Aphaenogaster takahashii

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

Nomenclature

 * . Aphaenogaster (Deromyrma) takahashii Wheeler, W.M. 1930a: 96, fig. 1 (w.) TAIWAN.
 * Status as species: Chapman & Capco, 1951: 134; Bolton, 1995b: 73; Wu, J. & Wang, 1995: 110; Zhang, W. & Zheng, 2002: 219; Lin & Wu, 2003: 64; Terayama, 2009: 164; Guénard & Dunn, 2012: 40.

Worker
Length 5-6.5 mm.

Head oval, nearly one and two thirds times as long as broad, with rather small, moderately convex eyes situated very distinctly in front of its middle. Sides of head feebly convex and converging slightly toward the anterior border; behind the eyes converging much more decidedly to the occipital border which has a pronounced collar and forms the posterior border of the head. This border is about half as broad as the anterior border of the head, and there is a feeble indication of a neck-like constriction just in front of the collar. Mandibles rather short, with nearly straight external borders; the terminal borders with three large apical, and several smaller and irregular basal, teeth. Clypeus short, longitudinally grooved in the middle; its anterior border broadly rounded, with a distinct median notch. Frontal carinae subparallel; frontal area large, subtriangular, impressed, with a median carinula. Antennae long and slender; scapes reaching fully two fifths their length beyond the occipital border of the head; funiculi with a four-jointed club; all the joints more than twice as long as broad. Thorax long and slender; pronotum longer than broad, narrowed anteriorly and scarcely convex above; mesonotum as long as the pronotum, slender and sloping, its dorsal surface in profile straight in the middle, with a slight convexity near the anterior end and a more pronounced one just in front of the epinotum. The latter is nearly one and one half times as long as broad, in profile with horizontal, feebly and evenly convex base, fully twice as long as the declivity, which is straight and perpendicular. Epinotal teeth small, scarcely longer than broad at their bases and erect. Petiole slender, its peduncle as long as the node, which is rather low and conical and only about half as high as the segment. Postpetiole from above regularly elliptical, nearly one and one half times as long as broad, its node in profile similar to that of the petiole but thicker and more rounded above. Gaster moderately large, oval, narrowed anteriorly. Legs long and slender.

Mandibles, head, thorax and pedicel subopaque; mandibles longitudinally rugulose and finely punctate; head and clypeus with similar sculpture, but the rugules are coarser, and more distinct on the preocular portions of the head and with a tendency to become reticulate near the occiput. Antenna! scapes finely longitudinally rugulose. Thorax finely and densely punctate and obscurely and very finely rugulose, the rugules on the pro- and epinotum being transverse, those on the mesopleurae more distinct and longitudinal. Petiole and postpetiole more finely and more superficially punctate, so that the dorsal surface, especially of the postpetiolar node, is smoother and less opaque than the thorax. Gaster smooth and shining, microscopically and indistinctly punctate, with larger interspersed piligerous punctures.

Hairs pale yellow, short, obtuse, erect, moderately abundant and uniformly distributed on the body; appendages with much shorter, pointed, oblique hairs; clypeus with a fringe of long pointed hairs.

Mandibles, antennae, head and thorax ferruginous; mandibular teeth black; pedicel, gaster and legs dull yellow.

Type Material
Described from five specimens taken by Dr. Takahashi at Botel Tobago.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * 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
 * Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
 * Hu C.-H. 2006. Indigenized conservation and biodiversity maintenance on Orchid Island. PhD Thesis, graduate school of the University of Minnesota. 150 pages.
 * Lee T. L., and Y. S. Wei. 2005. Study for the temporal and spatial variation of the ant assemblages as the biological indicator in national parks. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances 4(4): 491-496.
 * Li Z.h. 2006. List of Chinese Insects. Volume 4. Sun Yat-sen University Press
 * Pan Y.S. 2007. Systematic Study on the Ant Genera Pheidole Westwood and Aphaenogaster Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formincidae : Myrmicinae) In China. Guangxi Normal University, Guangxi, China. 73 pages.
 * Terayama M. 2009. A synopsis of the family Formicidae of Taiwan (Insecta: Hymenoptera). Research Bulletin of Kanto Gakuen University. Liberal Arts 17:81-266.
 * Terayama Mamoru. 2009. A synopsis of the family Formicidae of Taiwan (Insecta, Hymenoptera). The Research Bulletin of Kanto Gakuen University 17: 81-266.
 * Terayama, M. 2009. A synopsis of the family Formicidae of Taiwan (Insecta; Hymenoptera). The Research Bulletin of Kanto Gakuen University 17: 81-266.
 * Wang 2008. Ant species diversity on Shangqiu forest park, Henan province. Sichuan Journal of Zoology 27(6): 1041-1044.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1930. Formosan ants collected by Dr. R. Takahashi. Proceedings of the New England Zoological Club 11: 93-106.
 * Wu J. and Wang C. 1995. The ants of China. China Forestry Publishing House, Beijing. 214 pp.