Temnothorax haira

Temnothorax haira is known only from two individuals collected on Ani-jima Island, Ogasawara Islands, Japan (Japanese Ant Image Database).

Identification
Terayama and Onoyama (1999) - A small species: total length of workers around 2 mm. Head and gaster brownish, rest of body yellow. Scapes reaching posterior margin of head in full face view. Mesosomal dorsum weakly convex. Metanotal groove not incised dorsally. Propodeal spines relatively long, about twice as long as their basal width. Petiolar peduncle short; node low, with straight anterior slope in profile. Subpetiolar process small, triangular.

T. haira is distinguished from other yellowish species by the shorter propodeal spines (from Temnothorax basara and Temnothorax indra), by the rugulose clypeus (from Temnothorax arimensis and Temnothorax kubira), and by the yellow mesosoma and mesonotal sides without rugulae (from Temnothorax santra).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Japan.

Nomenclature

 *  haira. Leptothorax haira Terayama & Onoyama, 1999: 84, fig. 29 (w.) JAPAN. Combination in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 271.

Worker
Holotype. HL 0.65 mm; HW 0.54 mm; SL 50 mm; CI 83; SI 93; WL 0.77 mm; PW 0.39 mm; PtW 0.16 mm; PtH 0.21 mm; TL 2.3 mm.

Head 1.2 times as long as wide, with straight posterior margin in full face view; sides behind eyes a little converging posteriorly. Mandibles longitudinally rugulose. Anterior margin of clypeus weakly convex. Antennae with 12 segments; scapes reaching posterior margin of head in full-face view. Eyes moderate in size, maximum diameter 0.13 mm.

Mesosomal dorsum weakly convex; metanotal groove not incised dorsally. Propodeal spines relatively long, 2.4 times (left) or 1.8 times (right) as long as their basal width. Petiolar peduncle short; node low, rounded dorsally, with straight and steep anterior slope and rounded and gentle posterior slope in profile. Subpetiolar process small, triangular. Postpetiole higher than long and higher than petiole in profile; dorsum of node in profile nearly straight; in dorsal view node 1.8 times as wide as long, with subparallel sides and straight anterior margin.

Head dorsum longitudinally rugulose, the spaces between densely punctulate; pronotal dorsum rugose, the spaces between densely punctulate; dorsa of mesonotum and propodeum densely punctulate with longitudinal rugulae; mesonotal and propodeal sides, petiole, and postpetiole densely punctulate; gaster smooth and shining.

Head dorsum with short stout erect hairs ; mesosomal dorsum with about 14 stout erect hairs; dorsa of petiole and postpetiole each with 2 pairs of erect hairs; gaster with suberect hairs.

Head dorsum brownish yellow, gaster yellowish brown, the rest of body yellow; mandibles and scapes brownish yellow, funiculi brown, legs brownish yellow to yellowish brown.

Type Material
Holotype. Worker, Ani-jima, Ogasawara Is. , Tokyo Pref., 16.IIII.1986, T. Satoh leg. Paratype. 1 worker, same data as holotype (gaster lacking).

Determination Clarifications
T. haira corresponds to Leptothorax sp. 6 of Terayama et al. (1992).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Terayama M., S. Kubota, and K. Eguchi. 2014. Encyclopedia of Japanese ants. Asakura Shoten: Tokyo, 278 pp.
 * Terayama M., and S. Kubota. 2002. Ants of Tokyo, Japan. ARI 26: 1-32.
 * Terayama M.; Onoyama, K. 1999. The ant genus Leptothorax Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Japan. Memoirs of the Myrmecological Society of Japan 1:71-97.