Cladomyrma aurochaetae

The worker series was collected from a very small colony containing only 22 workers. Therefore, it is likely that the extremely small soldiers and workers are the product of an early phase of colony foundation (= nanitics). The species has only been collected from an unidentified Neonauclea species and Neonauclea gigantea in the Hose Mountains, Sarawak, East Malaysia. The natal colony inhabited the first, single domatium of a Neonauclea gigantea sapling 0.42 m in height (Agosti et al. 1999).

Identification
Agosti et al. (1999) placed Cladomyrma species into two groups based on the shape of the queen's petiole, raised (an erect node or scale) or depressed (dorsally truncate and low). Cladomyrma aurochaetae belongs to the raised petiole group.

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

Nomenclature

 *  aurochaetae. Cladomyrma aurochaetae Agosti, Moog & Maschwitz, 1999: 16, figs. 19, 31 (s.w.q.) BORNEO.

Worker
Major worker. AL 1.04, HL 1.02, HW 0.92, EL 0.18, SL 0.48, CI 90, EI 20, SI 52 (n = 1). Small body size; body color light brown, and surface shining; clypeus in lateral view rounded, shining, and not longitudinally striate; gaster cuticle thin (when prepared out of ethanol, gaster collapsed); metapleural gland orifice small; gastral pubescence widely set, but hair longer than the space between their insertions. Minor: AL 0.60–0.68, HL 0.62–0.66, HW 0.56–0.62, EL 0.10–0.14, SL 0.30–0.36, CI 85–97, EI 18–24, SI 50–58 (n 5 5). Small body size; body color light brown, and surface shining; gastral pubescence widely set, but hairs longer than the space between their insertion.

Queen
Queen. AL 2.36–2.72, HL 1.60–1.64, HW 1.20–1.30, EL 0.50–0.54, SL 0.76–0.80, CI 74–80, EI 62–65, SI 40–43 (n = 4). Clypeus smoothly rounded with middle part shining; head elongate in frontal view; genae, just above the mandibles, slightly reddish, head otherwise blackish; head surface shining and smooth, very widely scattered punctulation between clypeus and the ocelli; dorsal part of katepisternum shining and with a distinct pubescence; metapleural gland orifice medium sized and open, in front a bunch of long, erect hairs; petiole in lateral view squamiforme, in hind view dorsally truncated; whole body covered with long, erect, golden hairs; on gastral tergites 2 and 3 erect hairs only at posterior margin; gaster tergites 2 and 3 at most with short, widely set appressed pubescence; gaster tergite 1 with long, backward curved hairs; gaster brilliantly shining; head and alitrunk evenly blackish; large body size. HOLOTYPE: Queen AL 2.72, HL 1.64, HW 1.30, EL 0.52, SL 0.80, CI 79, EI 40, SI 62.

Type Material
HOLOTYPE : E-MALAYSIA, Sarawak, Kapit, SE side Hose Mountains, 2/3/1997, Joachim Moog, 97-082, ex: Neonauclea gigantea, colony size small (worker = nanitics),. PARATYPE : EMALAYSIA, Sarawak, Kapit, SE side Hose Mountains, 2/3/1997, Joachim Moog, 97-088, ex: Neonauclea sp. AMNH,,.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Agosti D., J. Moog, and U. Maschwitz. 1999. Revision of the Oriental Plant-ant genus Cladomyrma. American Museum Novitates 3283: 1-24.
 * 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