additional differences could be found glabratus is considered to be a junior synonym of beccarii. This confirmed the suspicions of Taylor (1991).

Finally, an examination of the holotype of emeryi shows this taxon conforms to the concept of beccarii developed by Shattuck (2011) and is a straightforward synonym. Forel (1901) provided a very brief description and failed to note any differences between this species and either beccarii or schraderi (which he described in the same paper as emeryi). None could be found by Shattuck (2011) and therefore this name is treated as conspecific with beccarii.

Worker
n = 11 - CFW 0.19–0.22; CI 97–105; HL 0.95–1.06; HW 0.93–1.09; ML 0.9 1–1 .02; MTL 0.43–0.53; PetI 123–148; PetL 0.22–0.28; PetW 0.29–0.39; PronW 0.60–0.74; SI 50–54; SL 0.49–0.57.

Mandibles delicately striate (sometimes weakly so). Eyes with 5–6 ommatidia in greatest diameter. Propodeum in lateral view lacking angles or spines. Propodeal lobes thin anteriorly, thickened posteriorly. Node of petiole in profile slightly higher and larger than that of postpetiole. In dorsal view the petiolar node slightly narrower than the postpetiolar node. Head, promesonotum, dorsal and posterior faces of propodeum and petiolar and postpetiolar nodes rugose, the rugae enclosing foveolate spaces, this sculpturing most strongly developed on the front of the head, weaker and less defined posteriorly. Sides of mesosoma irregularly rugose, more strongly on pronotum, weakly so on propodeum. Spaces between rugulae indistinctly shagreened or finely reticulate-punctulate, matt and dull. Gaster finely and indistinctly sculptured. Hairs on head and body spatulate and appressed. Clypeal fork with spatulate hairs only. Colour dull red-brown.

Type Material
C. beccarii: Worker (apparently a single specimen, therefore holotype) from Ambon (as Amboina), Indonesia (, not examined). C. beccarii glabratus: Two worker syntypes from Singapore (MNHB, images from www.anttypes.org examined). Calyptomyrmex emeryi: Three worker and one male syntype from Sarawak, Malaysia (, examined). Calyptomyrmex schraderi: Neotype worker from Iron Range, Queensland, ANIC32-047446, designated by Taylor (1991) (, examined). Weberidris rufobrunnea: Holotype worker from Maffin (as Maffin Bay), Papua, Indonesia (, not examined, specimens from type nest series present in, examined).