Aenictus prolixus

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Aenictus prolixus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dorylinae
Genus: Aenictus
Species: A. prolixus
Binomial name
Aenictus prolixus
Shattuck, 2008

Aenictus prolixus side view

Aenictus prolixus top view Specimen labels

This common species is found in northern Northern Territory and northern Queensland. It is most similar to A. acerbus and A. turneri and it is probable that at least some of the males currently associated with A. hilli may actually belong to this species.

Identification

A member of the pachycerus group.

Head capsule entirely smooth and essentially uniformly coloured; scape relatively long (scape index > 89); subpetiolar process large and rectangular. This species is most similar to A. acerbus and A. turneri but can be separated from these by the longer scapes.

Scape length-Head width measurements

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -9.916666985° to -17.83333015°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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.
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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.
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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.

  • prolixus. Aenictus prolixus Shattuck, 2008c: 14, figs. 7, 8, 18-20, 29 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Northern Territory, Queensland).
    • Type-material: holotype worker, 18 paratype workers.
    • Type-locality: holotype Australia: Northern Territory, Baroalba Gorge, 12°50’S, 132°52’E, 18.xi.1972, Acc.N. 72.1076 (R.W. Taylor & J.E. Feehan); paratypes with same data.
    • Type-depositories: ANIC (holotype); ANIC, MCZC, QMBA (paratypes).
    • Distribution: Australia.

Type Material

Description

Mandible triangular, with a large apical tooth and a smaller subapical tooth followed by 6–7 (rarely 5) small teeth and a larger basal tooth; anterior clypeal border weakly convex to weakly concave, located at or anterior to anterior margins of frontal lobes in full face view; parafrontal ridges absent; subpetiolar process a large rectangular project, an elongate flange sometimes present on the posterior corner; head entirely smooth, pronotum weakly reticulate on collar, smooth posteriorly and laterally, mesonotum smooth, mesopleuron and propodeum finely punctate with longitudinal rugae laterally; body yellow-red, mesosoma slightly darker.

Measurements. Worker (n = 13) - CI 81–90; HL 0.55–0.62; HW 0.46–0.54; MTL 0.43–0.57; ML 0.84–0.98; SI 89–96; SL 0.42–0.51.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • CSIRO Collection
  • Shattuck, S. O. 2008. Review of the ant genus Aenictus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Australia with notes on A. ceylonicus (Mayr). Zootaxa 1926:1-19.