Aenictus nesiotis

Aenictus nesiotis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dorylinae
Genus:	Aenictus
Species:	A. nesiotis
Binomial name
Aenictus nesiotis Wheeler, W.M. & Chapman, 1930

This widespread species occurs in the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Identification

A member of the pachycerus group. Head capsule completely punctate; pronotum entirely sculptured with dense micro-reticulations. This species is most similar to A. aratus, but differs in the narrower head (cephalic index < 88 and head width < 0.70mm compared to cephalic index > 87 and head width > 0.70mm in A. aratus) and the longer scapes (scape index > 107 compared to < 103 in A. aratus).

Keys including this Species

• Key to Aenictus pachyerus group species
• Key to Australian Aenictus Species
• Key to Subfamily of Philippine Ants

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 9.733333588° to -17.86000061°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia.
Indo-Australian Region: New Guinea, Philippines (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Biology

The type material consists of specimens taken from three colonies (Wheeler and Chapman 1930). One was found with numerous larvae and was nesting in a brush-pile; another, also with brood, was occupying earthworm burrows.

Castes

Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

• nesiotis. Aenictus (Aenictus) aratus subsp. nesiotis Wheeler, W.M. & Chapman, in Wheeler, W.M. 1930g: 208, fig. 7a-d (w.) PHILIPPINES (Negros I.).
  • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated, “numerous specimens from three colonies”).
  • [Note: Shattuck, 2008c: 11, cites 39 workers from the type-locality, and also one “syntype” from Los Banos (Luzon), a locality not mentioned in the original description and therefore not type-material.]
  • Type-locality: Philippines: Negros, Dumaguete, 12.iv.1927, and 29.xi.1925 (J.W. Chapman).
  • Type-depository: MCZC.
  • [Misspelled as nesiotus by Chapman & Capco, 1951: 10.]
  • Subspecies of aratus: Chapman & Capco, 1951: 10; Chapman, 1963: 262; Baltazar, 1966: 230.
  • Junior synonym of aratus: Wilson, 1964a: 446; Bolton, 1995b: 60.
  • Status as species: Shattuck, 2008c: 11 (redescription); Jaitrong & Wiwatwitaya, 2013: 99 (in key).
  • Distribution: Australia, Indonesia (Sulawesi), Papua New Guinea, Philippines.

Type Material

Numerous specimens from three colonies found at Dumaguete. One of these, with numerous larvre was nesting in a brush-pile; another, also with brood, was occupying earthworm burrows.

• Syntype, 1 worker, Los Banos, Philippines, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
• Syntype, 39 workers, Dumaguete, Philippines, Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Taxonomic Notes

The non-Australian material of this species shows only minor differences from Australian populations, none of which suggest separate species are involved. These differences include a slightly broader anterior petiolar face and less distinct sculpturing in Philippines specimens (especially those from Palawan) compared to most PNG/Australian specimens. However, both of these characters show considerable variation with essentially all morphologies found in both regions. Because of this all specimens are considered to belong to a single wide-ranging species.

The larva described by Wheeler and Wheeler (1984) under the name A. aratus originated from the Philippines and had previously been identified as “A. a. nesiotus var. fraterculus” (an unavailable infrasubspecific name associated with A. aratus by Wilson, 1964). It is likely this larva belongs to A. nesiotus rather than A. aratus as A. aratus is not known to occur in the Philippines.

Description

Mandible triangular with numerous small teeth, those along the medial region of the masticatory margin ill defined; anterior clypeal border broadly convex, extending slightly anterior of frontal lobes; parafrontal ridges well developed, extending posteriorly approximately 1/3 length of head capsule; subpetiolar process broadly convex anteriorly, flat posteriorly; head entirely punctate; mesosoma uniformly punctate, generally with weak, ill-defined longitudinal rugae on dorsum of pronotum and lateral surfaces posterior of pronotum; body brown to black, anterior section of head sometimes lighter, distal antennae and legs always lighter.

Measurements. Worker (n = 15) - CI 82–88; HL 0.75–0.84; HW 0.64–0.70; MTL 0.67–0.79; ML 1.11–1.24; SI 107–115; SL 0.70–0.78.

References

• Jaitrong, W. & Wiwatwitaya, D. 2013. Two new new species of the Aenictus pachycerus species group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Aenictinae) from Southeast Asia. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 61, 97-102.
• Shattuck, S.O. (2008) Review of the ant genus Aenictus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Australia with notes on A. ceylonicus (Mayr). Zootaxa 1926, 1–19.
• Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. (1964) The ant larvae of the subfamily Dorylinae: supplement. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 66, 129–137.
• Wheeler, W. M. (1930) Philippine ants of the genus Aenictus with descriptions of the females of two species. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 38, 193–212.
• Wilson, E.O. (1964) The true army ants of the Indo-Australian area. Pacific Insects, 6, 427–483.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Borowiec M. L. 2016. Generic revision of the ant subfamily Dorylinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 608: 1–280.
• CSIRO Collection
• Chapman J. W. 1965. Studies on the ecology of the army ants of the Philippines genus Aenictus Schuckard (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Philippine Journal of Science. 93: 551-595.
• Chapman J. W. 1963. Some new and interesting Philippine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Philipp. J. Sci. 92: 247-263.
• Jaitron W., and D. Wiwatwitaya. 2013. Two new species of the Aenictus pachycerus species group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Aenictinae) from southeast Asia. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 61(1): 97-102.
• Janda M., G. D. Alpert, M. L. Borowiec, E. P. Economo, P. Klimes, E. Sarnat, and S. O. Shattuck. 2011. Cheklist of ants described and recorded from New Guinea and associated islands. Available on http://www.newguineants.org/. Accessed on 24th Feb. 2011.
• Shattuck, S. O. 2008. Review of the ant genus Aenictus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Australia with notes on A. ceylonicus (Mayr). Zootaxa 1926:1-19.