Meranoplus bicolor

Meranoplus bicolor inhabits bare lands, grasslands and sparse forests, and nests in soil. Workers forage on the ground. (Eguchi, Bui and Yamane 2011)

Identification
The most common species in the Oriental Region. It is hardly to be confused with any other congener within the range of its occurrence. It is distinct by the long posteriorly directed spines and the unique pilosity, which are found in no other species.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore. Oriental Region: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam. Palaearctic Region: China.

Biology
Meranoplus bicolor inhabits bare lands, grasslands, and sparse forests, and nests in soil. Workers forage on the ground. Mohyuddin et al. (2020) found this species in grasslands, field crops of maize and wheat, and apple orchards. This is the most commonly found species of Meronoplus in Asia. They make nests on soil which don't are usually not deep than a few inches and a nest contains a few chambers. M.bicolor colonies are Monogynous and workers would kill or kick out extra queens in the nest. A colony reaches maturity usually in the 4th year. By that time the colony would reach about the size of 500-1000 including workers, queen, and new reproductive. The ants are omnivores who are active during both day and night and are mainly scavengers who'd pick up small animals, and insects killed by others and are also found tending to aphids in nearby plants. These ants are very timid and aren't usually hunted by other insects because of the toxic hair covering their body. Once picked by other insects like ants they will let go of the Meronoplus and would display behavior of trying to rub off the areas which were in contact with Meronolus. This allows the ants to forage freely in areas occupied by territorial species such as Diacamma and Oecophylla. Other than that the ants would roll up to a ball and pretend to "play dead" to trick the enemies. The ants also display an attack position of raising their abdomen and secreting a small drop of acid from the tip of their stinger. This behavior is rarely seen and is usually displaced once other insects try to steal food or when the nest is disturbed.

Queens are usually found flying in the morning when humidity is high at around 6.00 am and are found foraging for suitable nesting places till about 9.00 am (In Sri Lanka and India). Once found a good spot a queen would dig a burrow which is about 4-5cm to the ground with a single chamber to lay her eggs. The queen is fully claustral but sometimes they are found to be eating small organisms they find nearby.

In captivity
From my personal experience of dealing with this species, it's a very easy species to keep. The queen in the colony is now 5 years old(2023) and is still producing eggs. They produce alates twice a year in the months of April-June and from November-February (practically the colony has alates year round).

