Cladomyrma dianeae

C. dianeae appears to be a specialized ant associate of plants in the genus Neonauclea.

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 dianeae belongs to the raised petiole group.

This species is easily distinguished by the combination of nodi- to squamiform petiole and an abundant pilosity of erect hair on all gastral tergites. However, it shows a considerable variation in coloration, shape of petiole, width of alitrunk, and to a lesser extent pilosity. At the present time it is impossible to find characters that would allow segregating this species into more than one species. The colonies collected included only a limited number of specimens, and it is thus difficult to judge whether the workers are small or just at the beginning of the colony cycle.

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

Biology
Agosti et al. (1999) -  Cladomyrma dianeae appears to be a specialized ant associate of Neonauclea. All but one collection were taken from several Neonauclea species: Neonauclea borneensis, Neonauclea gigantea, Neonauclea longipedunculata, Neonauclea sp. E (J. Moog), and two or possible three other Neonauclea species. In Borneo, C. dianeae probably colonizes the three other known domatia-bearing Neonauclea as well. (Neonauclea artocarpoides, Neonauclea calcarea, Neonauclea excelsioides). The holotype queen was collected from a likely unknown Bornean Fagraea species (D. Davidson, personal commun.). All known myrmecophytic Fagraea species bear at the base of the petiole auriclelike scales which clasp the stem. The cavities thus formed are occupied by ants that close the entrances with carton material (Bequaert, 1992), a behavior not displayed by Cladomyrma ants. However, if this finding can be verified in future field studies, it would increase the number of known host plant genera of Cladomyrma to ten. We predict either that this Fagraea species is different from the species having ant-occupied auricles or that the colonization by a Cladomyrma queen occurred ‘‘erroneously’’.

Nomenclature

 *  dianeae. Cladomyrma dianeae Agosti, Moog & Maschwitz, 1999: 18, figs. 21, 33 (s.w.q.m.) BORNEO.

Worker
Major worker. AL 0.89–1.29, HL 0.90–1.42, HW 0.85–1.08, EL 0.14–0.22, SL 0.42–0.58, CI 76–90, EI 16–24, SI 49–61 (n = 8).

Medium to large sized ants; alitrunk color yellowish brown, with metapleuron, petiole, gaster, and head dark brown; gastral pubescence short and space between hairs longer than hair; clypeus in lateral view rounded; erect hairs on clypeus very short; head rather short; metapleural gland orifice covered with long erect setae.

Minor worker. AL 0.76–0.84, HL 0.70–0.89, HW 0.60–0.86, EL 0.13–0.18, SL 0.36–0.46, CI 84–93, EI 19–25, SI 53–66 (n = 8).

Medium to larger sized ants; body color dark brown with genae and pronotum yellowish brown; gastral pubescence short, dense, hairs of about same length as distances between their insertions.

Queen
AL 2.06–2.22, HL 1.32–1.44, HW 1.12–1.18, EL 0.4–0.48, SL 0.64–0.72, CI 82–86, EI 38–41, SI 58–60 (n 5 8). HOLOTYPE: Queen: AL 2.20, HL 1.40, HW 1.18, EL 0.48, SL 0.71, CI 84, EI 41, SI 60.

Clypeus smoothly rounded, almost flat, in lateral view, matte, longitudinally finely striate; head elongate in frontal view; clypeus and frontal part of head reddish, head otherwise dark brown; head surface shining; dorsal part of katepisternum matte and with a distinct pubescence; metapleural gland orifice large and open, with bunch of long, erect hairs in front; petiole in lateral view nodiform to squamiform; whole body covered with long erect, golden hairs, including all gastral tergites; gastral tergites 2 and 3 with short, widely set semidecumbent pubescence; gastral tergite 1 with erect, golden hairs; gaster somewhat shining; head and alitrunk evenly dark brown to brown to light brown; large body size. Male. Subgenital plate long and slender, apically bicornuate; small body size.

Type Material
Holotype: E-Malaysia, Sabah, Ulu Segama FR, 10/1994, Diane Davidson, 0023 (queen), ex ? Fagraea sp. (Loganiaceae),. Paratypes: E-Malaysia, Sabah, vic. Danum Valley Res. Center, 85 km W Lahad Datu, 6/29/1991, Diane Davidson, 91-012, ex: Neonauclea sp.; Sabah, vic. Danum Valley Res. Center, 85 km W Lahad Datu, 7/3/1991, Diane Davidson, 91-015, ex: Neonauclea sp. 3?; Sabah, vic. Danum Valley Res. Center, 85 km W Lahad Datu, 7/6/1991, Diane Davidson, 91- 030, ex: Neonauclea sp. 2; Sabah, vic. Danum Valley Res. Center, 85 km W Lahad Datu, 6/24/1991, Diane Davidson, 91-002, ex: Neonauclea sp., AMNH,, , , , , , collections of Agosti and Maschwitz.

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.
 * Davidson D. W., S. C. Cook, R. R. Snelling and T. H. Chua. 2003. Explaining the Abundance of Ants in Lowland Tropical Rainforest Canopies. Science 300: 969-972.
 * 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