Tetramorium flavipes

There are more than a dozen rainforest collections of this ant, with a single dry evergreen forest record; all from litter samples.

Identification
Bolton (1977) - Very closely related to Tetramorium eleates, separated only tenuously by slight colour differences and the fact that in eleates the petiole dorsum tends to be sculptured over its entire surface whilst in flavipes there is an un sculptured median strip. These are very weak characters for separating two species of Tetramorium and I feel that further collections may show that these are but expressions of the same species.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: Laos, Thailand, Vietnam. Palaearctic Region: China.

Nomenclature

 *  flavipes. Tetramorium (Xiphomyrmex) flavipes Emery, 1893f: 247 (footnote) (w.) THAILAND. See also: Bolton, 1977: 81.

Worker
Bolton (1977) - TL 3.2-3.6, HL 0.76-0.80, HW 0.70-0.76, CI 90-95, SL 0.53-0.62, SI 77-82, PW 0.58-0.62, AL 0.90-0.98 (12 measured).

Mandibles striate. Frontal carinae strong, reaching back almost to the occipital margin, where they merge with the sculpture. Occipital margin more or less straight to feebly concave in full-face view, the sides weakly convex. Antennal scapes moderate, SI as above. Alitrunk in dorsal view with sharply angled pronotal corners giving the alitrunk a 'square-shouldered' appearance. Propodeal spines elongate, narrow and acute; metapleural lobes elongate-triangular and sharp. Petiole node in profile slightly higher than long, with more or less parallel anterior and posterior faces and a convex dorsum. In dorsal view the petiole node is slightly longer than broad and a little broader behind than in front. Dorsal surfaces of head and alitrunk finely reticulate-rugulose, the sides and dorsum of the petiole rugulose but mediodorsally there is a narrow unsculptured longitudinal strip. Post petiole either completely smooth or at most with only very faint traces of sculpture laterally. All dorsal surfaces of head and body with erect hairs which are quite stout and tend to be blunted apically. Middle and hind tibiae without such hairs, with only short decumbent hairs. Colour black or blackish brown with pale yellow legs.

Type Material
Bolton (1977) - Holotype worker, Thailand (E. Simon?) (Probably in ).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Alcantara M. J., S. Modi, T. C. Ling, J. Monkai, H. Xu, S. Huang, and A. Nakamura. 2019. Differences in geographic distribution of ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) between forests and rubber plantations: a case study in Xishuangbanna, China, and a global meta-analysis. Myrmecological News 29: 135-145.
 * 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.
 * 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
 * Eguchi K.; Bui T. V.; Yamane S. 2011. Generic synopsis of the Formicidae of Vietnam (Insecta: Hymenoptera), part I  Myrmicinae and Pseudomyrmecinae. Zootaxa 2878: 1-61.
 * Emery C. 1893. Voyage de M. E. Simon à l'île de Ceylan (janvier-février 1892). Formicides. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 62: 239-258.
 * Forel A. 1903. Les Formicides de l'Empire des Indes et de Ceylan. Part X. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 14: 679-715.
 * Huong N. T. T., P. V. Sang, and B. T. Viet. 2015. A preliminary study on diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) at Hon Ba Nature Reserve. Environmental Scientific Conference 7: 614-620.
 * Jaitrong W., B. Guenard, E. P. Economo, N. Buddhakala, and S. Yamane. 2016. A checklist of known ant species of Laos (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Asian Myrmecology 8: 1-32. DOI: 10.20362/am.008019
 * Liu C, B. Guénard, F Hita Garcia, S. Yamane, B. Blanchard, and E. Economo. New records of ant species from Yunnan, China. Submitted to Zookeys
 * Zryanin V. A. 2011. An eco-faunistic review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). In: Structure and functions of soil communities of a monsoon tropical forest (Cat Tien National Park, southern Vietnam) / A.V. Tiunov (Editor). – M.: KMK Scientific Press. 2011. 277 р.101-124.