Axinidris lignicola

Axinidris lignicola
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dolichoderinae
Genus:	Axinidris
Species:	A. lignicola
Binomial name
	Axinidris lignicola; Snelling, R.R., 2007 Specimen labels

Known from few collections, the types were found ""in centre of dead tree trunk c 2.5cm dia., 1 m above ground."

Identification

Snelling (2007) - Antennal scape shaft without erect hairs and pronotum with 12+ short suberect hairs and 4-6 longer erect hairs; propodeal spines short, dentiform; propodeal dorsum obliquely elevated distad; medial carina strongly elevated, obtuse in profile; first gastral tergum with erect discal hairs and marginal row of suberect hairs.

The strongly elevated medial carina at the summit of the propodeal declivity, as well as the abundance of suberect to erect pilosity in combination with the lack of erect hairs on the scape shaft, will serve to distinguish this species from all others known to me.

Keys including this Species

Key to Axinidris

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -33.9844° to -38.98333333°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: South Africa (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

Species of Axinidris appear to nest exclusively within hollow plant stems, both living and dead, and in rotten wood. They are found in forested areas throughout the Afrotropical region, but are most abundant and diverse in the moist equatorial forests. Workers are primarily arboreal foragers, but may occasionally forage in ground litter.

Castes

Worker

Known only from the worker caste.

Images from AntWeb


Paratype of Axinidris lignicola. Worker. Specimen code casent0172614. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

lignicola. Axinidris lignicola Snelling, R.R. 2007: 564, figs. 5, 15, 25 (w.) SOUTH AFRICA.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

(mm) (n = 12). HW 0.76-0.92; HL 0.83-0.99; SL 0.73-0.81; EL 0.19-0.28; OVD 0.29-0.33; PNW 0.49-0.58; PPW 0.32-0.37; WL 0.95-1.09. Indices. CI 88-96; CNI 100170; OI 24-30; SI 86-100.

Front of head smooth to weakly coriarious between fine subcontiguous punctures; gena and malar area distinctly coriarious between well-spaced punctures, many of which are smaller than on frons. Frons with 4-5 pairs of erect hairs, uppermost pair longest; vertex with 1 pair of suberect hairs subequal in length to longest frontal pair. Pubescence short, mostly appressed but some on side of head, especially on malar area, subappressed to reclinate. Shaft of antennal scape with appressed pubescence only. Pronotum moderately shiny and coriarious between well-separated fine piligerous punctures. Mesonotum irregularly rugulose and moderately shiny. Mesepisternum moderately shiny between short, weak, more or less longitudinal rugae anteriorly, becoming duller and colliculate posteriorly and ventrad. Propodeal dorsum so coarsely rugulose that medial carina is obscured; medial carina at summit of declivity a short, strongly elevated obtuse lobe; spiracle on well developed prominence, opening directed posterolaterad; propodeal spines short and nearly right-angular in dorsal view, distance between their outer apices less than distance between spiracles. Pronotum (Fig. 15) with 45 pairs of short erect hairs; mesonotum and dorsum of propodeum with variable number of suberect to erect hairs of variable length. Gastral tergum 1 moderately shiny and weakly coriarious, following segments less shiny and more distinctly sculptured. Terga 1-2 with marginal band of suberect hairs; terga 2-4 with short suberect discal hairs and all segments with abundant coarse subappressed pubescence.

Head and body dark brown; lateral lobes of clypeus and transverse stripe at base of mandibular teeth yellowish.

Type Material

Holotype worker and numerous worker paratypes, SOUTH AFRICA, Western Cape, Grootvadersbosch (38°59'S 20°49'E), 16 September 1995 (H.G. Robertson), "in centre of dead tree trunk c 2.5cm dia., 1 m above ground", in indigenous forest. Holotype and most paratypes in South African Museum; paratypes also in The Natural History Museum, California Academy of Sciences, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History and Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Etymology

Wood-dweller, from L., lignum (wood) + L., colo (inhabit).

References