Nomenclature

 * . Cryptocerus bicolor Guérin-Méneville, 1844a: 425 (w.) INDIA (Puducherry).
 * Type-material: holotype worker.
 * Type-locality: India: Pondichery (A. Delessert).
 * Type-depository: MNHN.
 * [Note: Schödl, 1998: 372 says, “the holotype worker could not be located”.]
 * Smith, F. 1875: 34 (q.m.); Imai, et al. 1984: 6 (k.).
 * Combination in Meranoplus: Smith, F. 1853: 224.
 * Status as species: Smith, F. 1853: 224; Smith, F. 1858b: 193; Smith, F. 1862d: 412; Mayr, 1862: 764; Roger, 1863b: 39; Mayr, 1863: 428; Smith, F. 1871a: 334; Smith, F. 1873: ix; Smith, F. 1875: 34; Forel, 1885b: 182; Emery, 1887b: 470; Rothney, 1889: 373; Emery, 1892b: 166; Dalla Torre, 1893: 136; Emery, 1893f: 248; Emery, 1895k: 472; Mayr, 1897: 431; Emery, 1901f: 120; Forel, 1903a: 705; Rothney, 1903: 97; Bingham, 1903: 168; Forel, 1907a: 12; Forel, 1908a: 2; Forel, 1911i: 226; Forel, 1913k: 83; Wheeler, W.M. 1913e: 237; Viehmeyer, 1916a: 128; Wheeler, W.M. 1923b: 3; Emery, 1924d: 228; Wheeler, W.M. 1927b: 45; Mukerjee, 1930: 154; Wheeler, W.M. 1930h: 69; Donisthorpe, 1932b: 576; Karavaiev, 1935a: 99; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 112; Collingwood, 1970: 377; Bolton, 1995b: 250; Wu, J. & Wang, 1995: 78; Schödl, 1998: 371 (redescription); Tiwari, 1999: 61; Mathew & Tiwari, 2000: 332; Zhou, 2001b: 98; Ghosh, et al. 2005: 25; Terayama, 2009: 186; Pfeiffer, et al. 2011: 47; Guénard & Dunn, 2012: 44; Bharti & Akbar, 2014c: 814 (in key); Bharti, Guénard, et al. 2016: 38; Jaitrong, Guénard, et al. 2016: 36; Rasheed, et al. 2019: 432; Dias, R.K.S. et al. 2020: 75.
 * Senior synonym of dimicans: Smith, F. 1871a: 334; Bingham, 1903: 168; Emery, 1924d: 228; Donisthorpe, 1932b: 576; Bolton, 1995b: 250; Schödl, 1998: 372.
 * Senior synonym of fuscescens: Schödl, 1998: 372; Terayama, 2009: 186.
 * Senior synonym of lucidus: Schödl, 1998: 372.
 * Senior synonym of tarda: Emery, 1892b: 166; Dalla Torre, 1893: 136; Emery, 1924d: 228; Bolton, 1995b: 250; Schödl, 1998: 372; Zhou, 2001b: 98.
 * Senior synonym of villosus: Roger, 1863b: 39; Smith, F. 1871a: 334; Bingham, 1903: 168; Emery, 1924d: 228; Bolton, 1995b: 250; Schödl, 1998: 372.
 * Distribution: Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia (Java), Laos, Malaysia (Peninsula), Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.
 * dimicans. Meranoplus dimicans Walker, 1859: 375 (w.) SRI LANKA.
 * Type-material: holotype worker.
 * Type-locality: Sri Lanka: (no further data) (F. Walker).
 * Type-depository: BMNH.
 * Unidentifiable taxon: Forel, 1903a: 705.
 * Status as species: Mayr, 1863: 428; Motschoulsky, 1863: 21; Dalla Torre, 1893: 136.
 * Junior synonym of bicolor: Smith, F. 1871a: 334; Bingham, 1903: 168; Emery, 1924d: 228; Donisthorpe, 1932b: 576; Bolton, 1995b: 251; Schödl, 1998: 372.
 * fuscescens. Meranoplus bicolor var. fuscescens Wheeler, W.M. 1930a: 101 (w.) TAIWAN.
 * Type-material: lectotype worker (by designation of Schödl, 1998: 372), 1 paralectotype worker.
 * Type-locality: lectotype Taiwan (“Formosa”): Pescadore (R. Takahashi); paralectotype with same data.
 * Type-depository: MCZC.
 * [Misspelled as fuscens by Lin & Wu, 2003: 64.]
 * Subspecies of bicolor: Chapman & Capco, 1951: 112; Bolton, 1995b: 251; Lin & Wu, 2003: 64 (error).
 * Junior synonym of bicolor: Schödl, 1998: 372; Terayama, 2009: 186.
 * lucidus. Meranoplus bicolor var. lucida Forel, 1903a: 706 (w.) MYANMAR, INDIA.
 * Type-material: lectotype worker (by designation of Schödl, 1998: 372), 2+ paralectotype workers..
 * Type-locality: lectotype Myanmar (“Burma”): (no further data), 1893 (Watson); paralectotypes with same data.
 * [Note: other syntype localities: Myanmar (“Burma”): (no futher data) (L. Fea), India: Calcutta (Rothney), India: Calicut (Rothney).]
 * Type-depository: MHNG.
 * Forel, 1909d: 225 (m.).
 * Subspecies of bicolor: Forel, 1909d: 224; Forel, 1913k: 83; Emery, 1924d: 228; Wheeler, W.M. 1927b: 45; Wheeler, W.M. 1928c: 25; Santschi, 1928e: 471; Wheeler, W.M. 1930h: 69; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 112; Bolton, 1995b: 251.
 * Junior synonym of bicolor: Schödl, 1998: 372.
 * tarda. Myrmica tarda Jerdon, 1851: 115 (w.) INDIA (Karnataka/Kerala).
 * Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
 * Type-locality: India: “in the Carnatic and Malabar” (T.C. Jerdon).
 * Type-depository: unknown (no type-material is known to exist).
 * [Duplicated in Jerdon, 1854a: 56.]
 * Status as species: Mayr, 1863: 435.
 * Junior synonym of bicolor: Emery, 1892b: 166; Dalla Torre, 1893: 136; Emery, 1924d: 228; Bolton, 1995b: 252; Schödl, 1998: 372; Zhou, 2001b: 98.
 * villosus. Meranoplus villosus Motschoulsky, 1860a: 115 (q.) SRI LANKA.
 * Type-material: holotype queen.
 * Type-locality: Sri Lanka: (no further data) (V. Motschoulsky).
 * Type-depository: ZMUM.
 * Unidentifiable taxon: Forel, 1903a: 705.
 * Status as species: Mayr, 1863: 428; Motschoulsky, 1863: 21.
 * Junior synonym of bicolor: Roger, 1863b: 39; Smith, F. 1871a: 334; Bingham, 1903: 168; Emery, 1924d: 228; Bolton, 1995b: 252; Schödl, 1998: 372.

