Lioponera longitarsus

Lioponera longitarsus was originally described from India and subsequently recorded from UAE (Collingwood et al., 2011); Egypt (Sharaf, 2006); Philippines, North Australia, and Taiwan (Terayama et al., 1988). At Rawdhat Khorim, Saudi Arabia, this species is considered rare, with only four specimens. All are alate males, three attracted to a light trap and one collected by a pitfall trap. They were collected in April, October and November (Sharaf et al., 2013).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates. Australasian Region: Australia. Indo-Australian Region: New Guinea, Philippines. Oriental Region: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam. Palaearctic Region: China, Egypt, Israel.

Biology
Heterick (2009) - The existence of this ant in Perth (WA) is interesting, given its tropical distribution elsewhere in Australia and overseas (south and south-east Asia). The species doubtless occurs as a tramp here: I have never seen specimens from outside of the Perth metropolitan area, and it is the only Dorylinae that can be found in built-up suburbs in Perth. Brown (1975) speculated that since it is a hollow twig dweller, L. longitarsus could have been transported across water in floating branches. However, the workers I have seen have all been found crawling on paths or grass.

Nomenclature

 * . Lioponera longitarsus Mayr, 1879: 667 (w.q.) INDIA (West Bengal).
 * Type-material: 2 syntype workers, 1 syntype queen.
 * Type-locality: India: Calcutta (= Kolkata) (Rothney).
 * Type-depositories: BMNH, MHNW.
 * Forel, 1900d: 329 (m.).
 * Combination in Cerapachys: Brown, 1975: 23;
 * combination in Lioponera: Borowiec, M.L. 2016: 164.
 * Status as species: Emery, 1887b: 444; Dalla Torre, 1893: 17; Forel, 1895f: 422; Forel, 1900d: 329; Emery, 1902c: 24; Rothney, 1903: 97; Bingham, 1903: 27; Emery, 1911d: 12; Forel, 1913f: 187; Wheeler, W.M. 1929g: 58; Donisthorpe, 1939a: 253; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 21; Brown, 1975: 23, 63; Collingwood, 1985: 237; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 26; Taylor, 1987a: 18; Kugler, J. 1988: 256; Terayama, et al. 1988: 38; Bolton, 1995b: 143; Tang, J., Li, et al. 1995: 26; Wu, J. & Wang, 1995: 48; Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 312; Tiwari, 1999: 33; Mathew & Tiwari, 2000: 269; Lin & Wu, 2003: 60; Jaitrong & Nabhitabhata, 2005: 18; Framenau & Thomas, 2008: 58; Heterick, 2009: 127; Terayama, 2009: 121; Vonshak, et al. 2009: 38; Collingwood, et al. 2011: 408; Guénard & Dunn, 2012: 24; Sharaf, Abdel-Dayem, et al. 2013: 570; Bharti & Akbar, 2013a: 83 (in key); Bharti & Wachkoo, 2013d: 1192 (in key); Borowiec, L. 2014: 62; Bharti, Guénard, et al. 2016: 22; Chen, Shi & Zhou, 2016: 9 (in key); Rasheed, et al. 2019: 428.
 * Senior synonym of aegyptiacus: Bolton, 1995b: 143.
 * Senior synonym of alfierii: Bolton, 1995b: 143.
 * Senior synonym of australis Forel, 1895f: 422; Brown, 1975: 23; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 26; Taylor, 1987a: 18; Bolton, 1995b: 143.
 * Senior synonym of bicolor: Brown, 1975: 23; Bolton, 1995b: 143.
 * Senior synonym of cooperi: Bolton, 1995b: 143.
 * Senior synonym of pygmaeus: Brown, 1975: 23; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 26; Taylor, 1987a: 18; Bolton, 1995b: 143.
 * Distribution: Australia, China, Christmas I., Egypt, India, Israel, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines (Luzon), Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.
