Tetramorium carinatum

Collections have been made in rainforest from wood (dead branch, rotting wood).

Identification
Bolton (1977) - The species most closely related to carinatum is Tetramorium aspersum, and their relationship appears to be close indeed. They are separable on details of cephalic sculpture which appear to be consistent and by the fact that they seem to be mutually exclusive as regards their respective ranges. Although this is based on relatively little material it is interesting to note that the known range of carinatum includes Sulawesi, New Guinea and the Aru Is whilst that of aspersum tends to be more easterly, occurring in the Philippines, Morotai I., Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Is.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Indonesia, New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands.

Nomenclature

 *  carinatum. Myrmica carinata Smith, F. 1859a: 148 (w.) INDONESIA (Aru I.). Combination in Xiphomyrmex: Donisthorpe, 1932c: 455; in Tetramorium: Bolton, 1977: 86. Senior synonym of aruensis, costatus, deficiens, flavescens: Bolton, 1977: 86.
 * costatus. Xiphomyrmex costatus Emery, 1897c: 587, pl. 15, fig. 26 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Junior synonym of carinatum: Bolton, 1977: 86.
 * deficiens. Xiphomyrmex costatus subsp. deficiens Emery, 1897c: 588 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Junior synonym of carinatum: Bolton, 1977: 86.
 * flavescens. Xiphomyrmex costatus subsp. flavescens Emery, 1897c: 588 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Mann, 1919: 348 (m.). Junior synonym of carinatum: Bolton, 1977: 86.
 * aruensis. Xiphomyrmex aruensis Karavaiev, 1935a: 105, fig. 24 (w.) INDONESIA (Aru I.). Junior synonym of carinatum: Bolton, 1977: 86.

Worker
Bolton (1977) - TL 3.9-4.6, HL 0.92-1.00, HW 0.82-0.90, CI 86-93, SL 0.94-1.04, SI 109-119, PW 0.64-0.74, AL 1.16-1.24 (20 measured).

Mandibles usually very feebly striate, more rarely smooth. Antennal sea pes elongate, projecting beyond the occipital border when laid back in full-face view and with SI> 105. Antennal scrobes reduced to an impression bounded above by the frontal carinae and below by a strong longitudinal ruga but appearing quite distinctive as they lack any sculpture to the level of the posterior margin of the eye. Propodeal spines quite short (Fig. 3), generally feebly upcurved along their length. Metapleural lobes dentiform, usually narrow and acute but more rarely triangular. Peduncle of petiole long, the node in profile high and narrow. Sculpture on dorsum of head sparse, consisting anteriorly of a few longitudinal, widely spaced and strongly defined carina-like rugae. Posteriorly on the dorsum, behind the level of the eyes, these rugae tend to branch and to form cross-meshes so that a very loose and open rugoreticulum is present. The spaces between all these rugulae are smooth and unsculptured. Dorsal alitrunk loosely reticulate-rugose, the pedicel and gaster unsculptured. Colour uniform yellowish brown to light brown, often with the head and gaster darker in shade than the alitrunk.

Type Material
Bolton (1977) - LECTOTYPE worker, Indonesia: Aru Is (A. R. Wallace), here designated [examined].

Xiphomyrmex aruensis Karawajew, 1935.

Type locality(-ies): “Wammar, Aroe Archipel, 9.III.1913, W. Karawajew, Nr. 2567, Kolonie in eimen morschen Baumstamm, zahlreiche ww”.

Original Karawajew label(-s): “2567”.

Material: SYNTYPES, 11 w (newly mounted, IN 314/6/1), 128 w (in alcohol, IN 314/BAMS1/Karaw55).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Bolton B. 1977. The ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The genus Tetramorium Mayr in the Oriental and Indo-Australian regions, and in Australia. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 36:67-151.
 * Bolton, B. "The ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicinae. The genus Tetramorium Mayr in the Oriental and Indo-Australian regions and in Australia." Bulletin of the British Museum (National History): Entomology series 36, no. 2 (1977): 68-151.
 * CSIRO Collection
 * 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
 * Donisthorpe H. 1948. A third instalment of the Ross Collection of ants from New Guinea. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (11)14: 589-604.
 * Donisthorpe H. 1949. A fifth instalment of the Ross Collection of ants from New Guinea. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (12)1: 487-506.
 * Emery C. 1897. Formicidarum species novae vel minus cognitae in collectione Musaei Nationalis Hungarici quas in Nova-Guinea, colonia germanica, collegit L. Biró. Természetrajzi Füzetek 20: 571-599.
 * Janda M., G. D. Alpert, M. L. Borowiec, E. P. Economo, P. Klimes, E. Sarnat, and S. O. Shattuck. 2011. Cheklist of ants described and recorded from New Guinea and associated islands. Available on http://www.newguineants.org/. Accessed on 24th Feb. 2011.
 * Karavaiev V. 1935. Neue Ameisen aus dem Indo-Australischen Gebiet, nebst Revision einiger Formen. Treubia 15: 57-118.
 * Mann W. M. 1919. The ants of the British Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 63:273-391.
 * Mann William. 1916. The Ants of the British Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 63(7): 273-391
 * Mann, W.M. 1919. The ants of the British Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard College 63: 273-391
 * Martynov A. V., and A. G. Radchenko. 2016. Karawajew’s ant type specimens (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the National Museum of Natural History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Zootaxa 4097 (2): 244–254.
 * Viehmeyer H. 1912. Ameisen aus Deutsch Neuguinea gesammelt von Dr. O. Schlaginhaufen. Nebst einem Verzeichnisse der papuanischen Arten. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlichen Zoologischen und Anthropologische-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden 14: 1-26.
 * Wheeler W.M. 1935. Check list of the ants of Oceania. Occasional Papers of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum 11(11):1-56.
 * Wheeler, William Morton. 1934. Formicidae of the Templeton Crocker Expedition, 1933. California Academy of Sciences. 21(14):173-181.
 * Wheeler, William Morton.1935.Checklist of the Ants of Oceania.Occasional Papers 11(11): 3-56