Worker
Schödl (1998) - TL: 3.7 - 4.5, HL: 0.76 - 0.93, HW- 85 - 1 05 CI- 89-103 SL- 0.65 - 0.75, SI: 75 - 82, PML: 0.55 - 0.82, PW: 0.7 - 1.0, PMI: 1 16 - 136 AL- 8 -'l 13 (16 measured).

Mandibles striate, armed with four teeth. Mid-portion of clypeus carinulate at least with a tew cannulae; anterior clypeal margin produced into a narrow and concave translucent lamella which is produced into small denticles in the antero-lateral corners Frontal triangle shiny, with few carinulae posteriorly. Head above antennal scrobes trapezoid lateral sides evenly narrowed towards clypeus; ventral part of head (below antennal scrobes) distinctly wider, parallel-sided, the genae distinctly protruding and visible from above. Antennal scrobes posteriorly shagreened, occasionally with additional transverse carinulae or rugae Genae rugulose. Compound eyes situated in posterior half of sides of head close to posterior corners. Maximum diameter of eye 0.2 - 0.26, with 11-14 ommatidia in the longest row.

Promesonotum slightly wider than long, laterally margined and slightly overhanging alitrunk. Declivity of propodeum almost invisible from above, overhung by posterior margin of promesonotal shield (the propodeal spines are visible though). Anterior pronotal corners produced into acute, laterally projecting teeth. At about level of (not visible) promesonotal suture the shield constricted by a lateral indentation which is followed by a short lateral denticle and a large, posteriorly directed straight spine on each side, which may vary considerably in length. In specimens from Sri Lanka the posterior spines occasionally are conspicuously diverging ("dimicans"). Posterior margin of the mesonotum a translucent lamella between the posterior spines, overhanging the propodeum. Propodeal declivity meeting dorsum of alitrunk almost at a right angle. Propodeum shiny throughout, with occasional transverse rugae above or at level of the slender and acute, only little diverging lateral spines. The suture between dorsal alitrunk and propodeum is very well visible beneath posterior mesonotal margin on the propodeal declivity, when viewed from behind.

Petiole in profile cuneate, when viewed from behind, highest in middle, occasionally the crest acute. Both anterior and posterior faces of petiole unsculptured. Postpetiole nodiform, strongly rugulose throughout. Caster densely shagreened, sometimes partly glossy (lucidus).

Dorsum of head longitudinally carinulate to rugulose anteriorly, occipital region with a reticulum, width of meshes ca. 50 - 70 μm. Secondarily the meshes with a distinct shagreenmg. Promesonotal shield and postpetiole strongly reticulate-rugulose, width of meshes ca. 50 - 80 μm, without secondary shagreening. All dorsal surfaces with a shorter suberect, scattered pilosity (ca. 100 - 170 μm) and fewer, extraordinary long, outstanding erect setae (0.3 - 0.6 mm). Femora and tibiae with numerous long, outstanding hairs as well. Populations from different samples vary noticeably in the hair length. Body mostly bicoloured, with head, alitrunk, petiole and postpetiole of a pale to darker ferrugmeous and the gaster piceous. Sometimes appearance of entire body uniformly dark.

Schödl (1999) - Meranoplus bicolor workers with identical label data as the type series of Meranoplus birmanus: TL: 4,1 ± 0.17 (3.8 - 4.4), HL: 0.95 ± 0.037 (0.88 - 0.98), HW: 0.88 ± 0.035 (0.84 - 0.93), CI: 93 ± 1 (90 - 95), SL: 0.70 ± 0.028 (0.66 - 0.73), SI: 80 ± 2 (78 - 83), PML: 0.69 ± 0.040 (0.60 - 0.75), PW: 0.85 ± 0.042 (0.80 - 0.90), PMI: 124 ± 3 (120 - 130), AL: 0.96 ± 0.058 (0.8 - l.0), PTL: 0.42 ± 0.019 (0.39- 0.44), PTH: 0.43 ± 0.024 (0.39 - 0.46), PTI: 96 ± 3 (93 - 100), eyes with 12 - 14 ommatidia in the longest row, maximum diameter of eye 0.21 - 0.25 (12 measured).

Type Material
Schödl (1999) - The holotype worker could not be located.

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