Acropyga acutiventris

This wide ranging species is known from India east to northern Australia and is one of the most commonly encountered species in the genus. Within Australia it is limited to the Top End and northern Queensland where it occurs primarily in rainforest with a few records from savanna woodlands. Nests are in soil normally under rocks or logs and in rotten wood on the ground. Queens are known to carry live mealbugs (in the genus Xenococcus) in their mandibles on their nuptual flights, the mealybugs providing honeydew for her newly established nest.

Identification
Within Australia this species can be separated from other members of the genus by the presence of long erect hairs on the antennal scapes and posterior margin of the head.

Distribution
This taxon was described from Sri Lanka. It is also known from Australia, Philippines, New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Singapore and the Solomon Islands.

Nomenclature

 *  acutiventris. Acropyga acutiventris Roger, 1862a: 243 (w.q.) SRI LANKA. Imai, Brown, et al. 1984: 68 (k.). Senior synonym of flava: Forel, 1894c: 418; of australis: Taylor, 1992a: 58; of carinata, crassicornis, indosinensis, javana, moluccana, mysolensis, occipitalis, opaca, papuana, undecemus: LaPolla, 2004a: 31. See also: Terayama, Fellowes & Zhou, 2002: 23.
 * flava. Plagiolepis flava Mayr, 1862: 699 (q.m.) NICOBAR IS. Combination in Acropyga: Mayr, 1862: 769. Junior synonym of acutiventris: Forel, 1894c: 418.
 * moluccana. Acropyga moluccana Mayr, 1879: 658 (w.) INDONESIA (Seram I.). Karavaiev, 1933a: 310 (q.m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1953c: 137 (l.). Junior synonym of acutiventris: LaPolla, 2004a: 31.
 * crassicornis. Acropyga crassicornis Emery, 1900d: 698 (footnote), fig. 13 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Junior synonym of acutiventris: LaPolla, 2004a: 31.
 * australis. Acropyga moluccana var. australis Forel, 1902h: 477 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1968: 209 (l.). Subspecies of acutiventris: Forel, 1911e: 286; of moluccana: Taylor & Brown, D.R. 1985: 108. Junior synonym of acutiventris: Taylor, 1992a: 58; LaPolla, 2004a: 31.
 * mysolensis. Acropyga moluccana subsp. mysolensis Forel, 1911e: 285 (w.) INDONESIA (Misool I.). Junior synonym of acutiventris: LaPolla, 2004a: 31.
 * opaca. Acropyga moluccana var. opaca Stitz, 1911a: 370 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Donisthorpe, 1948g: 139 (m.). Junior synonym of acutiventris: LaPolla, 2004a: 31.
 * occipitalis. Acropyga moluccana var. occipitalis Stitz, 1912: 510, fig. 12 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Junior synonym of acutiventris: LaPolla, 2004a: 31.
 * papuana. Acropyga (Acropyga) moluccana subsp. papuana Mann, 1919: 364 (w.) SOLOMON IS. Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1953c: 136 (l.). Junior synonym of acutiventris: LaPolla, 2004a: 31.
 * silvestrii. Acropyga (Rhizomyrma) silvestrii Wheeler, W.M. 1927h: 100, fig. 7 (w.) VIETNAM. [Junior primary homonym of silvestrii Emery, above.] Replacement name: indosinensis Wheeler, W.M. 1935c: 72.
 * carinata. Acropyga acutiventris var. carinata Karavaiev, 1933a: 310 (w.) INDONESIA (Sumatra). Junior synonym of acutiventris: LaPolla, 2004a: 32.
 * javana. Acropyga (Acropyga) acutiventris var. javana Karavaiev, 1933a: 308 (w.m.) INDONESIA (Java). Junior synonym of acutiventris: LaPolla, 2004a: 31.
 * indosinensis. Acropyga (Rhizomyrma) indosinensis Wheeler, W.M. 1935c: 72. Replacement name for Acropyga silvestrii Wheeler, W.M. 1927h: 100. [Junior primary homonym of Acropyga silvestrii Emery, 1915g: 21.] Junior synonym of acutiventris: LaPolla, 2004a: 32.
 * undecemus. Pseudolasius undecemus Donisthorpe, 1949c: 756 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Combination in Acropyga: Bolton, 1995b: 58. Junior synonym of acutiventris: LaPolla, 2004a: 32.

Acropyga acutiventris type material

Syntype worker(s) and queen(s) from Sri Lanka.

Acropyga moluccana australis type material

Syntype workers from Mackay, Queensland (3 in (ANIC32-018704), 7 in ).

Additional References

 * LaPolla, J.S. (2004) Acropyga of the world. Contributions of the American Entomological Institute, 33(3): 1-130.
 * Forel, A. (1902) Fourmis nouvelles d'Australie. Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 10: 405–548.
 * Forel, A. (1911) Die Ameisen des K. Zoologischen Museums in München. Sitzungsberichte der Mathematischen-Physikalischen Klasse der Königlich Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu München, 11: 249–303.
 * Roger, J. (1862) Einige neue exotische Ameisen-Gattungen und Arten. Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift, 6: 233–254.
 * Taylor, R. W., Brown, D. R. (1985) Formicoidea. pp. 1–149 in Walton, D. W. Zoological catalogue of Australia, vol. 2. Hymenoptera: Formicoidea, Vespoidea and Sphecoidea. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. vi + 381 pp.
 * Taylor, R. W. (1992) Nomenclature and distribution of some Australian and New Guinean ants of the subfamily Formicinae. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society, 31: 57–69.