Hypoponera ragusai

Distribution
This taxon was described from Italy (Sicily). It is also found in New Caledonia, Philippines, United States, Israel, Ethiopia, Kenya, India, Seychelles, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Japan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Spain, Italy, Malta, France, Fiji, Canary Islands, Taiwan, French Polynesia, Borneo and Hawaii.

Nomenclature

 *  ragusai. Ponera ragusai Emery, 1894h: 28 (w.) ITALY (Sicily). [Also described as new by Emery, 1895b: 65. Unjustified emendation of spelling to ragusae: Emery, 1911d: 91.] Santschi, 1907: 313 (w.q., ergatoid q., ergatoid m.); Santschi, 1908: 519 (m.); Emery, 1916b: 109 (q.). Combination in Hypoponera: Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 18. Senior synonym of gyptis, lesnei, massiliensis, parva: Bernard, 1967: 88; of aethiopica, decipiens, formosae, gleadowi, oblongiceps, santschii: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 94. See also: Wheeler, W.M. 1937c: 59.
 * gleadowi. Ponera gleadowi Forel, in Emery, 1895b: 60 (footnote and in key) (w., ergatoid q.) INDIA. [Ponera gleadowi Emery, 1893f: 242. Nomen nudum, attributed to Forel.] Combination in Hypoponera: Taylor, 1967a: 12. Senior synonym of formosae: Taylor, 1967a: 76; of oblongiceps: Taylor, 1968a: 65; of decipiens: Onoyama, 1989b: 5. Junior synonym of ragusai: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 94. See also: Bingham, 1903: 91; Onoyama, 1989b: 5.
 * aethiopica. Ponera gleadowi subsp. aethiopica Forel, 1907c: 132 (q.) ETHIOPIA. [Unresolved junior primary homonym of Ponera aethiopica Smith, F. 1858b: 91 (now in Streblognathus).] Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 213. Raised to species: Bernard, 1953b: 199 (in key). Junior synonym of ragusai: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 94.
 * decipiens. Ponera gleadowii r. decipiens Forel, 1899a: 118 (w.) HAWAII. Junior synonym of gleadowi: Wilson, 1958d: 328; of punctatissima: Wilson & Taylor, 1967: 29 (in text); of gleadowi: Onoyama, 1989b: 5; of ragusai: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 94.
 * gyptis. Ponera gyptis Santschi, 1921b: 435. Unnecessary (second) replacement name for parva Bondroit, 1918: 85. [Junior primary homonym of parva Forel, 1909a: 244.] Junior synonym of massiliensis: Bolton, 1995b: 214.
 * formosae. Ponera japonica r. formosae Forel, 1913f: 186 (w.) TAIWAN. Junior synonym of gleadowi: Taylor, 1967a: 76; of ragusai: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 94.
 * lesnei. Ponera lesnei Bondroit, 1916: 212, fig. (w.) FRANCE. Junior synonym of ragusai: Bernard, 1967: 88.
 * massiliensis. Ponera massiliensis Bondroit, 1920a: 158. Replacement name for parva Bondroit, 1918: 85. [Junior primary homonym of parva Forel, 1909a: 244.] Senior synonym of gyptis (unnecessary second replacement name): Bolton, 1995b: 215. Junior synonym of ragusai: Bernard, 1967: 88.
 * oblongiceps. Ponera oblongiceps Smith, M.R. 1939a: 76, figs. 1-3 (w.q. ergatoid m.) U.S.A. Junior synonym of gleadowi: Taylor, 1968a: 65; of ragusai: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 95.
 * parva. Ponera parva Bondroit, 1918: 85 (w.) FRANCE. [Junior primary homonym of parva Forel, above.] Replacement name: massiliensis: Bondroit, 1920a: 158.
 * santschii. Ponera ragusai var. santschii Emery, 1909c: 371, fig. 9 (w.q., ergatoid q., ergatoid m.) ALGERIA. Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 216. Junior synonym of ragusai: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 94.

Worker
Bolton and Fisher (2011) - Measurements: HL 0.56–0.62, HW 0.42–0.50, HS 0.490–0.555, SL 0.36–0.43, PrW 0.32–0.38, WL 0.68–0.78, HFL 0.34–0.42, PeNL 0.16–0.18, PeH 0.26–0.30, PeNW 0.20–0.24, PeS 0.203–0.247 (17 measured). Indices: CI 74–82, SI 81–87, PeNI 62–68, LPeI 55–61, DPeI 120–140.

Answering the general description of Hypoponera punctatissima and superficially very similar to the smallest workers of that species, but the shape and relative dimensions of the petiole node are consistently different.

1 In profile the petiole node of ragusai is more blocky, lower and relatively longer, with PeH 0.26–0.30 and LPeI 55–61. (In punctatissima, PeH 0.30–0.39 and LPeI 43–53.)

2 In dorsal view the petiole node of ragusai is longer and relatively narrower, DPeI 120–140. (In punctatissima, DPeI 140–165.)

In addition to these differences in the shape of the petiole node, H. ragusai workers are always yellow to light brownish yellow, fall at the bottom end of the known size range of punctatissima (e.g. HW 0.42–0.50, versus 0.46– 0.60 in punctatissima) and have heads that average relatively slightly narrower and scapes that are relatively slightly longer than in punctatissima; compare CI and SI above with CI 79–87 and SI 75–84 in punctatissima. Finally, the queen of ragusai is considerably darker in colour than her workers, whereas in punctatissima the two castes have the same colour.

Type Material
Bolton and Fisher (2011):

Syntype worker, ITALY: Sicily (E. Ragusa) [examined].

Ponera gleadowi Syntype workers and worker-queen intercastes, INDIA: Poona, XVII/1 and XI/3 (R.C. Wroughton) ) and INDIA: 91–76 (R.C. Wroughton) [examined].

Ponera gleadowii r. decipiens Holotype worker, HAWAIIAN IS: Kauai I., on coast (R.C.L. Perkins) (MHNG) [not seen].

Ponera gleadowi subsp. aethiopica Syntype alate queen, ETHIOPIA: Tchafianani, 1905 (M de Rothschild) (MHNG) [examined]. Syntype workers, worker-queen intercastes, queens and ergatoid male, TUNISIA: Kairouan, 2.x.1906 (F. Santschi); syntype worker, ALGERIA: Biskra (Noualhier); syntype worker, ISRAEL: Haifa (“Syrien, Kaifa,” on data label) (Reitter) (MSNG,, BMNH) [NHMB and BMNH examined].

Ponera japonica r. formosae Syntype workers, TAIWAN: Anping (H. Sauter) (MHNG) [not seen].

Ponera lesnei Holotype worker, FRANCE: Dept. de la Seine, Bécon-sur-Bruyères (Lesne) -) [examined].

Ponera parva Holotype worker, FRANCE: Marseille (A. Grouvelle) (not in MNHN, presumed lost).

Ponera oblongiceps Syntype workers, queens and ergatoid males, U.S.A.: Maryland, Priest Bridge (A.B. Gurney) [not seen].

Additional References

 * [[Media:Smith 1939a.pdf|Smith, M. R. 1939a. A new species of North American Ponera, with an ergatandrous form (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Proc. Entomol. Soc. Wash. 41: 76-78 PDF]]


 * [[Media:Tinaut 2001.pdf| Tinaut, A. 2001. Hypoponera ragusai (Emery, 1895) una hormiga cavernícola nueva para la península Ibérica (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Graellsia, 57(1), 3-8. PDF]]