Meranoplus bellii

Nothing is known about the biology of .

Identification
Schödl (1998) - Unique in the Indian Subcontinent by the shape of the alitrunk, the propodeum not overhung by the promesonotal shield, and the shapes of both petiole and postpetiole. Meranoplus castaneus, the closest relative, is found from Thailand on southwards and eastwards to Borneo. It differs by the propodeum overhung by the hind margin of the promesonotal shield and the postpetiole in profile being considerably narrower than in M. bellii. Although the two species are well separated geographically, they have frequently been mixed up.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India.

Nomenclature

 * . Meranoplus bellii Forel, 1902c: 240 (w.) INDIA (Karnataka).
 * Type-material: lectotype worker (by designation of Schödl, 1998: 370), 6 paralectotype workers.
 * Type-locality: lectotype India: Kanara (Bell): paralectotypes with same data, or India: Kanara (Wroughton).
 * Type-depositories: MHNG (lectotype); MNHU, MHNG, NHMB, NHMW (paralectotypes).
 * Status as species: Forel, 1903a: 706; Bingham, 1903: 169; Emery, 1924d: 228; Karavaiev, 1935a: 98; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 112; Bolton, 1995b: 250; Schödl, 1998: 370 (redescription); Tiwari, 1999: 61; Bharti & Akbar, 2014c: 814 (in key); Bharti, Guénard, et al. 2016: 38.
 * Senior synonym of carinatus: Schödl, 1998: 370.
 * Senior synonym of flaviventris: Schödl, 1998: 370.
 * Distribution: India.
 * carinatus. Meranoplus carinatus Donisthorpe, 1942d: 456 (q.) INDIA (Kerala).
 * Type-material: holotype queen.
 * Type-locality: India: Malabar, Amarambalam Forest, 500-1500 ft, 20.ix.1938 (Colombo Museum Expd.).
 * Type-depository: BMNH.
 * Status as species: Chapman & Capco, 1951: 112; Bolton, 1995b: 251; Tiwari, 1999: 61 (error).
 * Junior synonym of bellii: Schödl, 1998: 370.
 * flaviventris. Meranoplus flaviventris Donisthorpe, 1943b: 202 (w.) INDIA (Kerala).
 * Type-material: 2 syntype workers.
 * Type-locality: India: Tenmalai, Travancore, 500-800 ft, 11-17.x.1938 (Colombo Museum Expd.).
 * Type-depository: BMNH.
 * Status as species: Chapman & Capco, 1951: 113; Bolton, 1995b: 251; Tiwari, 1999: 62 (error).
 * Junior synonym of bellii: Schödl, 1998: 370.

Worker
Schödl (1998) - TL: 4.25 - 5.4, HL: 1.0- 1.18, HW: 1.07- 1.3, CI: 100- 114, SL: 0.75 - 0.83, SI: 63 - 75, PML: 0.7 - 0.85, PW: 0.9 - 1.1, PMI: 126- 140, AL: 1.05- 1.25 (14 measured). Mandibles striate, armed with five teeth, the basal tooth sometimes offset. Mid-portion of clypeus smooth, slightly concave, laterally striate. Frontal triangle unsculptured and shiny. Head above antennal scrobes trapezoid, lateral sides evenly narrowed from posterior corners towards clypeus; ventral part of head (below antennal scrobes) more rectangular, considerably wider than dorsal part, and thus genae distinctly prominent an d visible from above. Antennal scrobes almost reaching posterior corners of head, distinctly longitudinally carinulate anteriorly, transversally so at the rear, with an additional shagreening. Genae carinate to rugulose, posterior ventrolateral corners of head reticulate. Compound eyes situated well behind middle of lateral sides of head, but not near posterior corners. Maximum diameter of eye 0.23 - 0.26, with 14 - 16 ommatidia in the longest row.

Promesonotum slightly wider than long, overhanging lateral sides of alitrunk. Propodeum and propodeal spines visible from above, never overhung by a posterior mesonotal projection. Anterior pronotal corners provided with stout anterolaterally projecting short spines or teeth. Promesonotal suture invisible, at its level laterally a small fenestra on each side of the shield near or at the lateral margin. Behind the fenestra with a posteriorly directed, stout tooth and one additional distinctly arcuate tooth of similar size at the posterior mesonotal corner, where it meets the propodeum. Declivity of propodeum carinulate in above (anterior) area, glossy below. In about middle of its length propodeum provided with two long slender and considerably diverging lateral spines. The suture between dorsal alitrunk and propodeum is situated in the angle where the posterior mesonotal margin meets the declivity.

Petiole in profile cuneate, distinctly tapered from base to crest and conspicuously bidentate when viewed from behind. Anterior petiolar face smooth, posterior face carinulate, with an inconspicuous Y-shaped median carina. Postpetiole nodiform in profile, its posterior face concave, with a dorsal, posteriorly directed acute tooth which overhangs the posterior face. First gastral tergite densely covered with pubescence, shiny and unsculptured, except for hair-pits which are surrounded by minute wrinkles.

Dorsum of head behind frontal triangle longitudinally carinulate with few transverse meshes, posteriorly densely reticulate, the meshes ca. 30 - 50 μm wide; with dense erect, apically arcuate hairs (ca. 100 - 150 μm). Promesonotal shield and postpetiole more strongly reticulate-rugulose above, the meshes ca. 50 - 70 μm wide; with pubescence consisting of similar, although longer (ca. 150 - 220 μm) hairs. Only occasionally outstanding hairs surpass the layer of pubescence. Colour varying from a pale uniform brown to dark fuscous, frequently bicoloured, with the head, alitrunk, petiole and post- petiole of a dark brown, and the gaster ferrugineous (flaviventris).

Type Material
Schödl (1998) - Seven syntype workers were studied. One worker, "Typus \ M. Bellii Forel typus Kanara XXVI (Bell) ... \ Coll. A. Forel". Here designated as lectotype. Paralectotypes: 2 workers, together with the lectotype on the same pin with same data (MHNG); 1 worker, "M. Bellii Forel Kanara type (Bell) \ Sammlung Dr. F. Santschi Kairouan" ; 2 workers, "Cotypus \ M. Bellii Forel Kanara (Wroughton) LIII / 7 \ Coll. A. Forel" (MHNG); 1 worker, "Forel \ M. Bellii Forel Kanara Indien. \ Collect. G.Mayr \ Bellii Forel type". One ?syntype worker, "Kanara Bell \ Meranoplus bellii For. \ Paratypus \ Forel del 1922 [!sic] \ Zool. Mus. Berlin". Type locality: Kanara, Karnataka, India.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Dad J. M., S. A. Akbar, H. Bharti, and A. A. Wachkoo. 2019. Community structure and ant species diversity across select sites ofWestern Ghats, India. Acta Ecologica Sinica 39: 219–228.
 * Schödl S. 1998. Taxonomic revision of Oriental Meranoplus F. Smith, 1853 (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. B, Botanik, Zoologie 100: 361-394.
 * Yamane S.; Nona, A. R. 1994. Ants from Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak. Pp. 222-226 in: Inoue, T.; Hamid, A. A. (eds.) 1994. Plant reproductive systems and animal seasonal dynamics. Long-term study of dipterocarp forests in Sarawak. Kyoto: Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, vii + 255 pp.