 * aegyptiacus. Cerapachys aegyptiacus Brown, 1975: 22.
 * Replacement name for Lioponera cooperi Donisthorpe, 1939a: 255. [Junior secondary homonym of Phyracaces cooperi Arnold, 1915: 18.]
 * Combination in Lioponera: Borowiec, M.L. 2016: 164 (by implication).
 * Junior synonym of longitarsus: Bolton, 1995b: 142.
 * alfierii. Lioponera alfierii Donisthorpe, 1939a: 256 (m.) EGYPT.
 * Type-material: holotype male.
 * Type-locality: Egypt: Wadi Digla, 23.viii.1925 (Alfieri).
 * Type-depository: BMNH.
 * Combination in Cerapachys: Brown, 1975: 22.
 * Status as species: Brown, 1975: 22.
 * Junior synonym of longitarsus: Bolton, 1995b: 142.
 * australis. Lioponera longitarsus var. australis Forel, 1895f: 422 (w.) AUSTRALIA.
 * Type-material: holotype (?) worker.
 * [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 26, suspect a syntype series.]
 * Type-locality: Australia: Queensland, Mackay (G. Turner).
 * Type-depository: MHNG.
 * Subspecies of longitarsus: Emery, 1911d: 12; Donisthorpe, 1939a: 254.
 * Status as species: Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 264.
 * Junior synonym of longitarsus: Forel, 1895f: 422; Brown, 1975: 23; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 26; Taylor, 1987a: 18; Bolton, 1995b: 142.
 * bicolor. Lioponera bicolor Wheeler, W.M. & Chapman, 1925: 54, pl. 1, figs. 15, 16 (w.q.m.) PHILIPPINES (Luzon I.).
 * Type-material: syntype workers, syntype queens, syntype males (numbers not stated, “several”).
 * Type-locality: Philippines: Luzon, Laguna Prov., Los Baños (Willliams).
 * Type-depository: MCZC.
 * [Unresolved junior secondary homonym of Phyracaces bicolor Clark, 1924b: 77 (Bolton, 1995b: 142).]
 * Status as species: Donisthorpe, 1939a: 255; Baltazar, 1966: 233.
 * Junior synonym of longitarsus: Brown, 1975: 23; Bolton, 1995b: 142.
 * cooperi. Lioponera cooperi Donisthorpe, 1939a: 255 (m.) EGYPT.
 * Type-material: 2 syntype males.
 * Type-localities: Egypt: Siwa, 30.vi.1935 (J.O. Cooper), and Egypt: Marayi, 26.iii.1935 (J.O. Cooper).
 * Type-depository: BMNH.
 * [Junior secondary homonym of Cerapachys cooperi Arnold, 1915: 14 (at the time of Brown, 1975: 22), and of Phyracaces cooperi Arnold, 1915: 18.]
 * Status as species: Donisthorpe, 1942a: 27.
 * Replacement name: Cerapachys aegyptiacus Brown, 1975: 22.
 * pygmaeus. Phyracaces pygmaeus Clark, 1934b: 26, pl. 2, fig. 7 (w.) AUSTRALIA.
 * Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
 * Type-locality: Australia: N Queensland, Kuranda (F.P. Dodd).
 * Type-depository: MVMA.
 * Junior synonym of longitarsus: Brown, 1975: 23; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 26; Taylor, 1987a: 18; Bolton, 1995b: 144.

Description
Worker

Bingham (1903): Head and abdomen black, shining; antennae, mandibles, thorax, pedicel and legs red. Head, thorax and abdomen above with scattered minute punctures and sparse, very short, erect black hairs. Antennae with the subapical joint of the flagellum longer than broad, the apical joint more than twice as long as broad. For the rest the characters of the genus.

Length: 4 mm

Queen

Bingham (1903): Similar to worker, larger. colour as in the worker.

Length: 4 mm

Male

Bingham (1903): The characters of the genus. Colour as in the worker Wings subhyaline, nervures very pale, stigma brown. Pygidium without point. Hypopygium with a narrow, deep, angular emargination.

Length: 3.5 mm

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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