Paratopula bauhinia

The holotype specimen was found foraging in sparse leaf litter on a man-made concrete structure raised at about 1.8m above ground level, and located under the tree species Syzygium jambos Alston and Litsea monopetala Persoon. The surrounding habitat is the edge of a young secondary forest close to a well-used hiking trail in Lung Fu Shan Country Park, Hong Kong. It was found at approximately 20:30 h. Both paratype specimens were found approximately 275m further up the trail, on a railing adjacent to the concrete hiking trail. This part of the trail is surrounded by a monoculture plantation of the tree Lophostemon confertus Wilson & Waterh. They were both found at approximately 21:00h at three months interval. (Luo & Guénard 2016)

Distribution
This species is known only from the type localities, both located in Lung Fu Shan Country Park, on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: China.

Biology
Luo & Guénard 2016) - Paratopula bauhinia represents the first record of this genus in Hong Kong and only the third record of this genus for China (others are from Shanghai and Xizang). All specimens were found in Lung Fu Shan Country Park, a protected country park located close to the highly urbanized city centre of Hong Kong Island. The holotype worker was found foraging in shallow leaf litter on a man-made structure in a highly disturbed young secondary forest, along a hiking trail (Figure 6). This particular part of the trail has abandoned construction work; trash and glass litter the ground. The paratypes were found further up the trail, where the trail is more developed, on a railing (Figure 6). This part of the trail is located within a monoculture plantation and has thus experienced important disturbance in the past. While P. bauhinia has been collected from only two sites, the level of disturbance of these sites has lead us to conclude that this species is not a mature forest specialist but could be a species associated with young or disturbed forested habitats.

Castes
known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

 *  bauhinia. Paratopula bauhinia Luo & Guénard, 2016: 4, figs. 1-7 (w.) CHINA.

Worker
Holotype. HL 1.34 mm; HW 1.13 mm; MaL 0.68 mm; SL 0.92 mm; EL 0.29 mm; WL 1.90 mm; PNW 0.84 mm; PNH 0.66 mm; MW 0.45 mm; SPL 0.50 mm; PTL 0.84 mm; PTW 0.45 mm; PTH 0.44 mm; TL 6.40 mm; PPL 0.50 mm; PPW 0.56 mm; PPH 0.48 mm; CI 84; SI 81; MaI 61; PI 54; PPI 112

Paratypes (n=2). HL 1.29-1.31 mm; HW 1.08- 1.10 mm; MaL 0.60-0.65 mm; SL 0.90-0.92 mm; EL 0.26-0.30 mm; WL 1.73-1.84 mm; PNW 0.75- 0.78 mm; PNH 0.58-0.60 mm; MW 0.41-0.42 mm; SPL 0.47 mm; PTL 0.78-0.82 mm; PTW 0.39-0.41 mm; PTH 0.35-0.41 mm; TL 6.21-6.78 mm; PPL 0.44-0.45 mm; PPW 0.52-0.54 mm; PPH 0.43-0.45 mm; CI 84-86; SI 84; MaI 56-60; PI 50; PPI 116-123

Head. In full face view, head longer than broad (CI 84-86), rectangular in shape. Occipital margin with median portion slightly concave. Posterior corners of head rounded. Sides of head straight and parallel. Eyes oval-shaped, in the longest dimension with a dozen ommatidia and located roughly anterior to the midpoint of the head. Antennal insertion covered by frontal lobes. Frontal carinae extending from the frontal lobes and nearly reaching the posterior margin of head; roughly as long as the scape. Parallel lines of faintly reticulate rugae present between the frontal carinae. Anterior clypeal margin convex with anteromedian portion slightly concave. Mandibles short relative to head (MaI 56-61). Mandibles large and triangular, with masticatory margin armed with 10 teeth. Apical tooth large and acute followed by smaller triangular teeth decreasing in size progressively. Mandibles with fine appressed hairs, with a few decumbent hairs present on the apical margin of mandibles and oriented ventrally. Antenna with 12 segments and terminated by an incrassate 3-segmented club. In profile view, scape slightly bent and slightly increasing in diameter from base to apex. In full face view, antennal scapes not reaching the occipital margin (SI 81-84). Mesosoma. In profile view, promesonotum slightly convex. In dorsal view, pronotal humeri round in appearance, pronotum broader than long with its anteromedian portion convex and progressively rounded. Promesonotal suture clearly visible in profile view but indistinct in dorsal view. Metanotal groove conspicuous in profile and dorsal view. In profile view, metanotal groove deeper than half of length of the longest hair present on the dorsal surface of the propodeum. In profile view, propodeal declivity forming a 120° angle with the dorsal surface of propodeum. Propodeal spines straight and well developed, not extending beyond the propodeal lobes. When viewed dorsally, propodeal spines are rounded blunt in appearance, and not tapering. Propodeal spiracle opening conspicuous and round in shape. Propodeal lobes developed and broadly rounded.

Metasoma. In profile, peduncle of petiole long, ventrally with a small denticle near base. In profile, petiole node roughly trapezoidal in shape, and dorsum of postpetiole broadly convex. Anterior 2/3 of subpostpetiolar process margin convex when viewed in profile. In dorsal view, petiole roughly oval in shape, longer than broad (PI 50-54). Postpetiole broader than long (PPI 112-123), more narrow at the anterior edge than the posterior edge, roughly trapezoidal in shape. Gaster not sculptured (smooth), with short hairs present. First gastral tergite large, covering 2/3 of the gaster with longitudinal striae at the base.

Sculpture. Cuticle thick, strongly sculptured on all surfaces except the antenna, legs, peduncle of petiole and gaster. Frons with parallel, faintly reticulate rugae.

Pubescence. All dorsal surfaces (except peduncle) with short, erect, acute hairs, gold in colour. Hairs on first gastral tergite and dorsal surfaces of the head, mesosoma and metasoma acute and almost spearlike in appearance. Subpostpetiolar process with a few thin erect hairs. Antenna covered in short appressed hairs, with additional short sub-erect hairs present. Colouration. Body relatively uniform in golden-brown colour, legs lighter in colouration. Apical portion of mandibles with darker reddish coloration.

Type Material


Paratypes. Two workers collected from HONG KONG, Lung Fu Shan Country Park. One worker found at N 22.278592 E 114.13817 (approximately 275m away from where the holotype was found), elevation 272m, collected by hand at approximately 21:00 h, 06.i.2016 (Gordon Yong), label “ANTWEB1009013” deposited in SBSHKU. The second was collected near the location of the other paratype, at N 22.279139 E114.136755, elevation 273m, hand collected at approximately 21:00 h, 21.iv.2016 (Ying Y. Luo), label “ANTWEB1009014” deposited at.

Etymology
This species is named after the genus of the tree species Bauhinia blakeana Dunn, also known as the Hong Kong Orchid Tree, an emblem of Hong Kong. The flower of Bauhinia blakeana appears on the Hong Kong flag, and is commonly known by Hong Kong inhabitants as the “Bauhinia”, which refers to the type locality of the new Paratopula species described. It also indirectly refers to the suspected arboreal habits of the new species. The name is a noun and is thus invariant.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Luo Y. Y., and B. Guenard. 2016. Descriptions of a new species and the gyne in the rarely collected arboreal genera Paratopula and Rotastruma (Hymenopytera: Formicidae) from Hong Kong, with a discussion on their ecology. Asian Myrmecology 8: 1-16. DOI: 10.20362/am.008016