Echinopla tritschleri

Identification
Zettel and Laciny (2015) - A member of the Echinopla melanarctos group. Echinopla tritschleri differs from Echinopla melanarctos, Echinopla pallipes and Echinopla circulus by the position of the eyes that are close to the mid-length of the head. The short hair of the mesosoma is less conspicuous than in E. pallipes and E. circulus sp. n. The sculpture of gaster tergite 1 is very characteristic: anteriorly with a few tubercles, sides and disc with punctures that flow together to form longitudinal lines, and posteriorly with punctures that flow together into transverse lines.

Gynes similar to workers but differing by the following characters: body much larger (TL 8.4–8.7 vs. 6.1–6.8; HW1 2.12–2.19 vs. 1.58–1.86); eyes slightly larger; ocelli present; scape wider; pedestals comparatively low and restricted to posterior of head, pronotum, propodeum, and base of gaster tergite 1; scutum and scutellum with coarse, irregular rugae, scutum anteriorly with short median carina; short pilosity of dorsum less obvious; thoracic structures as typical for winged ant gynes (all examined specimens with wings broken off); scutellum laterally with a short lobe.

Distribution
Zettel & Laciny (2017) - Previous records of E. tritschleri were from Sumatra, Borneo (Forel 1901), and Kelantan in West Malaysia (Zettel & Laciny 2015). The record from Perak is the second from the Asian mainland.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia.

Nomenclature

 *  tritschleri. Echinopla tritschleri Forel, 1901h: 74 (w.) INDONESIA (Sumatra). Forel, 1913: 134 (q.).

Type Material
Zettel & Laciny (2017) - 1 worker, from West Malaysia, Perak, 20 km N of Ipoh, Banjaran Keledang, Ulu Chepor, Peninjau Mountains, 800 m a.s.l., 22–24.III.2002, leg. Petr Čechovský.

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
 * Forel A. 1901. Formiciden des Naturhistorischen Museums zu Hamburg. Neue Calyptomyrmex-, Dacryon-, Podomyrma- und Echinopla-Arten. Mitt. Naturhist. Mus. Hambg. 18: 43-82.
 * Forel A. 1911. Die Ameisen des K. Zoologischen Museums in München. Sitzungsber. Math.-Phys. Kl. K. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. Münch. 11: 249-303.
 * [[Media:Forel 1913l.pdf|Forel A. 1913k. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse einer Forschungsreise nach Ostindien ausgeführt im Auftrage der Kgl. Preuss. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin von H. v. Buttel-Reepen. II. Ameisen aus Sumatra, Java, Malacca und Ceylon. Gesammelt von Herrn Prof. Dr. v. Buttel-Reepen in den Jahren 1911-1912. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 36:1-148.]]
 * Hashimoto Y., Y. Morimoto, and M. Mohamed. 2003. Species List of Ground and Leaf Litter Ants Collected in Lower Kinabatangan. Pp 13-18. In Lower Kinabatangan Scientific Expedition 2002, 176 pp. ISBN-13: 983-2369-11-8
 * Mustafa N.A., H.M.W. Salim, C. Fletcher, A.R. Kassim, and M.D. Potts. 2011. Taxonomic and functional diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in an upper hill dipterocarp forest in Peninsular Malaysia. The Raffles bulletin of Zoology 59(2): 181-194.
 * Pfeiffer M.; Mezger, D.; Hosoishi, S.; Bakhtiar, E. Y.; Kohout, R. J. 2011. The Formicidae of Borneo (Insecta: Hymenoptera): a preliminary species list. Asian Myrmecology 4:9-58
 * Stitz H. 1925. Ameisen von den Philippinen, den malayischen und ozeanischen Inseln. Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin 1923: 110-136.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1919. The ants of Borneo. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 63:43-147.
 * Yusah K. M., T. M. Fayle, G. Harris, and W. A. Foster. 2012. Optimizing diversity assesment protocols for high canopy ants in tropical rain forest. Biotropica 44(1): 73-81.