Tetramorium ciliatum

Specimens have been collected from rainforest litter samples.

Identification
Bolton (1977) - The closest known relative of ciliatum appears to be Tetramorium flagellatum of Borneo, but in this latter species the hairs are incredibly long and the pedicel segments are differently shaped.

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

Nomenclature

 *  ciliatum. Tetramorium ciliatum Bolton, 1977: 121, fig. 49 (w.q.) THAILAND.

Worker
Holotype. TL 3.9, HL 0.88, HW 0.86, CI 98, SL 0.68, SI 79, PW 0.62, AL 1.08.

Mandibles striate, anterior clypeal margin entire. Frontal carinae very strongly developed, approaching the occipital corners and composed throughout their length of a low but conspicuous flange or raised rim. Antennal scrobes well developed, distinct, extending back beyond the level of the eyes and not as strongly sculptured as the remainder of the head. Eyes slightly in front of the middle of the feebly convex sides of the head, their maximum diameter c. 0.18. Occipital margin broadly but shallowly concave. Propodeal spines long, narrow and acute, the metapleural lobes low and triangular, acute apically. Node of petiole in profile long and low, the length of the dorsum greater than the height of the tergal portions. Anterior and posterior faces of the node short, the dorsum long and convex (Fig. 49). Postpetiole in profile low and evenly rounded. Petiole in dorsal view fractionally longer than broad, subglobular in shape. Entire dorsum of head covered with a fine, wide-meshed but very conspicuous rugoreticulum, the spaces enclosed by the meshes mostly smooth, with some vestigial ground-sculpture. Dorsal surfaces of alitrunk, petiole and postpetiole with an open, loose but strongly marked rugoreticulum, less strongly developed on the pedicel segments than on the alitrunk. Gaster unsculptured. All dorsal surfaces of head and body with abundant erect hairs, some of which are long. Anterior (leading) edges of antennal scapes with a spaced row of long, erect hairs which are longer than the maximum width of the scape; dorsal (outer) surfaces of hind tibiae with a number of long, erect hairs, the longest of which are at least equal to the maximum tibial width. Colour midbrown, the gaster darker brown, the legs lighter, dark yellowish brown.

Paratypes. As holotype, showing some variation in shade of colour and in size, TL 3.6-4.2, HL 0.80-0.96, HW 0.80-0.94, CI 97-100, SL 0.60-0.70, SI 71-79, PW 0.58-0.70, AL 0.98-1.14 (25 measured). Maximum diameter of eye c. 0.15-0.18.

Type Material
Holotype worker, Thailand: Nong Hoi (Chieng Mai), 27.vii.1975 (D. Jackson). Paratypes. 90 workers with same data as holotype and 15 workers, 3 queens as holotype but collected 19.viii.1975 (BMNH; ; ; ; ; ; ). The species is also present in Vietnam: between Phong Tho and Bac tan trac (R. E. Wheeler), specimens in BMNH and MCZ.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * 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.
 * Chen Y. Q., Q. Li, Y. L. Chen, Z. X. Lu, X. Y. Zhou. 2011. Ant diversity and bio-indicators in land management of lac insect agroecosystem in Southwestern China. Biodivers. Conserv. 20: 3017-3038.
 * Chen Y., C.-W. Luo, H. W Li, Z. H. Xu, Y. J. Liu, and S. J. Zhao. 2011. The investigation of soil ant resources on the West slope of Mt Ailao. Hubei Agricultural Sciences 50(7): 1356-1359.
 * Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
 * Lu Z., K. Li, N. Zhang, and Y. Chen. 2017. Diversity and indicator species of leaf-litter ants in Eucalyptus grandis plantations and secondary natural forests. Forest Research 29(4): 576-580
 * Lu Z., and Y. Chen. 2016. Effects of habitat on ant functional groups: a case study of Luchun County, Yunnan Province, China. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture 24(5): 801-810.
 * Song Y., Z. Xu, C. Li, N. Zhang, L. Zhang, H. Jiang, and F. Mo. 2013. An Analysis on the Ant Fauna of the Nangun river Nature Reserve in Yunnan, China. Forest Research 26(6): 773-780.
 * Suriyapong Y. 2003. Study of ground dwelling ant populations and relationship to some ecological factors in Sakaerat environmental research station, Nakhon Ratchasima. PhD thesis Suranaree University of Technology 203 pages.
 * Xu Z., Chen Z. and Hu G. 1998. Five species of the ant genera Tetramorium, Kartidris and Lophomyrmex newly recorded in China (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Southwest Forestry College 18: 236-240
 * Zhang N. N., Y. Q. Chen, Z. X. Lu, W. Zhang, and K. L. Li. 2013. Species diversity, community structure difference and indicator species of leaf-litter ants in rubber plantations and secondary natural forests in Yunnan, southwestern China. Acta Entomologica Sinica 56(11): 1314-1323.
 * Zhang Z., M. Cao, X. Yang, X. Deng, and Y. She. 2000. A study on species diversity of ant in fragments of seasonal rain forest of Xishuangbanna, China. Zoological Research 21(1): 70-75.